The NFL released its list of All-Pro players on Friday, and many of the players you would expect to be there are, headlined by first-timer Aaron Rodgers. But there are several notable snubs in this list, as there always are. Here are the top five most deserving players to be excluded from this circle of honor.
1. C Nick Mangold, New York Jets
Many say that Mark Sanchez led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championships in his first two seasons in the league, when it fact it was the man handing him the ball doing the real work. Nick Mangold is not only a mauler on the inside, but he controls the entire offense and makes a dysfunctional unit look somewhat functional. He makes holes for whatever running back is healthy enough to grab the hall, and he gives the Sanchize enough time to take twelve-step drops.
Maurkice Pouncey is a very good man in the middle for the Steelers, but Pittsburgh as a whole has a more talented squad. The Jets lost both games that Mangold missed early in the season, and they were unable to recover all year.
2. QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Brees did things that we have never seen. Sure we are in a day and age in which teams are opening up their offenses and spreading the ball around like never before, but Brees was the best among them. I would have understood making Rodgers the pick if the Packers had managed to go unbeaten, but they did not. He did have the highest QB rating, but that rating is becoming less and less useful as a barometer for rating quarterbacks.
Brees threw for 5,476 yards and 46 touchdowns this year. Sure Tom Brady also broke Marino’s record, and Matt Stafford almost did as well, but Brees was the cream of the crop. Rodgers was more efficient, but when it came down to pure numbers and dominance, Brees deserves the nod.
(Editor’s note: if it had been Brees and not Rodgers chosen, we could have made an equally compelling case for the Packers’ QB. Such a difficult choice. The fact that the vote was a blowout for Rodgers is hard to believe.)
3. NT Sione Pouha, New York Jets
Who?
Well that might be exactly why the dominant nose tackle got so little love that a defensive end actually got the nod over him (Justin Smith). Pouha attracted two blockers on many plays, and was able to swim by them on numerous occasions and get into the backfield. The Jets defense does not make the noise that the offense does, but that may be more about headlines than actual on-field production.
Being the man in the middle of a 3-4 is extremely difficult, on par with playing offensive center. Blockers are coming at you from all angles, and Pouha is amongst the best in dealing with them.
Granted, Justin Smith also faces double teams regularly as a 3-4 DE, but the fact that he got the nod along with Ngata, who had a down year by his standards, is a slap in the face to the dominant force that is Pouha.
4. CB Brandon Flowers, Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City was a dead zone of football reporting all season long, once Jamaal Charles was lost for the season and the Todd Haley Firing Watch became the only story to make headlines. But that gives a short shrift to the Chiefs’ defense, which played tough football all season long despite losing one of the most talented players on their side of the ball, Eric Berry.
Perhaps the most deserving on the KC D that didn’t make the list was cornerback Brandon Flowers, who was consistently matched up against opponents’ primary receivers looking for big plays to knock out this Chiefs team early. They seldom found it against Flowers, who gave up a stingy 53.5% completion percentage, and had four interceptions as well.
Charles Woodson had more big plays (and certainly more attention) for the Packers, but his every-down stats were pretty average by comparison, and his Packers gave up significantly more passing yards than the prideful Chiefs.
5. LB James Laurinaitis, St Louis Rams
This one almost comes down to splitting hairs. Both Laurinaitis and Derrick Johnson are elite backers, but the nod has to be given to the former Buckeye.
Neither played for the best team, nor the greatest defense. But if you watch Laurinaitis for an entire game, he will amaze you with his nose for the ball. He is a young Brian Urlacher, and will continue to anchor the Rams defense for the next decade. Johnson had his breakout season that many have been waiting for, but it could very well be a flash in the pan.
Laurinaitis is a stud, and has been since he stepped foot in the league. Expect to hear his name much more often in coming years as the Rams start to put the pieces together.
