The Cavs Change Coaches…Again — WFNY’s Top 10 Cleveland Sports Stories of 2014: No. 8
December 17, 2014WFNY Board Game Review: Jamaica
December 17, 2014The fans have spoken. While Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers led all vote-getters, and Houston Texans’ defensive dynamo JJ Watt led all defenders, several members of the Cleveland Browns were ranked No. 1 in their respective positions.
Perrenial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas leads the pack on the offensive side of the ball, but is joined by another lineman in rookie guard Joel Bitonio. On the defensive side of the ball, the backfield is well-represented as cornerback Joe Haden, strong safety Donte Whitner and free safety Tashaun Gipson finished at the top of their respective positions. Rounding out the group is special teamer Johnson Bademosi.
To shed some light on how fan voting compares to actual, in-game play thus far, it appears that those in the stands and at home did pretty well. Pro Football Focus lists Thomas, Bitonio, and Gipson on their squad. Thomas, despite his penalties as of late, still ranks as the top offensive tackle in football and is far and away the best run-blocking left tackle in the game. Bitonio is second to only to future Hall of Famer Marshall Yanda. Gipson, despite being injured for much of the second half of the season, is still ranked sixth among safeties. Haden has come on strong as of late, but hasn’t been able to climb back up PFFs rankings (currently 24th) after a dismal start to the season.1
Pro Bowl players are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. NFL players and coaches cast their votes on December 19. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the 86 All-Star players who will be selected in the Pro Bowl draft. Two additional “need” players will be chosen by each head coach and must be longsnappers.
The Pro Bowl will be unconferenced for the second consecutive year. Players are selected without regard to conference in voting by fans, coaches and players. Then the NFL’s All-Stars will be realigned through a fantasy football-style draft.
- We can chalk up Whitner and Bademosi to that whole “got Peyton Hillis on the Madden cover” voting ferocity [↩]
7 Comments
And this in what will be, at best, a .500 season. If this team, with these fans, can ever be a consistent and legitimate playoff contender, the Pro Bowl might turn into a team vacation every year.
Naw, it’ll just lead to a whole bunch of replacements needed because the Superbowl participants don’t have to go!!!
hell yeah
I am happy for them, just DON’T GET HURT!
To spice up the Pro Bowl, I would like to see a QB competition similar to the one in the NBA where there is an obstacle course set up or something similar.
return of the NFL QB Challenge!
I wish. It’d be fantastic now that it wouldn’t be solely dominated by Randall Cunningham. Steve Young put up a couple of valiant efforts, but they were really most watchable to see Dan Marino and Bernie Kosar slog their way through the course.
Didn’t they have footballs with chalk on them throwing them at a bullseye target?
I don’t remember that particular, but it sounds plausible for the events staged. I loved the tire run followed by the tackle dummy run-through and then needing to throw the football threw a tire target. Kosar would take 10x the time to get there, but would pass through that target everytime.