Every NFL fan has tasted the bitter disappointment of not seeing their favorite player on the Pro-Bowl ballot at some point.
Every year the NFL holds a vote to send the best players in the league to one star-studded super game in a tropical environment. The problem is, the best players often don’t even make it to the game.
Is it because the league allows fans to account for one-third of the vote and players and coaches the other two-thirds? Would I be writing this article if it weren’t?
The NFL has opened up voting for fans in the past and some would argue that it hasn’t been for the best. Fans can select players from their team at every position and re-cast their ballot as many times as they see fit.
What kind of system is this? You’re going to let a bunch of unqualified and extremely biased fans vote to send players who do not deserve to represent the best of the NFL? On top of that, you’re going to let them do it as many times as they want? Unbelievable.
As an example, I will use one of my snubs from this year’s Pro-Bowl, Matthew Stafford. Stafford is the quarterback for the Detroit Lions. Stafford was not elected to the Pro-Bowl, despite putting up solid numbers in 2016.
To put this into perspective, the NFL allowed five quarterbacks with fewer passing yards than Stafford to join the roster, including a rookie that had one mediocre season. Yes I’m talking about you Dak Prescott.
You’d think Stafford would have a bit of respect after his performance in the 2015 Pro-Bowl. Stafford joined the game as a replacement for a quarterback who didn’t want to risk injury. As a result, Stafford threw for 316 yards (the second most in NFL history) and two touchdowns, en route to the offensive MVP of the game.
My point is, the Pro-Bowl should not be based on a system of votes, but should be solely based on the numbers that the players put up.