The Green Bay Packers had five players elected to the Pro Bowl. They were Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, John Kuhn, Josh Sitton and Clay Matthews.
Is that enough? Not in our estimation.
In fact, we’d give back John Kuhn and Clay Matthews, who probably really don’t deserve to be there in the first place.
But what about these guys?
Here’s the argument.
Randall Cobb — 87 catches, 1,207 yards, 10 TDs
I know, I know, this is a tough one. The receiver group is always tough to crack and the Packers already have one in the mix. First of all, most people want to see the Giants’ Odell Beckham, who was also snubbed, in this mix. Well, fuck him. His team is dog shit and Cobb’s stats are better. The only thing Beckham has over Cobb are some highlight-reel catches. First, let’s look at who can take a walk. Two guys — both of whom made it only on reputation — Calvin Johnson and A.J. Green. Both guys have missed ample time because of injury. Johnson has 20 fewer receptions, 169 fewer yards and four fewer touchdowns that Cobb. The Green selection is even more egregious. He has 26 fewer receptions, 248 fewer yards and four fewer touchdowns than Cobb. I’m not making the argument that Cobb is an overall better receiver than Johnson or Green, but his season is more deserving of a Pro Bowl nod than either of these guys’. Dump both of these chumps and add Cobb and Beckham.
David Bakhtiari
It’s hard to make argument for an offensive lineman because they don’t have any stats. We’re going to make one for the Packers’ left tackle anyway. While Bakhtiari had a couple clunkers this season, he was, for the most part, dominant. Bakhtiari regularly faces the opposition’s best pass rushers. He regularly shuts them down. So which tackle on this year’s Pro Bowl roster can piss off? How about Washington’s Trent Williams. The Redskins have allowed 55 sacks this season, that’s the second-highest total in the NFL behind Jacksonville. Meanwhile, the Packers have one of the best lines in the NFL. They’ve only given up 29 sacks. That argument makes itself.
Corey Linsley
Coach Mike McCarthy has been saying rookie center Corey Linsley is having a Pro Bowl-caliber year since midseason. We weren’t always sold on that, but watching Linsley’s play down the stretch has us convinced. Is he having a better year than Travis Frederick, Jason Kelce, Nick Mangold or Maurkice Pouncey, the four centers who did make the roster? I have no idea. I don’t watch their shitty teams play. What I do know is that Linsley has played at a level similar to the Packers’ Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton and Bakhtiari, who should have made the team. The only reason we can imagine that Linsley didn’t make the Pro Bowl squad is because he’s a rookie and doesn’t have the name recognition that these other clowns do.
Morgan Burnett — 122 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FF
If anyone on the Packers defense deserved to make the Pro Bowl, it was Burnett. He’s rebounded from a total turd of a season in 2013 with his best campaign. Burnett leads the Packers in tackles by a wide margin. His 122 tackles are 28 more than Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. That number is also good for eighth in the league. It’s 13 more than the next safety on the list, which is Pro Bowler Eric Weddle, who ranks 16th in the league. Every other player in the top 15 in tackles in the NFL, other than Burnett, is a linebacker. So which of these jerkoff safeties on the Pro Bowl roster should go to make room for Burnett? Who gives a shit? All of them. Burnett is easily the Green Bay Packers biggest Pro Bowl snub.