A year ago, I wrote the below post regarding the ridiculous correlation between being named to the Pro Bowl and making the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I have decided to re-post since it was lost in the H1N1 outbreak that hit the site in June and is something valuable to remember as we approach this weekend’s game. It is also a humorous post to re-visit in hindsight, for a couple reasons: 1 – Note the appropriate level of skepticism relative to Favre’s “retirement” – a valuable lesson when listening to any announcements this time of year; 2 – This may also represent the last positive thing ever written about Jay Cutler on this site.
Another note before we dive in. With no game this week (the Pro Bowl does not count) this will be the first in a series of recycled posts. Most likely you didn’t see these posts the first time, so as NBC once said, they are new to you. Plus they are all (sort of) still relevant. You will just need to mentally insert new examples and pop culture analogies. I would never re-post anything that makes me look a fool that doesn’t know anything about football. Those go immediately to the trash pile.
It’s All Just Suppositions
On which she has based her suppositions. It’s all just suppositions.
- Smith Keen, The Pelican Brief
It seems only fitting that we face the meaningless Pro Bowl just a week after the newest NFL Hall of Fame class is announced. Why is it fitting you may ask? What does a meaningless game/excuse for NFL stars to get pampered for a week have to do with being given an ugly mustard yellow jacket and a bust created by the blind girl from Lionel Richie’s Hello video on a steamy day in Canton, Ohio?
Well, for no apparent reason, someone has decided to equate the repeated presence at one as criteria for being invited to the other.
This would seem on the surface to be a legitimate rationale. An invitation to the Pro Bowl is meant to signify that a player is one of the top at his position in the game. Repeated invitations recognize the greats of all time.
At least that is what THEY want you to believe (they know who they are). But how much of a Pro Bowl invitation is based on performance and how much is based on reputation?
Just look at this year’s squad invited to Honolulu. Philip Rivers and Chad Pennington are both sitting at home (though those homes are in Miami and San Diego, so you can’t feel too bad for them) while Jay Cutler and Brett Favre were invited to Hawaii. Cutler started the season with a series of good performance in high profile games (8 TDs, 2 Ints, 3 wins) and Favre put up a couple huge games in leading the Jets to an AFC East lead at mid-season. So, when Pro Bowl voting was completed in early December, these two had made their impressions. Nevermind that both teams would collapse and fail to make the playoffs, in large part due to the turnover fetish of each quarterback. When the Pro Bowl votes were tallied a couple high profile wins with good performances (think Favre throwing 6 TD passes against the Cardinals), can trump a solid if unspectacularly consistent season leading a team to wins.
As a result, three years from now, we are going to be led to believe that these were 2 of the best 3 quarterbacks in the AFC this year. Ignore Chad Pennington and Philip Rivers leading their team to the playoffs, rookie ‘Bert’ Flacco managing his team to the AFC title game and Big Ben surviving repeated beatings to win a Super Bowl. Thus when you hear about Brett Favre being eligible for the Hall of Fame and they are discussing his many accomplishments, I am sure you will hear something along the lines of “Favre is a ten-time Pro Bowler, including in his final season with the Jets.”
[NOTE: This represents the wishful thinking that Favre actually does retire this season. But despite my recent gambling binge, even I wouldn’t put money on that.]
Consider Cutler versus Rivers. Two young quarterbacks helming AFC West rivals. Cutler has now made a Pro Bowl over Rivers but Rivers has led a team to the AFC title game and led the league in passer rating this season. Yet, some would label Cutler as having a better season (and being a better player) simply because he got voted into the Pro Bowl.
[NOTE: I can’t believe I just made an argument for Rivers over Cutler either. Who is this guy? I must be getting sick. I need to get back to my blatant Broncos homerism. OK, how is this: Cutler is such an outstanding talent that the other Pro Bowl quarterbacks are afraid of his talent. How afraid are they? Peyton Manning tried to kill Cutler this week. There I feel better.]
Despite these injustices, I wouldn’t normally get too worked up about players not getting invited to a worthless boondoggle in Hawaii (especially when a lot of them don’t even want to go). The problem I have with the Pro Bowl system is that Hall of Fame resumes are built on Pro Bowl invitations, a shakier foundation than the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
As a player’s reputation grows thanks to making a Pro Bowl, they then get closer to making even more Pro Bowls. String enough Pro Bowls together, regardless of your team’s performance and you are a Hall of Famer.
Don’t believe me? Check out this list of this year’s Hall of Fame inductees. What is one of the first criteria noted? Is it stats? No. Is it wins? No. Is it Super Bowl rings? No. It is Pro Bowls. A voting process that everyone agrees is ridiculous.
So, we have Hall of Fame voters using the even less informed opinions of fans, players and coaches (who are usually a little busy to watch a lot of other players each Sunday) as the basis for deciding who is enshrined as the greatest of the greatest.
All of this isn’t meant to disparage any of this year’s inductees specifically, rather the circular logic of all of it.
It also isn’t meant to explain how Shannon Sharpe was passed over this year. 3-time Super Bowl winner and all-time leading receiver for tight ends at his retirement (and 8 time Pro Bowler) isn’t worthy of enshrinement? His biggest mistake seemed to be playing the majority of his career for the Broncos, Given the dearth of Broncos in the Hall despite being the second most consistently successful NFL franchise of the last 3 decades, Hall of Fame voters seem to believe Denver is just the southern most outpost of CFL.
Shannon’s mistake was valuing winning over impressing fans. I suppose when Tony Gonzalez appears on his first Hall ballot he will easily make the Hall thanks to his 10 Pro Bowls. That is much more impressive than Shannon’s 3 Super Bowl rings, one for each of Tony’s playoff appearances (and losses).
Of course that is just a supposition.
