Vikings Pro Bowl selections

Let's see... Cousins has three more picks but otherwise better numbers across the board than Rodgers, but...  Whatever.... 

And Kendricks is a tackling machine.  Diggs deserved it too.

Popularity contest. Should NEVER be mentioned as a basis for HOF.

@"Caactorvike" said: And Kendricks is a tackling machine.  Diggs deserved it too.

Kendricks is definitely a snub...  I think he leads all LBs in pass break ups this season and has been playing at an elite level.  Best cover LB in the league.

From the ESPN guys....

2. Eric Kendricks, LB, Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota's defense is enjoying yet another outstanding season under Mike Zimmer, but arguably its most impactful player missed the cut. Kendricks is 15th in the league in tackles and has made noise as both a pass-rusher (his nine pass rush wins are 13th-most among off-ball linebackers) and in coverage (his 12 passes defensed leads the position). Kendricks has also racked up a pair of forced fumbles and 4.5 tackles for loss while playing 97% of Minnesota's defensive snaps.

Jeremy Fowler, national NFL writer: Kirk Cousins is one of the league's most efficient quarterbacks, ranking second in the NFC in passer rating and completion percentage. He should have been in over Aaron Rodgers, whose numbers are inferior in several areas.

Kevin Seifert, national NFL writer: At the very least, I thought the word was out that Aaron Rodgers was having a season that was at best efficient but in no way accolade-worthy. I was wrong, and am reminded how reputation-based the Pro Bowl balloting system is. Rodgers' QBR ranks No. 17 in the NFL for a reason.

Seth Walder, sports analytics writer: The volume of undeserved reputational selections, such as Tyreek Hill, Jarvis Landry, Travis Frederick, Frank Clark, Geno Atkins, Darius Slay and Jalen Ramsey. But no pick stands out more than Aaron Rodgers, who has had middling production this season despite playing behind the league's best pass-blocking offensive line, making the NFC team over Prescott and Kirk Cousins.

Be nice to see Cousins (and the Vikings defense) prove to the world on Monday night why he should've been elected to the Pro Bowl over Rodgers.

No Kendricks? 
No Cousins?

Shameful

Kendricks and Cousins deserved it, Smith and Hunter do not, Smith has been invisible in pass coverage and Hunter has not shown up in big moments of the game, 1/3 of his stats are against Lions.

@"JR44" said: Kendricks and Cousins deserved it, Smith and Hunter do not, Smith has been invisible in pass coverage and Hunter has not shown up in big moments of the game, 1/3 of his stats are against Lions.

Yeah, Hunter sucks. 

That was a valid point folks. He's disappeared for entire halves. The caveat is that he's playing next to a replacement level player in Shamar.

The only Vikings Defender that has been impactful on a game by game basis is Kendricks.

@"FSUVike" said:  He's disappeared for entire halves.

Name the NFL DE who hasn't. This is the NFL, guys. You can't be dominant all the time. You can scheme dominant players right out of the game if you want to. Double, triple, chip, run away from. And--as you mention--its easier to do all of those things if the player next to him doesn't concern you. Khalil Mack disappeared for half the season. Doesn't mean that he's not a great player deserving of a Pro Bowl who will tear your world a part the minute you take focus away from him. Sheesh. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"FSUVike" said:  He's disappeared for entire halves.

Name the NFL DE who hasn't. This is the NFL, guys.

I'm just saying the most consistent playmaker on the Defense from game to game is Kendricks. If the Pro Bowl was actually about consistent performance and not splash plays and reputation he would be the most deserving. 

And no one has even mentioned Ham!  Like I said: popularity contest.  It's stupid when the talking heads debate how great a player is, based on the number of Pro Bowls they've made.  

Am I the only one that really doesn't care about pro-bowl votes anymore?  Just boring IMO.

Yup.  The Joke Bowl.  Where it's such an honor to be named but none of the super bowl bound teams show up to play.  Pure popularity contest.

@"pumpf" said: And no one has even mentioned Ham!  Like I said: popularity contest.  It's stupid when the talking heads debate how great a player is, based on the number of Pro Bowls they've made.  

No more stupid than grown men (and women) spending hours talking about and debating a "game" they don't participate in. No doubt, it's popularity contest, but don't forget that many contract incentives use Pro Bowl selections as a metric. 

Of the top 50 in sacks, Hunter has the second most combined tackles. Doesn't sound like he's disappearing all that much.

@"BarrNone55" said: Of the top 50 in sacks, Hunter has the second most combined tackles. Doesn't sound like he's disappearing all that much.

Didn't say he was having a bad year, just said he there is not playing at a pro bowl level.  Watch the tape of the Seahawks game, he was consistently giving up on the play every time Wilson broke the pocket.  He is a great player, with all world talent, but personally I have not seen an all world effort from him. 

@"JR44" said:

@"BarrNone55" said: Of the top 50 in sacks, Hunter has the second most combined tackles. Doesn't sound like he's disappearing all that much.

Didn't say he was having a bad year, just said he there is not playing at a pro bowl level.  Watch the tape of the Seahawks game, he was consistently giving up on the play every time Wilson broke the pocket.  He is a great player, with all world talent, but personally I have not seen an all world effort from him. 

Quick question. Does anybody even watch this game anymore? I haven't in years. I used to watch it when it was 2 weeks after the Super Bowl. It was then like...well it's the last football for months so I'll look in. Now that its sandwiched in between the conference game and the big game it has no meaning to me. It is more enjoyable to just talk about the snubbed then the game itself. Kirk and Kendrick got snubbed.