With the Pro Bowl on Jan. 31, many players enjoyed the festivities virtually while others watched from the virtual sidelines. With some players who had amazing seasons being left off the invitation list, the Pro Bowl doesn’t always include the players who deserve to be there. For this reason, I believe that the Pro Bowl doesn’t have much validity — it isn’t even based on the player’s performance during the season. It is merely based on the player’s popularity.
The voting for the Pro Bowl is made up of three groups: players, coaches and fans. By giving fans 1/3 of the votes, popularity is king.
In the 2019 Pro Bowl, there was clear evidence of a snub in the AFC wide receivers. Look at the stats below. Two of these three made the Pro Bowl.
Denver Broncos WR, Courtland Sutton: 72 receptions, 1112 yards, and 6 touchdowns.
Jacksonville Jaguars WR, D.J. Chark: 73 receptions, 1008 yards, and 8 touchdowns.
Miami Dolphins WR, Devante Parker: 72 receptions, 1202 yards, and 9 touchdowns.
With Sutton and Chark receiving Pro Bowl invitations, Dolphins WR Devante Parker is blatantly robbed of a Pro Bowl selection. Despite having the relatively same number of catches as the group , Parker led Sutton by 90 yards and 3 touchdowns, and led Chark by 194 yards and a touchdown. After seeing these statistics, why was Parker left out of the Pro Bowl in favor of the two that he beat out statistically?
In 2020’s Pro Bowl, the same issues are presented. In this scenario, both players are running backs in the AFC.
Player A: In 15 games, Player A had 273 carries, 1065 yards, and added 33 catches for 238 yards with 12 total touchdowns. Player A ran for 3.9 yards per carry.
Player B: In 14 games, Player B had 240 carries, 1070 yards, and added 49 catches for 344 yards with 10 total touchdowns. Player B ran for 4.5 yards per carry.
Player A is Josh Jacobs of the Las Vegas Raiders (8-8). Jacobs was a first-round pick and a fan favorite out of the University of Alabama. Additionally, Jacobs offensive line has 3 different Pro Bowlers. Player B is James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-15). The complete opposite of Jacobs, Robinson is an undrafted rookie out of Illinois State in the FCS. Robinson’s team was the worst team in the NFL, losing 15 straight games and securing the number one pick. Robinson led Jacobs in total yards despite playing one less game. Robinson also led Jacobs in yards per carry and catches. The only category that Jacobs led was in touchdowns, which isn’t surprising considering Jacksonville was 30th and Las Vegas was 10th in the NFL in points per game.
I believe that popularity played a large role in this snub. In most fantasy football leagues, Josh Jacobs was a lot of people’s first pick, having an average draft pick of 9th in PPR drafts (99% rostered in ESPN leagues). When a player is that important to your fantasy team, it causes you to become a fan of them. James Robinson had an average draft pick of 222nd in PPR drafts (84% rostered). Additionally, Josh Jacobs has the NFL’s 7th best-selling jersey, according to the official NFL website.
Devante Parker and James Robinson have something in common: they both played for teams that were terrible. Parker’s Dolphins started off the season 0-7 before ending 5-11, and Robinson’s Jaguars won their first game before losing 15 straight games and ending 1-15. I believe that the Pro Bowl should have less of a fan voting percentage. I’d suggest lowering the weight of the fan vote, such as making it 40% players, 40% coaches, and 20% fans. Players for bigger market teams will always have the advantage in the current layout.
