Two members of the Green Bay Packers got All-Pro nods. Both of them made the second team and they are probably not the two guys you would expect. They are safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and left tackle David Bakhtiari.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers did not make the cut, with Atlanta’s Matt Ryan garnering first-team status and New England’s Tom Brady getting the second-team nod. Rodgers finished third in the voting at quarterback with five. Ryan got 29 and Brady had 15.
That’s as good a sign as any that Rodgers likely will not be winning his third MVP award, either.
The All-Pro team is voted on by writers and broadcasters who cover the league, which makes it much more accurate in terms of who is having a great season than the popularity contest that is the Pro Bowl.
As such, it’s not surprising that Bakhtiari is an All Pro, but didn’t make the Pro Bowl. We felt he was the Packers’ biggest snub — no offense to Jordy Nelson — for the Pro Bowl. Bakhtiari has simply been one of the best left tackles in the game this season, as his All-Pro status now reflects.
As for Clinton-Dix, well, we didn’t even think he deserved to make the Pro Bowl, so…
He was obviously buoyed by his five interceptions, which ranked second among safeties. However, four of those came in two games. His 80 tackles ranked him third on the Packers (behind Morgan Burnett and Jake Ryan) and he had just one forced fumble and half a sack. Throw in repeated instances where Clinton-Dix demonstrated a complete lack of awareness that resulted in big plays for the opposition and it just doesn’t add up.
Maybe the safety position around the NFL has just been that underwhelming this year.
Just proves what a shit show the Pro Bowl has become. Nitwit fans of some suck-ass team can pile up enough votes that some ringmeat from their team gets a berth.
Fortunately, All-Pro designations come about differently and carry way more weight.
Congrats, Bahk, you pirate. Nice job earning the new, fat game checks.
I really respect Bakhtiari but there are four better OTs — in the NFC alone! It is a surprise to see him on there but there are certainly many blurred lines when it comes to offensive linemen and telling who is better than who else especially due to system.
The writer is right on about Clinton-Dix. He should not have made the pro bowl let alone all pro. The only point in his favor is the 5 interceptions. But he blew a ton of coverages and led an extremely poor secondary. There are not many good safeties in the NFL. I can tell you this though — if you had all the GMs build a team from scratch from all the players in the league 30 out of 32 would take Harrison Smith before Clinton-Dix. The two that would take Clinton-Dix? The Brown’s GM and the 49er’s GM Trent Baalke — just before he was terminated…..
Selecting Ryan and Brady before Rodgers is a no brainer. Better QB ratings (by far), better offenses, more points by their offenses, better team records, better position in the playoffs, better completion percentages, better yards per attempt, and all against tougher competition overall.
If you think Rodgers should be considered seriously in competition with or as deserving of MVP as Ryan then it logically follows that you think Andy Dalton should have a good chance to beat our Rodgers for the MVP. Why not? There is actually a GREATER gulf in QB rating between Ryan and Rodgers than there is between Rodgers and Dalton. Or Russell Wilson. Or Matthew Stafford. Or (gasp) Ryan Tannehill!
Think about it: If you think Rodgers should be seriously considered for MVP then you think Ryan Tannehill should be seriously considered for MVP!