While It certainly may not carry as much weight today as it used to in the NFL, being named to the Pro Bowl is still one of the greatest honors a player can achieve during their career. And while the Pro Bowl is supposed to, and often does, accumulate the best players across the league, there are a few players throughout the league’s history that maybe don’t deserve the distinction.
These players may have had a pretty good season, but to be in the Pro Bowl you should be the best of the best.
Kerry Collins – 2006
Kerry Collins played 17 seasons in the NFL, and that should be applauded, but the fact that Collins has two Pro Bowls to his name is odd to think about. Specifically, in 2006, a 36-year-old Collins led the Tennessee Titans to a 12-3 record.
However, that season, the veteran quarterback completed just 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,673 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Yes, the Titans were a great team that season, but Collins put up pedestrian numbers.
Kordell Stewart – 2001
Another example of an above-average quarterback leading a great team, Stewart and the Pittsburgh Steelers went 13-3 in 2001. However, the Steelers’ success that season was more due to a lockdown defense than it was Stewart.
The dual-threat quarterback had a nice season on the ground with 537 yards and five touchdowns, but his passing statistics — 60.2 completion percentage for 3,109 yards, 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions– don’t exactly scream Pro bowl.
Stephen Alexander – 2000
Alexander was always a really solid blocker at the tight end position, but he was never really a Pro Bowl-level player. However, that didn’t stop the 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end from making being named a Pro Bowler in 2000.
Alexander did have a career-year that season, but it was relative to his own standards. That meant just 47 catches for 510 yards and two touchdowns on an 8-8 Washington Redskins team. There were plenty of other non-Pro Bowl tight ends that year that had better seasons but the honor was bestowed upon Alexander instead.
Vince Young – 2006
Texas quarterback Vince Young was supposed to be the next big thing in the NFL. After a Pro Bowl season as a rookie, you’d believe he was on his way to accomplishing that goal.
However, that season in question, 2006, wasn’t even a great campaign for the heralded rookie. Like Stewart before him, Young was a strong dual-threat guy who put up big numbers on the ground. Besides his 552 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, Young was less than impressive.
The big, 6-foot-5, 232-pound quarterback completed a putrid 51.5 percent of his passes for only 2,199 yards and 12 touchdowns. To make matters worse, Young outpaced those 12 TDs with 13 interceptions. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think you should make the Pro Bowl as a QB if you have more interceptions than touchdown passes.
Mike Boryla – 1975
I still don’t understand how Boryla made a Pro Bowl. In 1975, after Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback Roman Gabriel went down with an injury, in came Boryla, a second-year QB out of Stanford.
The 6-foot-3 quarterback would play just seven games that season, making five starts. Even worse, he didn’t even do well in those games. Boryla completed 52.4 percent of his passes for 996 yards, six touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
OK so, despite a 1:2 QB-to-INT ratio, maybe Boryla was leading the Eagles to wins? Nope, the second-year signal-caller went just 2-3 as a starter that season while the team as a whole was 4-10 on the year.
Follow Us
Subscribe