Will The Pro Bowl Vote Be “Rigged?”
December 11th, 2013Hopefully, Darrelle Revis wasn’t seeing the future.
Remember those September days during the wild, all-angles, anonymous-source onslaught on Bucs commander Greg Schiano?
Those were tough times. The world seemed to be imploding and you didn’t want to be seen at Publix wearing a Bucs t-shirt.
For Joe, at least that time delivered one of the true funny moments of the season.
Darrelle Revis was chatting with Joe and a handful of other media types, and Revis exclaimed that the Pro Bowl voting would be “rigged” if Lavonte David didn’t make it this season. Keep in mind that was mid-September. That’s how quickly Revis was impressed.
But “rigged” was a naughty word back then, as Greg Schiano had been accused all over the national media of “rigging” the team captains’ vote so Josh Freeman would be stripped of his captaincy. A reporter quickly pointed out to Revis that he might not want to use the word “rigged” at One Buc Palace. And Revis laughed, almost hysterically, and started playfully asking to have that comment stricken from the record.
Now Joe officially stopped caring about Pro Bowls when Derrick Brooks made the Pro Bowl after the 2008 season and then the Bucs cut him weeks later. You remember, the Bucs needed to make way for Brooks’ replacement, Jermaine Phillips. Yeah, like they couldn’t have used Brooks that season.
But a Pro Bowl nod still carries status, and Revis was right. If David isn’t heading to Hawaii (fan voting ends soon, and the player vote next week), then something is dreadfully wrong. David is dominant and now owns an all-time, single-season mark for linebackers; he’s the first with six sacks and five interceptions.
Joe would like to see the Bucs make a bigger push on their website and social media to jack up fan voting for David. You can vote here. And Joe would love to see David’s teammates with huge Twitter followings, like Dashon Goldson (980,000+) and Revis, get the vote out on Twitter.
David getting the proper recognition would be a nice end to a disappointing season.
December 11th, 2013 at 11:24 am
I remember when Randall McDaniel got a few courtesy nods during his twilight with The Bucs…so yes, it’s “rigged” in many ways such as reputation and perhaps a bit of league preference.
December 11th, 2013 at 11:28 am
I think rigged is wrong word. It’s definitely flawed though. Very flawed. If David doesn’t make the Pro Bowl its the fault of his team mates and coaches for not being a better team. And the fault of the national media. How is the rest of the nation supposed to vote for a guy they never heard of? So, bad team + a national media that ignores the team = no pro bowl for David.
December 11th, 2013 at 11:32 am
Let’s remember that Ronde lead all safeties in the fan vote last season. And he didn’t make it once players and coaches had a say.
December 11th, 2013 at 11:36 am
Regardless of the painful 4-9 season, Bucs fans do have some exciting things in place for the future: McCoy, LVD, Revis returning to form, Rainey’s run to glory (Muscle Hamster is still the man), finding Tim Wright, Barron seems to be coming around as does Demar Dotson, etc. So rejoice in the season!
It’s only fair to point out that Rock Star unearthed these great findings
December 11th, 2013 at 11:55 am
It is a shame that David is not getting the love he deserves. This guy a pleasure to watch play. I mean seriously, when the Bucs are on D my eyes are on 54. He is a play maker, a presence and a true leader in the defense. I understand we do not have the best record but the pro bowl is to recognize players individually and let me tell you 54 should be top 5 LB in that list. But on thing I do know, is that the players and coaches votes will be there for 54. He will get the love he deserves and will make it to the pro bowl. Oh by the way, I’ve submitted 6 votes for him. I hope that makes a difference lol
December 11th, 2013 at 12:19 pm
lvd should win the defensive player of the year period.
December 11th, 2013 at 12:21 pm
I don’t know if “rigged” is the right word but its definitely not a measure of the best players in the league.
Too much weight given too fan vote IMO.
December 11th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
Joe my Bucs attire is a part of my wardrobe year round without shame regardless of team performance. I get the joke but always find it funny when people ask about that.
I agree with D-Money.
December 11th, 2013 at 1:43 pm
Who cares…the pro bowl is hot garbage. All-Pro team is more of an honor in my opinion.
December 11th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
noflyzone54 Says
“It is a shame that David is not getting the love he deserves…”
Nothing is decided yet. If you want to make a difference go to NFL.com and vote. All votes matter.
December 11th, 2013 at 1:49 pm
I agree the Pro Bowl is crap. I enjoyed watching it in years past, when it was AFC vs NFC. I thought last year was a little better.
But didn’t they make a lot of changes to the way teams are chosen this year? Now it is more like neighborhood football where you take turns picking teammates. Or is that not the way it is being done yet?
To me, one of the reasons to watch was to see if the NFC beat the AFC. If they mess that up, I see no reason to watch at all.
I also hate that fans get to pick who gets in. It should be the top performers in each position. At least that way players would have to earn the designation.
December 11th, 2013 at 2:32 pm
Enjoy my Bucs and Rays shirts come rain or shine.
And yeah, the pro bowl voting has its issues. Why so early?
December 11th, 2013 at 6:40 pm
Again, that’s the dark side of democracy Joe. People are going to vote for who they like personally, not who they think actually deserves to go. That’s why I like the All-Star voting for pitchers, for some reason they don’t let fans do it, but the worthy players almost always end up on the team.
December 11th, 2013 at 8:25 pm
Check out the Pro Bowl ballot. His stats stick out like a sore thumb. When you let the American people vote, you end up with garbage.
December 11th, 2013 at 10:13 pm
The Pro Bowl has been irrelevant for quite a while now – nothing more than a popularity contest.