After years of being a better tight end than Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates (yes people, I said it; and if you actually watched games, you believe it too), Dallas Clark finally was elected to a Pro Bowl. I mean, all he had to do to get on the roster was catch 93-friggin-balls and 10 touchdowns! That is a feat Antonio Gates has never reached, and he's been to (now) six straight Pro Bowls!
Unbelievable.
Now, for Gonzalez, he's caught over 90 passes and 10 TDs once before. However, Gonzalez has made ten straight Pro Bowls, and had he not been traded to the NFC and the Atlanta Falcons this year, he might still have knocked Clark out of the Pro Bowl just because of his resume. That, and Gonzalez was the only receiver worth a damn for Kansas City Chiefs for years. If QBs didn't throw it to him, their other options included the immortal Eddie Kennison, Dante Hall, and Johnnie Morton. Meanwhile, Clark has caught 93 passes and 10 TDs this year on a team featuring Reggie Wayne and two young, dynamic receivers in Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie.
But, whatever. It's nice to see the best tight end in football finally be recognized as such by fans, players, and coaches. I could care less about which players actually play in the Pro Bowl, but seeing deserving people like Clark get on the roster is kind of cool.
More Colts could actually be added to the team soon. The outstanding rookie safety from the Buffalo Bills, Jairus Byrd,was named to the AFC team. However, Byrd is on IR with a groin injury. So, it's not likely he will play in the Pro Bowl. This probably means Antoine Bethea will replace him. Bethea should have been named to the Pro Bowl over Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed because Bethea has, quite simply, played better than Ed Reed this season. But, Reed got in based on his past resume, which is one of the reasons why nobody takes the Pro Bowl seriously.
Also, DeMeco Ryans was selected over Gary Brackett.
Please.
I don't even know if Texans fans agree with that. Brian Cushing and Matt Schaub certainly deserved to get Pro Bowl nods though. The Cincinnati Bengals not getting a single player selected is another reason why this team selection process is laughable. Denver Broncos corner Champ Bailey made the Pro Bowl even though Johnathan Joseph of the Bengals played better than him and Oakland Raiders corner Nnamdi Asomugha. Bailey and Asomugha, like Ed Reed, got in because of their past resumes, not because of what they did in 2009.
Again, the Pro Bowl is a farce. That said, it's nice to see people like Dallas Clark finally get some recognition.
[UPDATE]: When I say "the Pro Bowl is a farce," I'm more referring to the selection process and the fact that some players get nods because of what they did in previous years, not the current one. I admire the NFL attmepting to make the game more relevant, even though some of the decisions (like playing the game before the Super Bowl) seem a bit odd. I mean, if two teams that feature 6 or 7 Pro Bowlers on each team reach the Super Bowl, there is exactly ZERO chance those 14 or so total players will play in the Pro Bowl prior to the Super Bowl.