Question about Pro Bowl relating to injury replacements

[MattyNH]

Since it is that time of the year for Pro Bowl voting. I am curious what everyone thinks when a player is an injury replacement for the Probowl. In your opinion should they get full credit for being a "Pro Bowler" or should they have a special designation that they played in a Pro Bowl as an injury replacement. I ask this because I often hear Bills fans say "Pro Bowler Kyle Williams" when he was an injury replacement. I mean at the QB position it is crazy. David Garrard is like a 2 or 3 time Probowler when he as like the 5th or 6th guy on the list. The guy doesn't even have a job.

Personally, I feel like the Pro Bowl is mostly a popularity contest with some of the same guys getting voted in year after year undeserving. I also feel a distinction should be made for injury replacements because after all, they were NOT voted to the pro bowl.

[RoscoeMagic]

Pro-Bowl and All-Star game fan voting are a huge popularity contest. I think the real distinction should be made from Pro-Bowl to All-Pro. All-Pro is legitimate, Pro-Bowl, while nice, isn't what you would call the elite of the elite.

I think it's absurd that the fans are allowed to vote. A lot of sports use All-Star appearances to judge a player worthy of the Hall of Fame or not which is ludicrous. Big names who are well past their prime get the de facto fan vote even though their play on the field is not worthy of an All-Star selection. These fraudulent appearances are all praised well and good, like "such and such has made 9 straight All-Star games." Yeah, well he may have only deserved 5 of them. Not killing the player at all, but the numbers can sometimes be misleading.

I also do not like how the defenders of the fan vote claim that these games are "for the fan." Isn't the entire NFL "for the fan?" By this logic should we also take a fan vote on who the Bills should draft in the first round this year? Or is that not for the fan? Don't tell me the Pro-Bowl is for the fan. No fan without an entire house made of Fathaeds gives a crap about that game. Who's making the money in that game? The NFL. Who's getting the contract bonuses? The players are. Then it's clearly for these two.

I think for the most part injury replacements are legit and rewarding a decent season. However, once you get to the 3rd, 4th and 5th injury replacement at a certain position, then it starts to get ridiculous. One, maybe two depending on the position, is fine in my book. Meaning I don't have a problem the 4th QB in the AFC making the Pro-Bowl due to an injury to, say Tom Brady.

[better days]

Pro-Bowl and All-Star game fan voting are a huge popularity contest. I think the real distinction should be made from Pro-Bowl to All-Pro. All-Pro is legitimate, Pro-Bowl, while nice, isn't what you would call the elite of the elite.

I think it's absurd that the fans are allowed to vote. A lot of sports use All-Star appearances to judge a player worthy of the Hall of Fame or not which is ludicrous. Big names who are well past their prime get the de facto fan vote even though their play on the field is not worthy of an All-Star selection. These fraudulent appearances are all praised well and good, like "such and such has made 9 straight All-Star games." Yeah, well he may have only deserved 5 of them. Not killing the player at all, but the numbers can sometimes be misleading.

I also do not like how the defenders of the fan vote claim that these games are "for the fan." Isn't the entire NFL "for the fan?" By this logic should we also take a fan vote on who the Bills should draft in the first round this year? Or is that not for the fan? Don't tell me the Pro-Bowl is for the fan. No fan without an entire house made of Fathaeds gives a crap about that game. Who's making the money in that game? The NFL. Who's getting the contract bonuses? The players are. Then it's clearly for these two.

I think for the most part injury replacements are legit and rewarding a decent season. However, once you get to the 3rd, 4th and 5th injury replacement at a certain position, then it starts to get ridiculous. One, maybe two depending on the position, is fine in my book. Meaning I don't have a problem the 4th QB in the AFC making the Pro-Bowl due to an injury to, say Tom Brady.

It's too bad the fans on this board can't determine who is drafted. I think we would have a MUCH BETTER team right now if that had been the case for the last decade.

[RoscoeMagic]

It's too bad the fans on this board can't determine who is drafted. I think we would have a MUCH BETTER team right now if that had been the case for the last decade.

For the first round picks, I would agree 100%.

However, I'll let the advanced scouts take the later rounds. No chance anyone here would have found Kyle Williams, Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson, David Nelson, etc.

[stuckincincy]

For the first round picks, I would agree 100%.

However, I'll let the advanced scouts take the later rounds. No chance anyone here would have found Kyle Williams, Stevie Johnson, Fred Jackson, David Nelson, etc.

Eh. Player A decides he's injured (funny how there's always a rash of injuries after names are named) Player A chats with likely choices B or C, ones likely to be an alternate. A drops out, B (or C) drops in so their contract clause $$$ kicks in. Pro bowl spots are a contract money pile on the table, waiting to be picked up and cashed in...a marketable commodity behind closed doors.

Heck, players buy and sell jersey numbers.

Hands are shaken, clubs are shaken down... :birds: