Pro Bowl: Three Washington Redskins Named Alternates
The Washington Redskins had four of their players make the Pro Bowl. They were also fortunate enough to get three of their players on as alternates.
The NFL released the Pro Bowl rosters on Tuesday night, and the Washington Redskins were well represented on the NFC side. Four members of the team were named to the Pro Bowl squad, with three of them set to serve as starters. This is great news for the team, and they got some more good news later in the night. Three of their players were named as alternates, and they may have a chance to play in the All-Star game.
None of the alternates should be surprising. The first two, who I initially called snubs, were quarterback Kirk Cousins and cornerback Josh Norman. The final alternate will be Jamison Crowder. He was nominated as the return man. All three are deserving of the honor, and Cousins may be the most deserving of all.
When Cousins was snubbed, I said the following about his performance and why he should have been on the roster:
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Cousins has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this season. He ranks second in the league in passing yards with 4,360. He ranks 11th in the league with 23 total passing touchdowns, and he has completed 67.5 percent of his passes. That is good for fifth best in the league.
In addition to his great statistical performance, Cousins has established himself as a leader for the Redskins team. After a poor start to the year, he really stepped up and played some of the best football of his career. He took responsibility for the 0-2 start and from there, really helped to lead the team to success.
Of course, Cousins lost out to some worthy competitors, but I had trouble believing that rookie Dak Prescott deserved the honor over him. Prescott has been terrific, but he has had a better supporting cast and the run game has really carried the offense. But I digress.
Norman’s omission may have surprised some at first, but the fact is that he was beaten out by some capable cornerbacks. Notably, Patrick Peterson and Richard Sherman made the final cut, but a couple of rising stars also beat out Norman. Xavier Rhodes and Janoris Jenkins, two corners that are just hitting their prime, earned the nod over Norman.
The vocal playmaker should not have too much to complain about. Both have put together excellent performances this season, and Norman was just edged out. If he played in the AFC, he probably would have made the cut.
Finally, Crowder probably could have gotten the nomination as the return man, given that he is leading the NFC with 13.1 yards per punt return. However, Cordarrelle Patterson of the Vikings averaged 31.5 yards per kick return, so he got the nod. Crowder cannot complain too much about that decision. Perhaps the NFL should consider divvying up the positions further so that a couple more players make it each year.
