Pro Bowl 2021 will not take place this year, although it has always made sense to announce the team anyway, given the various financial commitments and contractual incentives related to the league’s annual All-Star festivities. This game has a massive weight, no matter how cynical we have all become in terms of the real quality of the game. Maybe one day we will be able to simplify the voting process, so that it becomes less of a popularity and recognition contest and more about the players who dominate the field and lead their respective teams.
I covered a handful of Pro Bowls when I worked for the NFL and I was always impressed by how significant it was from the player’s perspective. When you are in the location surrounded by your colleagues and their families, there is something royal about it. A recognition you have arrived. A moment to let go of the steam as you plan the next phase of a meteor quarry.
Unfortunately, these things will have to be done practically this year, like anything else. I can promise you this: I will never take a Pro Bowl again. I’m sure any player who made a hand of them could probably say the same thing. If 2020 has taught us anything, life in the world of football has been pretty nice.
Below are some thoughts, stings, and meditations on the 2021 lists. Since the list will not be as fluid as it has been in years past, there is not much chance for voters to withdraw by retroactively picking up a lot of deserving players in places. occupied by injured beginners or boys who are in the Super Bowl.
Ryan Tannehill (left), Justin Jefferson (center) and Trey Hendrickson (right) all had Pro Bowl seasons, but not all made the cut.
Christopher Hanewinckel / USA TODAY Sports (Tannehill); Brad Rempel / USA TODAY Sports (Jefferson); Derick E. Hingle / SUA TODAY Sports (Hendrickson)
• My first remark: No love for Ryan Tannehill. I think we might still adapt to the idea that the former Dolphins first-round pick isn’t just a funny comeback story. He is a legitimate elite defender, who is among the top players in the league in some of the best comprehensive metrics in the sport. Tannehill is fourth in the QBR total and third in the defensive-adjusted Yards Above Replacement. Even if you don’t care about these things, he is fifth in the touchdown passages with only five interceptions. This is another remarkably effective season at Tannehill, and while the AFC defender’s troika is difficult to break (they went with Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Deshaun Watson), one could easily argue his inclusion (probably in Tannehill’s leading team plays in the division).
• Also in the snub category: Although I’m more than happy to take credit for being right and asking Evan Engram to make his first Pro Bowl this season (along with a few others), I find it strange that an end tight with one touchdown reception and a catch rate of 56.8% entered a field that, yes, is statistically disappointing, with some of the heaviest hitters with injury, but still talented. My NFL.com friend Nick Shook nominated Robert Tonyan of Green Bay, who has 10 touchdown receptions this season. Irv Smith of the Vikings, Dallas Goedert of the Eagles and even George Kittle on a limited body of works deserve some recognition there.
• James Robinson, the debutant from undrafted free agent in Jacksonville, is also one of those players who – in a normal year – you can imagine jumping on a list, the second someone else would opt for a medical job post-season or for the rehabilitation of accidents to play in the game. Robinson is third in the NFL in a hurry, ahead of both Nick Chubb and Josh Jacobs, who both came into the game. His percentage of haste in the first place is also higher than that of Derek Henry or Chubb (we’re not saying Henry doesn’t deserve to do it, calm down).
• Aircraft Safety Marcus Maye and Safety Bengals Jessie Bates were also in a difficult spot and in a busy classroom. Tyrann Mathieu has never been not I’ll come in when the bosses’ defense plays so well. Much of this system works because of its multiplicity. That being said, Maye, as we saw on Sunday against the Rams, is doing clinical work in the middle of a besieged defensive field. This is the third consecutive year that allows an opposite QB completion rate below 60%. This season, he also recorded a career with the best 70 passing opponents in the games in which he was targeted, which is great. Meanwhile, Bates has a rating of 55 opposing opponents and 55.3% percentage of completion QB opposite.
• Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley is sixth in the NFL in touchdowns, sixth in the yard and seventh in the Effective Yards metric in Football Outsiders. All this, practically with the league average separating on the route. This offense did not favor Ridley and made Julio Jones receive cover for half a season.
• The Saints’ Trey Hendrickson is second in the league with 12.5 sacks, behind Yannick Ngakoue (and tied with Aaron Donald!). So is teammate Cam Jordan who gets to the Pro Bowl instead of just acknowledging those who help create those opportunities? (Jordan has 6.5 bags.) Or is it simply massive voter oversight? Hendrickson has more pressure and as many QB eliminations and rushes as Jordan.
• It’s hard not to feel for Garrett Bolles from Denver, who could have been one of the biggest snubs in the group. Say what you want in terms of scoring services, but Pro Football Focus has Bolles in 3rd place this year, ahead of some pretty high companies like Andrew Whitworth, Duane Brown and many more. He did not give up a bag in 2020, which is the best ratio between passing snaps and bags allowed in the NFL. Moreover, the NFL world in general was ready to run the first round pick in Denver. This would have been a pleasant – and justified – recognition of how far he has come.
The Weak-Side podcast now has its own feed! Subscribe to listen to Conor Orr and Jenny Vrentas every week.
• Good for Dave Gettleman and James Bradberry. It’s important to admit when you’re wrong and with Gettleman, many of us fought out of season when, in reality, he ended up being targeted and quite dead. James Bradberry was one of the best football defenders this year. It’s interesting to see that the total number of targets decreases per season, as the rest of the NFL catches the fact that it’s not the person you want to throw the ball to. However, over 80 Bradberry targets allowed a formidable 60% completion rate and an opposite QB rating of 77.2. You may also be able to argue that Logan Ryan, Leonard Williams and Dexter Lawrence are potential substitutes in a normal year.
• Justin Jefferson who made a Pro Bowl in his debut season removes a bit of the Stefon Diggs nomination for Viking fans (and front office). I think Rick Spielman can be reassured to know that he did the right thing for the franchise, using the first rounder they got from the Bills transaction to work out a one-on-one replacement who is following Diggs just a few yards from receiving him with two touchdowns, he has a higher first-down percentage and three more explosive games. Diggs, however, has a slightly better catch percentage (and so far in his career).
• I still think Orlando Brown, Jr. is a great story. Brown, you remember, was crushed for his less-than-ideal combination performance in 2018, slipped in the third round and now made two straight Pro Bowls in 2019 and 2020. Looks like Ozzie Newsome never left this front five without a long-term anchor, and while you could make an argument for Ronnie Stanley to be in this game too if he hadn’t been injured, Brown is a good sign that you don’t have to be defined by a competition. meaningless televised agility.
• Vic Fangio sent a pair of Pro Bowlers to Justin Simmons and Bradley Chubb this year. It’s interesting to follow Fangio’s path as a defensive coordinator and see how the All-Stars seem to emerge like weeds. If this team can get an appearance of momentum in offense, it would seem to be a tick in the column to keep Fangio for another year and to pursue this defense becoming something special.