Overlooking one of the Best – Pro-Bowl Snub of Frank Gore

In the days preceding the 2009 Pro-Bowl selections, I have had to sit through hours of relentless monologues and diatribes and rants from people who believe that “their guy” should represent “their team” in the Pro-bowl, yet few people have been able to provide stats that back up their ill-founded notion.  Nothing drives me crazier than hearing how for the sake of the team, one of “their guys” has to be the representative.

For my 49ers, I think it is relatively clear cut that Patrick Willis should represent the team as a starter again for his excellent work on the defensive side of the ball.  His sack total is 4^th on the team, and he is tied for 2^nd with 3 interceptions.  Where Willis stands out is in his sheer number of solo tacklers (109) and assists (38) which indisputably puts him at the top of the charts.

Do the 49ers have someone who can represent them on the Offense? Of course.  Frank Gore, to date, with his 1013 yards, (4^th consecutive season with over 1000 yards) 8 touchdowns with an average yard per carry of 4.9 should be there.

But will Frank Gore, with the stats that prove his worthiness make it?  Probably not.  And here’s why.

Each team needs to have at least 1 person representing them in the Pro Bowl.  This means that other than Adrian Peterson, of the Minnesota Vikings, who clearly merits a trip with his 1329 yards and 17 touchdowns, 2 other not-so-deserving souls will end up at the game.

The rumblings that I have been hearing and reading starts off with Steven Jackson form the St. Louis Rams.  Sure, he has amassed 1353 rushing yards, but scoring off of those yards has been virtually nil.  He has a paltry 4 touchdowns, and the Rams did not even have a mathematical chance of making it to the playoffs after the halfway point of the season. 

• Jackson – 1353 yards, Gore 1013.
• Jackson – 4.5 yards per carry, Gore 4.9. 
• Jackson  – 4 touchdowns, Gore 8.

Winner: Frank Gore

DeAngelo Williams from Carolina is also mentioned in the mix.  While the Carolina Panthers have the same record as the 49ers and managed to convincingly knock the Giants out of playoff contention, they are only managing to be 3^rd best in the NFC South.  (While I will confess that the NFC West is not the best representative division in the NFC, the 49ers HAVE beaten the division leaders twice this season.)  Thus, DeAngelo William’s contributions have carried less weight than those of Frank Gore or Adrian Peterson.  Overall, Williams’ performance has been very close to that of Frank Gore’s so they actually deserve to be mentioned in the same breath, not exclusively. 

• Williams – 1117 yards, Gore 1013
• Williams – 5.2 yards per carry, Gore 4.9
• Williams – 7 touchdowns, Gore 8

Winner – Photo Finish – Williams

            Adrian Peterson’s inclusion for a 3^rd straight year is a no-brainer.  His dominant performance with 1329 yards and 17 touchdowns makes him the best in the NFC for running backs.  His inability to hold on to the football makes him the biggest question mark, though.  (It was, after all, HIS fumble against the Bears on Monday night that set up the game winning field goal after Brett Favre worked so hard to bring the Vikings back and force over time.)  Adrian Peterson also has to be more of a consistent performer on the field.  Gore, with the constant change in Offensive Coordinators and even mid season game calling changes has been there as a regular go-to guy. 

• Peterson – 1329 yards, Gore 1013
• Peterson – 4.4 yards per carry, Gore 4.9
• Peterson  – 17 touchdowns, Gore 7

Winner – Peterson

While I understand that everyone wants one of “theirs” to represent them in the Pro-Bowl, let’s not forget that the game is supposed to showcase the best of the bunch, not just allowing someone to be there because they HAD to be there.  That is the equivalent of being picked last on the school playground because you HAD to get picked by somebody.  Jon Beason on Carolina’s Defense has had a great year with 134 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 interceptions.  Those are close to Patrick Willis’ numbers.  Danny Amendola has been doing a great job on Special Teams for the St. Louis Rams.  Let’s pick him as a back-up, but still included on the selection roster.  We know that Frank Gore did not deliver a PERFECT performance this season so far.  Quite a lot of runs got stuffed for no gain or loses as well.  He fumbled a few times in pretty key situations too.  But we HAVE to take the good with the bad.

Overall, the selection process needs to be better geared towards rewarding performance, not towards making sure that everyone gets a say or has a representative on the team.  This way the clear choice for “MY 49ERS,” Frank Gore, won’t get snubbed.  Again.