Dolphins Pro Bowl Thoughts: Howard, Bonus, And Did Anybody Really Get Snubbed?
In the spirit of the holiday season, 'twas the day after the Pro Bowl rosters were announced and all through the land there were fans, media members and players unhappy about who was and wasn't selected.
Or something like that, though you get the gist.
For the second consecutive year, the Miami Dolphins had only one player selected, and again it was cornerback Xavien Howard.
Unlike last year when no game was played and therefore there never was a need for replacements, it's possible that a Dolphins could end up in the game as an alternate, though that frankly doesn't have quite the same value as being selected to the team in the first place.
And that both Howard would be selected and that he would be the only one for the Dolphins should surprise no one — and not just because it's exactly what I predicted a week ago.
There were several factors at play against Dolphins players who merited Pro Bowl consideration based on their performance, players like Jaylen Waddle, Mike Gesicki, Christian Wilkins, Emmanuel Ogbah, Jevon Holland and Mack Hollins.
There's the reputation factor, which heavily favors the big-name players, particularly those who already have the made the Pro Bowl. None of the six aforementioned players has ever made the Pro Bowl.
Then there's the team success factor, and despite the fact they're now 7-7, the Dolphins got themselves in really bad shape in terms of the Pro Bowl with that 1-7 start.
And then there's the simple factor of other players. It's easy to say that Waddle or Holland or Ogbah should have been in the Pro Bowl, but then there's players who were selected to consider and sometimes the others simply have had better years.
DID ANY DOLPHINS PLAYER GET SNUBBED?
A quick run through Twitter on Thursday morning seems to suggest Dolphins fans are most upset at Waddle and Holland not being selected, so let's examine their two cases.
Waddle absolutely has had a tremendous year, particularly when you consider he's got a good chance of breaking the NFL rookie record of 101 catches set by Anquan Boldin (who should have been a Dolphins pick, but that's a different story) in 2003.
The four AFC wide receivers selected were Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, Stefon Diggs and Ja'Marr Chase.
The big issue seems to be with Chase, the fellow first-round pick, with the argument being Waddle's higher number of catches. But the problem is that Chase has almost 200 more receiving yards than Waddle (1038-849) and more than twice as many touchdown catches (9-4).
Again, Waddle has had a very good rookie season, but there's no valid argument for him being selected over Chase.
As for Holland, there was one free safety picked and the honor went to Tennessee's Kevin Byard, who was a Pro Bowl selection last year and is tied for fourth in the NFL this season with five interceptions.
And beyond Byard, Jordan Poyer of the Buffalo Bills also had a good case as the AFC strong safety — he also has five interceptions.
If there's any gripe to be had — maybe — it might be with Mack Hollins as a special-teamer because it does seem like Matthew Slater of the Patriots pretty much has been given a lifetime pass onto the Pro Bowl team no matter what he does. And this is where reputation comes into play, and it's not even to suggest that Hollins was the absolute best candidate in the AFC.
It just goes to explain the obstacles involved in making a Pro Bowl for the first time.
And, quite frankly, we can't honestly that any Dolphins player was robbed.
HOWARD HIGHLIGHTS
We circle back to Howard with a couple of nuggets:
-- As part of the restructuring of his contract in early August, Howard will get a $1 million bonus for making the Pro Bowl. It's actually crazy to think back at the summer events that led to some speculation he could be traded because of his contract dispute.
-- Howard became the fourth Dolphins cornerback selected to three or more Pro Bowls, joining Sam Madison, Patrick Surtain and Brent Grimes.
-- Howard was elected as a starter alongside J.C. Jackson of the Patriots. He joined Madison as the only Dolphins CBs selected as a Pro Bowl starter three times.
