You should expect to see a number of changes to the AFC and NFC Pro Bowl rosters this Sunday in Hawaii. Due to injury, and Super Bowl appearances, the two squads will have plenty of new faces that did not appear on the original Pro Bowl ballet. We’re going to take you through all of the changes and let you know who’s in, and who’s out, and some of the possible replacements that haven’t been selected yet.
NFC:
The San Francisco 49ers sent a league leading nine players to the Pro Bowl this year; and with a 28-24 victory over the Atlanta Falcons this past Sunday in the NFC championship game, it’s time to find replacements for the nine Super-Bowl-bound Niners.
San Francisco linebackers Navarro Bowman, Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith will miss the trip to Hawaii. There replacements include one linebacker some believe deserved to be in the All-Star game from the start – Arizona Cardinals’ Daryl Washington. Washington is the first Cardinal linebacker to earn Pro Bowl honors since Seth Joyner made the cut back in 1994. He led all inside linebackers with nine sacks. Do you know how hard it is to grab nine sacks as an inside linebacker? It’s hard; trust me. Washington also recorded 140 total tackles with 110 of them being solo, 13 more than the man he replaces in Pro Bowl Navarro Bowman. Keep in my mind Washington was backed by, one of — if not the worst — offense in the league, making he production even more impressive. Washington’s London Fletcher and Ryan Kerrigan will replace Smith and Willis on Sunday. This will be the 4th Pro Bowl selection for Fletcher and the 1st for Kerrigan.
The 49ers sent three other defenders to the Pro Bowl that aren’t linebackers – interior lineman Justin Smith, strong safety Dashon Goldson and free safety Donte Whitner – none of which have been replaced. Smith’s replacement, in my opinion, should go to Nick Fairly. His numbers are not impressive (5.5 sacks and 34 tackles), but if you watched the Lions this season, you could see how dominant he was in the middle for Detroit.
There are a number of players who could replace Goldson and Whitner at the safety positions. The NFL could honor the Hall of Fame career of Charles Woodson, turn the Pro Bowl backfield into Seattle’s by sending Kam Chancellor, give Cardinals breakout safety Adrian Wilson a shot, or let the Giants’ surprise ball hawk Stevie Brown get a crack. Whatever direction the NFL decides to go in, all the aforementioned players deserve a spot. The NFC is loaded at safety.
Tampa Bay Buccaneer running back Doug Martin replaces San Francisco’s Frank Gore in the backfield in Hawaii. Martin, a rookie, was one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL this year finishing the season with 1,454 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. Martin is joined by teammate Vincent Jackson who replaces and injured Calvin Johnson at wide receiver.
Joe Staley, the 49ers All-Pro tackles replacement is a no brainer, it’s the Vikings’ Matt Kalil. It was an absolute travesty that not one Vikings offensive lineman was represented in the Pro Bowl. Adrian Peterson is a freak of nature, but there’s a reason why he was nine yards shy of Eric Dickerson’s rushing record, he had a fantastic offensive line (on a side note, John Sullivan should be the starter center, not the Packers’ Jeff Saturday). Out of respect, 49ers guard Mike Iupati should be replaced with Vikings guard Steve Hutchinson. The NFL should make up for the ineptitude of the voters.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, lets move on to the biggest shocker of the Pro Bowl.
Not one of the originally voted quarterbacks will play the 2012 Pro Bowl on the NFC side. Eli Manning will replace starter Aaron Rodgers (ankle, calf and knee), Saints All-Pro Drew Brees will fill in for Atlanta’s Matt Ryan (shoulder) and Russell Wilson will take the place of fellow rookie Robert Griffin III (ACL). Brees and Wilson should have made the roster from the start, Manning not so much.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker, Anthony Spencer, replaces Green Bay’s Clay Matthews, who is unable to participate due to injury. This marks Spencer’s first career Pro Bowl appearance. Anthony’s teammate, Demarcus Ware, who was also voted as a starter will miss the Pro Bowl due to injury. His replacement is Vikings linebacker Chad greenway, who compiled 148 tackles in the regular season.
AFC:
The AFC isn’t as convoluted as the NFC, but there are a few key changes to the squad.
The Baltimore Ravens had five players make the Pro Bowl this year, the same amount as the Kansas City Chiefs. Go figure. Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller will replace Baltimore’s workhorse Ray Rice. Spiller rushed for a career-high 1,244 yards on 207 carries and six touchdowns in 2012 – the first 1,000-yard season of his NFL career. He tied for the NFL-lead among running backs in 2012 with an average of 6.0 yards per carry. Rice’s teammate and lead blocker Vonta Leach will also miss the trip and will be replaced by Oakland Raiders fullback Marcel Reece. Miami Dolphins guard Richie Incognito will take the place of Ravens guard Marshal Yanda. Incognito becomes the third member of the 2012 Miami Dolphins selected to the Pro Bowl joining defensive end Cameron Wake and long snapper John Denney.
On the Ravens defensive side of the ball, Haloti Ngata and Ed Reed will skip the Pro Bowl in the hopes of getting a ring. Buffalo Bills safety Jarius Byrd will replace the future Hall of Fame safety in the AFC’s defensive backfield, while Byrd’s teammate Kyle Williams will take Ngata’s spot on the defensive line.
Two of the original quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Matt Schaub will make the trip to Hawaii, however Andrew Luck will replace Tom Brady, who withdrew after loosing to the Ravens in the AFC championship game. Fellow teammates Wes Welker, Logan Mankins and Vince Wilfork have also withdrawn from the Pro Bowl, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Which, to me, is an absolute joke. The fans voted you into the game, so show up and play. End of story. Welker’s vacancy hasn’t been filled as of yet, but look for Mike Wallace of the Steelers, Eric Decker of the Broncos, or Dwayne Bowe of Chiefs to possibly fill in. I know they’re not slot receivers, but it’s the Pro Bowl, does wide receiver positioning really matter?
As far as Mankins replacement, take a look a Steelers guard David Decastro to fill in. There are many options for Vince Wilfork’s replacement. The NFL could go with Steelers DE Brett Keisel, Browns defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin, or Carlos Dunlap of the Cincinnati Bengals. All three of them are viable options. Randy Starks of the Miami Dolphins made the roster as a fill in, although it’s uncertain whom it was he replaced.
Both original tight ends are ruled out due to injury for the AFC squad. Jermaine Gresham (Bengals) and Owen Daniels (Texans) will replace the Patriots’ Rob Gronkoski and Steelers’ Heath Miller. Antonio Gates could have been another option, but Gresham and Daniels both had productive seasons. Gresham’s teammate Andrew Whitworth will take over for Denver’s Ryan Clady who has been dealing with a nagging shoulder injury all season.
We will keep you posted on any other changes to the Pro Bowl roster leading up to Sunday’s game.
