Bakhtiari on Pro Bowl: ‘It’s About Time’

GREEN BAY, Wis. – A three-time All-Pro, Green Bay Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari took being selected to the Pro Bowl on Tuesday in stride.

“Cool,” was Bakhtiari’s reaction.

That’s all?

“I don’t think I ever had a dream about it as a kid,” he said. “I didn’t really know what the Pro Bowl was. So, yeah, it’s cool.

Bakhtiari almost comically was voted to the prestigious Associated Press All-Pro team following the 2016, 2017 and 2018 seasons but wasn’t selected to a Pro Bowl. He did make it last year as an alternate but he hadn’t actually been voted to a Pro Bowl until this year.

Video: The Packers' Pro Bowlers and alternates

“I would say it’s probably about time,” Bakhtiari said.

This has not been his finest season by his lofty standards. According to STATS, he’s given up 2.5 sacks – right in line with his past three seasons – but has been flagged for a career-high-tying six holding penalties and a career-high five false starts. His 12 total penalties are one more than he had the past three seasons combined. Still, his performance on a weekly basis is a luxury. He helped shut down Chicago’s Khalil Mack on Sunday in turning his third consecutive superlative performance. After an offseason of changes, including a new head coach, new position coach, new scheme and new techniques, Bakhtiari appears to be finding his stride.

“I would say it was definitely a challenge early on with mastering the whole offense, changing up a lot of different techniques, asking me to do a lot of things I’ve honestly never done before,” Bakhtiari said. “To really settle in and play good football down the stretch and toward the end of the season for this football team is what’s most important. These games carry a lot of weight.”

Bakhtiari and quarterback Aaron Rodgers were the team’s only Pro Bowl selections. That’s as many as the three-win Redskins had this season.

The Packers have larger goals than individual accolades. The Pro Bowl is played the week between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl.

“I’m very happy for Dave,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, he deserves it. It’s been kind of the joke where he makes All-Pro and doesn’t make the Pro Bowl. A lot of times, it’s based on name recognition and guys get in a year after they’re deserving. I really felt like the way Mason (Crosby has) played this year that he would have got in. He’s kicked so phenomenally but there are a lot of talented guys. Obviously, our defense has a number of guys who played at a really high level. The one guy I think doesn’t get enough credit for his ability is Kenny Clark. Kenny, you guys know, you watch him, he is a difference-maker and he makes a ton of plays – ones that you see that show up in the stat sheet and ones that don’t. It’s been fun to watch him the last couple weeks get some of those stat-sheet fillers. He’s been an important of our team. Hopefully, not making it for some guys doesn’t bog them down too much because we’re all hoping to be a little busy.”