The 2014 Pro Bowl is going to be unlike any other Pro Bowl as the game switches from the traditional NFC vs. AFC matchup to an “Unconferenced” format. Leading up to Sunday’s contest, the first annual Pro Bowl Draft was conducted; hall-of-famers Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice are the captains of the two teams.
With all of the excitement for this year’s game, a handful of well-deserving players will miss out on the weekend spotlight. Which studs from 2013 got cheated the most out of a trip to Hawaii?
1. Eric Decker- Wide Receiver, Denver Broncos: We have Peyton Manning, who finished the greatest regular season for a quarterback ever. Check. We have Demaryius Thomas, who made it to the Pro Bowl for a second straight season. Check. We even have Julius Thomas, who became this year’s breakout tight end with 65 catches for 793 yards and 12 touchdowns, earn a trip to his first Pro Bowl. Once again, there is NO love for the Broncos’ No. 2 wide-out. Decker finished 2013 with 87 receptions for 1,288 yards and 11 touchdowns. What’s even more disturbing is that he caught 85 balls for 1,064 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2012 and still missed the Pro Bowl. This guy even had a 4-touchdown game against the division-rival Chiefs in Kansas City late in December. Decker has just as much to do with making history as Peyton and the others do. The voters definitely messed up with this one. Hopefully a Bronco victory in next week’s Super Bowl will satisfy Decker.
2. Bobby Wagner- Middle Linebacker, Seattle Seahawks: Seattle by far has the best secondary in football. When talented and confident guys like Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas and Brandon Browner shut down and dominate the back end like they do, it is very easy to overlook what the front seven does to contribute to their success. Free-agent signings Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett played huge on the defensive line grabbing eight sacks a piece, but the true unsung hero of this Seahawk defense is Bobby Wagner. In his sophomore season, Wagner recorded 120 tackles, two interceptions and six pass deflections; he even had 140 tackles and three picks in his rookie season in 2012. He has five double-digit tackle games this year including his 15-tackle performance against archrival 49ers in the NFC title game. Wagner is only 23 years old, so his nationwide recognition is on the way for sure.
3. Kiko Alonso- Middle Linebacker, Buffalo Bills: The Buffalo Bills’ defensive line is heavily featured in this year’s Pro Bowl; three guys were selected to play in Hawaii. Veteran linemen Kyle Williams and Mario Williams will each play in their third Pro Bowl, and third-year man Marcell Dareus will make is Pro Bowl debut. The guy who should be joining them is rookie linebacker Kiko Alonso. Alonso finished third in the league in tackles with 159; he also had four sacks, two interceptions and five pass deflections. Despite the Pro Bowlers, the Buffalo Bills’ defense still remains underrated. With a young stud at linebacker and a stout defensive line, the Bills do have a bright future ahead. If that offense can ever get it together, Buffalo WILL be a playoff team.
4. T.Y. Hilton- Wide Receiver, Indianapolis Colts: When talking about the “Gamebreakers” of the NFL, T.Y. Hilton belongs in this conversation. In his first two seasons, Hilton has had 17 games in which he caught a pass accounting for 20 yards or more; he also has 21 games where he averaged over 10 yards per reception. In 2013, Hilton caught 82 passes for 1,083 and five touchdowns. He became Andrew Luck’s top target this season after veteran receiver Reggie Wayne got injured. His presence proved to be more significant in their postseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Hilton grabbed 13 balls for 224 yards and two scores in the Colts’ comeback victory; his 224 receiving yards are the third most in a playoff game in NFL history.
5. Junior Galette- Outside Linebacker, New Orleans Saints: Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan earned his trip to the Pro Bowl, but Junior Galette should be going with him as well. The duo finished with 24 combined sacks in 2013; Galette accounted for 12 of those sacks. He also deflected six passes and forced a fumble this year. Galette’s pass-rushing presence was a key reason why the Saints finished in the top five in total defense this season.
6. Keenan Lewis- Cornerback, New Orleans Saints: The signing of Keenan Lewis may have been one of the best free-agent signings of 2013. Lewis coming back home to a team who needed help against the pass was the perfect match. Lewis caught four interceptions and deflected 11 passes this season; he only had one pick during his four-year tenure with the Steelers. Perhaps his biggest game of the season came in the playoffs against the Eagles as he shut down Desean Jackson through three quarters before suffering a concussion.
7. Kenny Vaccaro- Strong Safety, New Orleans Saints: The Saints surprised a lot of people when they drafted Kenny Vaccaro 15th overall in last April’s draft, but the rookie did not disappoint. Vaccaro recorded 79 tackles, six pass deflections, and an opening day interception to help knock of the rival Falcons. The additions of him and Keenan Lewis brought stability to a secondary that has underwent constant reshuffling during the Sean Payton era. Notice that three Saints made it on this list. When a team goes from being the historically worst defense in league history to placing forth the next year, it makes no sense to have just one player from the Saints’ defense in the Pro Bowl.
8. Keenan Allen- Wide Receiver, San Diego Chargers: Philip Rivers had a season of rebirth in 2013 as he threw for 32 touchdowns and over 4,400 yards en route to returning to both the postseason and the Pro Bowl. Rookie wide-out Keenan Allen was a huge part of Rivers’ comeback season as he caught a forth of Rivers’ touchdown strikes and hauling in 71 passes for 1,046 yards. With Antonio Gates at the end of his career, Allen will be Rivers’ go-to guy for years to come.
9. Thomas Davis- Outside Linebacker, Carolina Panthers: Defense was the driving force for the Carolina Panthers’ run to the playoffs. Sophomore linebacker Luke Kuechly and defensive end Greg Hardy will both be playing in Hawaii, but Thomas Davis was a vital piece to their defense in 2013. For a guy who has had three ACL tears in his career hasn’t necessarily slowed down in production. Davis had 123 tackles, two sacks and eight pass deflections, all of which were career highs. Young star linebacker Kuechly received much of the hype this season, but the veteran Davis is a tackling machine in his own right.
10. The Buffalo Bills Backfield: As weird as it sounds to have a certain group selected to the Pro Bowl, this running game was a legitimate snub. The Buffalo Bills silently finished second in the league in rushing this season averaging 144.2 yards per game. Buffalo’s top two running backs rushed for over 850 yards this year (C.J. Spiller-927, Fred Jackson-896). As previously mentioned, if the offense can get up to speed with the defense (particularly the quarterback position), the Buffalo Bills will clinch a playoff spot and end the longest drought in the NFL.
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