Come on folks!

Really?  The Cowboys have 13 Pro Bowlers?  What a joke.  Guys, I realize the Cowboys had a good year, but will the slurpfest ever end?  Whether it be from the media or the fans, I am here to put an end to all this nonsense.

First off, I will back up some of the selections from this year.

QB Tony Romo – Ok, a valid selection.  This man bounced back from the playoff fumble in Seattle last season and had himself quite a year.  He’s a big reason the Cowboys had such a great year.  He threw for over 4,200 yards, 36 TDs, and had the best quarterback rating in the NFC at 97.4.  Brett Favre and Drew Brees were the closest to Romo in passing TDs, albeit they were eight behind #9.  Again, a legitimate selection here and no complaint.

WR Terrell Owens – He was even better than last year.  There were no distractions this past year from him and actually acted like a model citizen.  Along with that, he was 10th in the NFC in receptions, 2nd in receiving yards, and 1st in touchdowns with 15 of them.  He was the most explosive and biggest receiving threat this year and he’s what made the Cowboys offense go.  With Terry Glenn out, Owens more than picked up the slack – he dominated.  No complaint here.

TE Jason Witten – Has gotten progressively better since his rookie year and really grew into a huge weapon for Tony Romo this past season.  He had more catches than TO, good enough for 3rd in the NFC, 7th in receiving yards, and tied for 9th in TD catches with 7 of them.  And folks, these numbers and ranks include ALL RECEIVERS in the NFC.  He was leaps and bounds ahead of all other tight ends, making him one of the best receivers in the game.  A more than legitimate selection.

OLB DeMarcus Ware – 84 tackles, 14 sacks (2nd in the NFC), and 4 forced fumbles.  ‘Nuff said.  He’s the real deal and is as ferocious as they come.  No beef here. 

OLB Greg Ellis – 10 games started and 12.5 sacks.  A solid year for the comeback player of the year.  He earned it.

Ok, now to my pet peeves.

K Nick Folk – Ok, here we go.  Five other kickers who had at least 20 FG attempts had a better FG percentage than him.  He was 14th among NFC kickers on FG% attempts of 20-29 yards.  But he had more XPs made than anyone, so I guess that counts for something right?  Why not Morten Andersen who kicked almost 90 percent for the entire year on a really bad team?  Also, the Falcons didn’t have a Pro Bowl selection, so this makes even more sense.  Sorry, Nick.  You shouldn’t have made it as a 1st year player.

FS Ken Hamlin – You have got to be kidding me?  Ken Hamlin?  Possibly more overrated than Roy Williams (if that’s possible).  Sorry Ken, but as a free safety, you need to make more tackles than 62 (that’s good enough for 8th in the NFC).  Heck, there’s 14 NFC corners that had more tackles than you.  How about O.J. Atogwe of the Rams?  He played on possibly the worst defense in the NFC yet he made 75 stops and 8 picks, including one for a touchdown.  Why not Gibril Wilson of the New York Giants?  He had 30 more tackles than him on a defense that got better as the year went on.  Ken Hamlin – unreal. 

SS Roy Williams – I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times – the most overrated player in the NFL.  Everyone praises him like he is the greatest safety since Ronnie Lott.  I’m sorry but he is terrible.  I think Shannon Sharpe said it best when he essentially said “… the Cowboys won’t have a good pass defense until Roy Williams is on the sideline.”  This is coming from a man who had over 10,000 receiving yards – most of them coming at the expense of NFL safeties.  I think he’s got a pretty good idea of what he’s talking about.  Williams is dominated by tight ends as well as receivers that have decent size and good speed.  And apparently he’s the hardest hitting safety in the NFL?  Well, he never makes any “hard hits” when he’s one on one with a receiver or running back – this is when he pulls the “infamous” missed tackled out of his repertoire.  Maybe he gets one every four games on a defenseless player that is already being tackled.  And, once again, he is poor in pass coverage.  Had to get that off my chest – Roy Williams one of the worst safeties in the NFL but is praised and heralded like one of the best.  I’ll never get it. 

P.S.  Atari Bigby anyone?  Someone, anyone besides the clown that wears #31 for Dallas.

CB Terrance Newman – Another overrated player, but not in the same sense as Ken Hamlin and Roy Williams.  Newman is good but not nearly Pro Bowl quality.  Granted he only started 11 games this year, but come on this guy was awful last year.  For being a top 5 pick back in 2003, he hasn’t lived up to the hype.  Roderick Hood should be in his place.  He had 5 picks, more tackles than Newman, and a bunch more pass deflections.  He was a vital reason the Cardinals were actually in the playoff hunt this year.  Although, Newman played well this year, I’m not sure he should have been in the Pro Bowl. 

RB Marion Barber – Ok, I realize he is exciting because he doesn’t go down easy, but come on, he didn’t even eclipse the 1,000 yard mark.  And nowadays, that’s easier and easier to do.  You can say he splits carries with Julius Jones, but I am far more impressed with a guy who handles the load himself and gets the job done.  Don’t get me wrong MBIII is on his way to being one of the best backs in the league, but he still has a lot to learn.  How about a guy who’s been getting it done since his rookie year?  Clinton Portis – Almost 1,300 yards and 11 TDs.  Another guy who should have been considered not only by his stats but also in the way he helped his team down the stretch in making the playoffs.

OL Flozell Adams, Leonard Davis, and Andre Gurode – I don’t even have that much of a problem with Adams as I do with the other guys.  Granted, this Dallas O-Line is vastly improved from last year, the Pro Bowl starting line should not be 3/5 of what protects Tony Romo.  The Dallas passing offense gave Romo lots of time this year and he made the most of it, so I’ll give Adams the benefit of the doubt.  But can we give the guard and center position to a team who had a better rushing attack than Dallas?  Why not Chris Snee and Shaun O’Hara of the New York Giants?  They showed this year that it wasn’t as much Tiki Barber as it was them.  Anyways, too much Dallas in that O-Line.

Are you sick of the Dallas lovefest?  I am too.  Thank God it cooled off after the Giants shut them down in the playoffs, as the “legend” of Tony Romo is more up in the air than ever.  Well, that’s my rant folks.  Far too many Cowboys in the Pro Bowl that weren’t really that deserving compared to other players at their position.  Well, I hope you enjoy the Pro Bowl between the AFC and the Cow…. err, the NFC.