PFF Pro Bowl Teams

[Obst]

AFC Offense​

Wide Receivers

Wes Welker (NE), Mike Wallace (PIT), Antonio Brown (PIT), and Vincent Jackson (SD)

A fairly straight forward set of choices with both Welker and Wallace being unanimous selections (Welker ranked 1st on every ballot). I think a number of people who saw Brown begin to increase his snap count from week 14 last year knew he had talent but not many predicted the brilliance he has displayed consistently from mid-season this year. Jackson was solid all year without ever touching the dizzying heights he reached in 2009.

Tackles

LT – Joe Thomas (CLE), RT – Eric Winston (HOU), and Eugene Monroe (JAX)

There are some analysts on the team who are disappointed by Thomas’s below average run-blocking but when you are as good at your primary function (pass protection) as he is, you have to vote for him anyway; he’s by a huge margin the best pass blocker around. Winston is a much more balanced player and a key part of the best overall line around – the Texans. Finally Monroe, who, for some time flirted, with the title of “bust”, became a model of consistency and gave Blaine Gabbert one less excuse for his awful performances.

Guards

LG – Andy Levitre (BUF), RG – Marshal Yanda (BAL), and Brian Waters (NE)

Don’t you just love a guy that gets a new contract and then ups his play? That’s exactly what Marshal Yanda did and none of us could be happier because we’ve been championing his cause now for four years. Levitre was playing brilliantly before he was called on to start at left tackle and then center. He held his own at those positions and that in itself deserves consideration. Waters was let go by KC when they determined his run-blocking no longer matched his superior pass pro skills but there’s nothing like a trip north east to sort that out. He’s still not the best run blocker around, but he’s good enough and he makes Tom Brady’s life in the pocket a much easier proposition.

Centers

Chris Myers (HOU) and Nick Mangold (NYJ)

Possibly the easiest selection around as no one else came close to these two. The only question was, after a less than stellar start and a couple of weeks out injured, could Mangold catch up to the Texans’ prolific start. Myers took up the gauntlet and answered emphatically that this was no victory by default. My view is he’d have won anyway and given how much we think of Mangold that’s high praise.

Tight Ends

Rob Gronkowski (NE) and Anthony Fasano (MIA)

Everyone wants to talk about his receiving which is understandable, but what we admire about him is that he still comes prepared to block. Other than Jason Witten (more on him later) which recent receiving TE has also been prepared to show up in the running game? Well Gronkowski is one.

The second selection was much harder because it comes down to what you value more – receiving brilliance with zero aptitude for blocking or a more balanced approach. We chose the latter and went with Fasano.

Quarterbacks

Tom Brady (NE), Ben Roethlisberger (PIT), and Philip Rivers (SD)

We don’t care what anyone else thinks – we just say what we see and what we see this year is Tom Brady playing better than last. He’s attacking more and so what if a few of the interceptions that last year were dropped, are being caught; he’s just scary good at times. Roethlisberger is a warrior and is there anymore motivation you can give to your team than he’s doing right now? Clearly he’s not at his best but he’s still better than the rest. Rivers is the ultimate default pick. The fact that before the season I talked about him breaking every record out there (I could have picked any of three others and been right) makes it all the more galling. It’s an indication of the paucity of talent at QB in the AFC that 13 of 18 of us picked him next up.

Halfbacks

Maurice Jones-Drew (JAX), Arian Foster (HOU), and Ray Rice (BAL)

Jones-Drew and Foster were both locks after excellent all-round years. It’s particularly nice that both of these guys stand up in pass protection too. There was a lot of debate about the last spot. Ray Rice is more of a receiver than a runner and that detracted in some analysts’ eyes. Sure the numbers are there but it can be boom or bust dependent on his line’s performance. In the end though he is the best receiving back playing and that stood in his favor.

Fullback

Vonta Leach (BAL)

Not quite back to the pomp of his 2008 season. Then he really brought the hammer in some games, but perhaps this year has been more consistent. The best blocker in the AFC by some way.

AFC Defense​

Defensive Ends

Terrell Suggs (BAL), Andre Carter (NE), and Brett Keisel (PIT)

Let’s be honest here, if we mixed the AFC and NFC only Suggs would be in with a shout of the top six spots. That’s not to say Carter and Keisel are default selections the way Philip Rivers is, just that there’s a log-jam of talent in the NFC at end. Regardless Suggs is the ultimate all-round end (end not linebacker although he is being used more and more in that role as the season progresses) with a propensity to get after the QB but also play the run better than anyone else at his position.

After a year of trying (and failing) to play stand up linebacker on the left side of the line (he’d always been a DRE prior to that) in Washington the Patriots picked up Carter to generate some pressure, but even they didn’t expect the metamorphosis they got. Carter has always been a brilliant rusher and a marginal run defender but this year, if anything, he’s played the run better than the pass and he’s done a fine job of that. Lastly, with Aaron Smith out again (and looking shot before he was injured anyway) Keisel has taken on the mantle and become as much the consummate 3-4 end as Smith was.

Defensive Tackles

Geno Atkins (CIN), Broderick Bunkley (DEN), and Haloti Ngata (BAL)

No one comes close to generating as much pressure as Atkins from defensive tackle. With numbers very similar to these last year all we heard about was Ndamukong Suh but for some reason, I guess a fourth round pick doesn’t have quite the cache of a two overall. So to many Atkins is still a mystery. What makes this more surprising is he’s solid against the run too. That said he’s nowhere close to being as robust in that department as Bunkley; no one is. Talk about Tebow as much as you want, rightfully rave about Von Miller, but Bunkley is the glue that makes running between the tackles against the Broncos, an exercise in futility. To round out the group Ngata does most things well, the hype seems to have dissipated and what’s left is a fine player who can do it all.

Outside Linebackers

Von Miller (DEN), Cameron Wake (MIA), and Daryl Smith (JAX)

Someone told me that this fine site has been renamed vonmillerrulz.com by (I’m assuming) a non broncos fan. We simply say what we see and we see a once in a generation player if Miller can repeat this season. Wake has already shown he’s not a one season wonder and has now firmly established himself among the elite pass rushers around. Remember those people who said he wasn’t getting a starting berth because of dubious run defending? They were as speculative then as they are wrong now. Daryl Smith will never, ever make the “other” Pro Bowl squad because he doesn’t create stats. It’s their loss because he’s a guy that does it all well; run, pass rush and coverage – the consummate linebacker.

Inside Linebackers

Derrick Johnson (KC) and Brian Cushing (HOU)

In the wreck which is the Chiefs season, one thing stands out; the performance of Derrick Johnson. A long time ago in a season far, far away (2009 actually) a very silly coach benched the Mr. Johnson for what appeared to be the heinous crime of being the second best player on the team. Well now he’s the best; a guy who can meet fullbacks head on or tracks speedy halfbacks to the sideline and the aforementioned coach is out of a job. What goes around comes around I guess, which is a tenuous segue into the defensive rookie of the year in 2009, who tanked in 2010 and has come back better than ever this year. Like Johnson, Cushing excels in all parts of the game including coverage and pass rushing.

Cornerbacks

Darrelle Revis (NYJ), Jonathan Joseph (HOU), and Cortland Finnegan (TEN)

Still top ranked by all but Revis has been mortal the last few weeks, perhaps he’s just luring quarterbacks into a false sense of security for a playoff run. Has any single player had a more marked effect on a defense than Joseph? A secondary which was a laughing stock is now dangerous and much of that is down to him. What’s remarkable about Finnegan this year is that he’s taken slot duty in the Titans’ nickel. Normally that’s a recipe for completions and yardage and about as tricky a thing to do as there is. He’s been great from the get go, bringing the heat in run defense, as well as his coverage, and has also cut out all the stupidity. Maybe Richard Seymour could get some pointers.

Safeties

FS – Eric Weddle (SD), SS – Troy Polamalu (PIT), and Jarius Byrd (BUF)

Weddle was unanimous as he made those who questioned his contract eat their words. Polamalu is a frustrating player, because you have no idea what he’ll do; randomly take off to undercut something leaving his guy open for a big gain one play, then make a one handed diving interception the next. We’ve all seen the best, and worst, of him this year – many of us in the same game. In the end though he was a better choice than anyone else.

Byrd’s a little bit like Ngata in that, now all the hype is dying down, he’s turning into a better player than he was when he was making tons of interceptions on badly overthrown passes and little else.

AFC Special Teams​

K – Sebastian Janikowski (OAK), P – Shane Lechler (OAK), KR – Antonio Brown (PIT), ST – Cedric Peerman (CIN)

NFC Offense​

Wide Receivers

Calvin Johnson (DET), Larry Fitzgerald (ARZ), Steve Smith (CAR), and Jordy Nelson (GB)

The question de jour at PFF is “why is Matthew Stafford’s grade so low?” as Lions fans everywhere forget his miscues and remember his ability to lob passes in the general direction of a certain freak receiver called Calvin Johnson. Triple coverage? Not a problem sir, I’ll come down with that touchdown. That said, I suspect Fitzgerald would be more than satisfied with the service Johnson receives in comparison to him. I have no idea how, but I still believe he’d find his way to 1,000 yards with Khaled throwing him the ball. Steve Smith is yet another receiver making up for variable quarterback play. Cam Newton has very good games and very bad ones, but even in the latter, Smith still makes plays. Nelson picked up the final position on the back of big plays and a frankly ridiculous 2.87 Yards Per Route Run. Some pointed to the fact that with Greg Jennings out he failed to step up, and this is a worry, but one game and extrapolation does not a PFF Pro Bowl spot lose.

Tackles

LT – Jason Peters (PHI), RT – Tryon Smith (DAL), and Tyson Clabo (ATL)

The third-best pass blocking left tackle in football is also the best run blocker. Peters is an unbeatable combination of ability that makes him the best offensive lineman in the NFL this year. Only one player is even close and that he is Tryon Smith is remarkable. Not since Jake Long entered the NFL have we seen such an accomplished performance from a rookie tackle. Rounding out the selections is right tackle Clabo. Like Smith, Clabo is a better pass blocker than run blocker and while this may not be ideal for a right tackle, their respective prowess in that area is good enough for this team.

Guards

LG – Evan Mathis (PHI), RG – Josh Sitton (GB), and Carl Nicks (NO)

Is Evan Mathis the best player no one has ever heard of? If you don’t know much about what a guard should look like just get an Eagles tape and you’ll see Mathis doing everything well without ever getting a mention. Sitton was a very similar player for the Packers last year in that no one talked about him despite playing better than almost anyone and while he hasn’t scaled those heights, he’s still done enough to be selected here–six penalties are too many for a player of his caliber, though. Nicks was our first choice last year and was great again, though not quite as consistent as Mathis.

Centers

John Sullivan (MIN) and Scott Wells (GB)

This time last year we were advocating Vikings upgrade their center position. Sullivan had never shown anything in his two years replacing Matt Birk to explain the Vikings’ faith and surely it was time for a change. Well, he’s certainly shown what he’s capable of now with a performance that came from so far out of left field, it was in the parking lot. Not only did he do a good job in pass protection, he run blocked superbly and was never flagged all year. Wells was better protecting his quarterback but not in the same league going forward. He’s done his best to hold a make-shift line together and deserves recognition for playing so well under the circumstances.

Tight Ends

Jimmy Graham (NO) and Tony Gonzalez (ATL)

As Rob Gronkowski is defining new standards for a tight end in the AFC, Graham is doing likewise in the NFC–just without the blocking acumen, and his partner here is equally unbalanced. as Gonzalez has gotten older, his receiving skills have remained but his blocking has slipped precipitously. However, in a world where tight ends really aren’t playing their traditional roles anymore, the question is: does it matter? Clearly not because as they are now split out wide so often the ability to seal block (never mind any messy in-line stuff) has dwindled in them all. They are a completely new species and probably deserve a separate classification.

Quarterbacks

Aaron Rodgers (GB), Drew Brees (NO), and Eli Manning (NYG)

Not really much discussion at PFF on these three as Rodgers and Brees were unanimous and 15 of 18 staffers selected Manning as the next man in line. Rodgers and Brees are doing their best to redefine the position with the former demonstrating a string of excellence unparalleled in NFL history while the Saint looks set to shatter 28-year-old records. Manning has been clutch in extremely difficult circumstances and played poorly in others; that’s always been his issue. Good enough to beat anybody on a hot day, bad enough to lose to scrubs on his worst.

Halfbacks

LeSean McCoy (PHI), Adrian Peterson (MIN), and Matt Forte (CHI)

With both Peterson and Forte injured for chunks of the year, McCoy took his opportunity to vault ahead of the others and take the starting role by a fair margin. McCoy is a poor pass protector and average receiver but he more than makes up for that with his running and ball security. Peterson was looking like a linebacker’s worst nightmare before his injury but immediately seems to have hit form on his return and his fumbling issues haven’t re-emerged either. In Forte you have more of a dual-threat player who, barring injury, may have been the pick of the bunch. In Chicago though, contracts were the sidebar to all his achievements, the Bears preferring to spend money on Mike Martz’s has-beens than their star HB.

Fullback

Jim Kleinsasser (MIN)

With the Vikings now playing him more in this position than tight end, it gives us the opportunity to reward the outstanding blocking skills he has displayed for many years. The best blocking tight end of the last decade, he was overlooked by many because of his position. Now, as a fullback, hopefully he’ll get the plaudits he deserves.

NFC Defense​

Defensive Ends

Justin Smith (SF), Jared Allen (MIN), and John Abraham (ATL)

Wow. What a lot of worthy players to chose from here. Justin Smith was a lock but after that it was pick any one of seven. There was more internal disagreement on this position than any other as some analysts chose for pass rush ability only and some for balance.

Smith is probably the current favorite for Defensive MVP with San Francisco’s recent success giving him the national media spotlight he’s deserved for the last three years. Allen’s pass rushing skills are a little overrated and counter-intuitively it was his work in the running game that saw him win through. John Abraham has been the outstanding pass rusher since we began charting games in 2008 and doesn’t look to be slowing down. This year his ability to get pressure can only be equaled, not beaten, and certainly not by anyone as sturdy against the run.

Defensive Tackles

Kevin Williams (MIN), Alan Branch (SEA), and Cullen Jenkins (PHI)

After that list of great players at end, the tackle selection was much less inspiring. It’s not that they’re poor players, but they all come with a caveat. Williams is still a very good all-around player but only a shadow of a player we once saw as the lock for the league’s Defensive MVP. Branch is as good as it gets versus the run but gets little pressure and Jenkins is the opposite; a guy who terrorizes quarterbacks but is only average playing run defense.

Outside Linebackers

DeMarcus Ware (DAL), Clay Matthews (GB), and Sean Weatherspoon (ATL)

So this wasn’t Ware’s best year? Certainly not but he’s still the gold standard against which all other outside linebackers are judged and, even with injury, he still played extremely well–although nine penalties is too much for anyone’s taste. Matthews got derided because his sack numbers were down but that’s just by people who should know better. They should know for example his 20 QB hits are first among 3-4 OLBs and his 39 hurries third. Weatherspoon struggled last year but now his talent is showing through; he was a force in the running game and did well when blitzing. He’s a little inconsistent in coverage but that’s experience and he’s every bit the player the Falcon’s hoped for when they picked him.

Inside Linebackers

Patrick Willis (SF) & NaVorro Bowman (SF)

The pair of 49ers have contrasting and complementary styles. Bowman is the banger in the running game, a guided missile straight at the ball carrier but less instinctive moving backwards while Willis is now the old hand, always in the right place, hardly ever missing tackles (only two all year) but still with acceleration to burn.

Cornerbacks

Brent Grimes (ATL), Carlos Rogers (SF), and Chris Gamble (CAR)

Grimes is a playmaker who simply hates to have balls completed into his vicinity. For that reason he sometimes gambles but this season the risk/reward ratio has been well in his favor with a league low 42% of passes thrown his way completed. Rogers began the year brilliantly and has dropped off a little of late but is still better than most; he’s made more big plays but has also given up more yards.

If I’m really honest I think our third selection may be the best of the lot as quarterbacks have stayed away from Gamble. In 348 passing plays he’s only been targeted 52 times and given up only 22 receptions. Quarterbacks throwing into his coverage have a passer rating of only 48.4 (second only to Darrelle Revis’ 45.4)

Safeties

SS – Adrian Wilson (ARZ), FS – Kenny Phillips (NYG), and Kam Chancellor (SEA)

A lot of people think PFF are just a contrary bunch. When everyone else is waxing lyrical about Wilson’s sack stats, we are telling you how many were unblocked and how many tackles he misses. Now that he’s not flavor of the month anymore, we are saying that no safety in football played better. So no sacks, but his short area coverage is second to none and he is far more disciplined as a run defender. Which would you prefer? Phillips is a slight default selection but name a better single high “free” safety in the NFC. It’s a poor bunch and he’s the best of them. He really doesn’t make that many errors and can find the ball in the air which is a step beyond many.

Chancellor has had his ups and downs including a mid-season slump directly following us saying many very nice things about him. He’s recovered in the last two weeks and just done enough to keep his space on the back of some fine coverage for a big man.

NFC Special Teams​

K – David Akers (SF), P – Andy Lee (SF), KR – Patrick Peterson (ARZ), ST – Heath Farwell (SEA)

 

[St. Francisco]

Defense and special teams dominated by the 49ers, as well they should be...only omission is that of Aldon Smith. Gotta give the rook his props. 13.5 sacks as a situational player.

 

[G-men]

Any player from the Giants' secondary making this list is a joke.

 

[Champ]

JPP deserves this.