Five Packers Pro Bowl Snubs
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Aaron Rodgers was selected for his eighth Pro Bowl and David Bakhtiari was an original selection for the first time, the NFL revealed on Tuesday night.
Kicker Mason Crosby and linebacker Za’Darius Smith were named first alternates, meaning they’re the proverbial next men up at their positions. Other alternates include wide receiver Davante Adams, cornerback Jaire Alexander, safety Adrian Amos, defensive lineman Kenny Clark, running back Aaron Jones, center Corey Linsley, linebacker Preston Smith and fullback Danny Vitale.
The Pro Bowl is that odd event in which fans care about who was and was not selected but couldn’t possibly care less about the actual game. In that light, here are five Packers with a decent argument.
No. 5: RT Bryan Bulaga. I’m not saying Bulaga should be in the Pro Bowl ahead of Bakhtiari, New Orleans’ Terron Armstead and Dallas’ Tyron Smith, but he’s not even an alternate? He’s faced a gauntlet of elite pass rushers and allowed four sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. In two games against Chicago, he allowed one pressure. In fact, he’s allowed two or fewer pressures in 11 of 14 games.
No. 4: RB Aaron Jones. Jones is second in the NFL with 17 touchdowns. Otherwise, with 830 rushing yards and 1,255 scrimmage yards, his numbers don’t compare to the three Pro Bowlers. Minnesota’s Dalvin Cook is seventh with 1,135 rushing yards and third with 1,685 scrimmage yards, Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott is fifth with 1,188 rushing yards and fourth with 1,569 scrimmage yards and Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey is first with 2,121 scrimmage yard and 18 total touchdowns. Jones also lags behind Seattle’s Chris Carson, who is fourth with 1,190 rushing yards and seventh with 1,436 scrimmage yards. However, Jones has had only 233 touches to 359 for McCaffrey, 314 for Elliott and 303 for Cook.
No. 3: K Mason Crosby. Crosby simply doesn’t have the numbers, having made 16-of-17 field goals and being tied for 19th among kickers with 86 points. However, Crosby is third in the league and No. 1 in the NFC with 94.1 percent accuracy on field goals. The Pro Bowler, New Orleans’ Will Lutz, is 31-of-35 (88.6 percent) on field goals and plays in a dome.
No. 2: DT Kenny Clark. With five sacks and seven tackles for losses, Clark lost out to the Rams’ Aaron Donald (11 sacks, 19 tackles for losses), Philadelphia’s Fletcher Cox (3.5 sacks, five tackles for losses) and Atlanta’s Grady Jarrett (5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for losses). Among interior defenders – all 3-4 defensive linemen and 4-3 defensive tackles – Clark trails only Donald with 67 total pressures, according to Pro Football Focus. In PFF’s pass-rushing productivity, a metric that combines sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap, Clark is sixth among interior defenders with at least 200 pass rushes. He’s also 10th in PFF’s run-stop percentage, a metric that essentially measures impact tackles. Only Clark and Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward are in the top 10 in both metrics. Those seem like Pro Bowl credentials.
No. 1: OLB Za’Darius Smith. Smith lost out to Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett, Arizona’s Chandler Jones and Chicago’s Khalil Mack. Barrett leads the NFL with 16.5 sacks and 31 quarterback hits. Jones is second with 15 sacks but is tied for 15th with 19 quarterback hits. Barrett and Jones are tied for the NFL lead with six forced fumbles. Mack is having a down season by his standards with 7.5 sacks, 13 quarterback hits and five forced fumbles. Smith, meanwhile, is tied for ninth with 10 sacks and is third with 30 quarterback hits. There’s more to rushing the quarterback than sacking the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith is second with 78 pressures, Barrett is fifth with 69 and Mack and Jones are tied for 10th with 63. And he’s done it while facing one double-team block after another.
“That’s a credit to him. People have got to know where he’s at, and that helps us on defense because then we can dial up other things,” outside linebackers coach Mike Smith said on Monday. “Yesterday, I think all but one, when Z was inside or even on the edge, the slide’s coming to him. It didn’t matter what the look was, what front we gave, that’s what they were doing. It’s a sign of respect.”
