The Mikell Factor
There’s been a flurry of chatter across the blogosphere in recent days regarding Quintin Mikell’s exclusion from the NFC Pro Bowl roster. It seems a consensus among Eagles fans that Mikell was more than deserving of a spot. The Cardinals‘ Adrian Wilson earned his second trip with 67 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2 INT, 2 FF and 4 PD. These are very good numbers, but how does Mikell stack up in comparison?
82 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 INT, 2 FF and 6 PD.
I’m far from a homer, but Mikell should have been named to the team. I neglected to place him on the “Eagles Snubbed” poll and that was my mistake. You see, I’m a huge Quintin Mikell fan but I knew he wouldn’t get an invitation to Hawaii. How did I know this? He doesn’t fit the mold. Guys like Wilson and Roy Williams get all the pub because they’re big hitters in 6′0″ 220lb bodies. Mikell is 5′10″, 206. Before you bring up the name Bob Sanders, understand that he is an exception to the rule. Truth be told, I can’t remember a strong safety being as big an impact as Sanders and I’ve been watching NFL Football for over twenty-five years.
I love guys like Mikell: Undrafted, undersized, unappreciated. The sixth year pro out of Boise State is the exact kind of player you wish to succeed. A special teams ace for the first four years of his career, Mikell stuck around long enough to crack the starting lineup late last season and has done nothing but impress ever since. Short and compact, he possesses the tenacity to deliver punishing hits similar to Sanders. And so far, his pass coverage has been solid, especially compared to that of former starter Sean Considine – not to mention ex Bird Michael Lewis, who got torched by a “tight end” this past weekend.
Like secondary mate Sheldon Brown, Mikell doesn’t seek or want attention. He just busts his ass in practice and the film room, then goes out on Sunday and makes plays. In a league filled with shameless self-promoters and whiny egomaniacs it’s refreshing to have guys like Quintin Mikell to root for and appreciate. Even if he never gets that trip to Hawaii.
I agree with your assessment except for one thing; the Pro Bowl has always been like this. Sometimes it takes years for those who deserve to get recognized.
Should Mikell be included? Probably. But it really isn’t any surprise.
Pro Bowl picks are over rated anyway. A team can have quite a few of them and not even get into the play-offs. Or very far into them.
JMO.
December 18th, 2008 at 8:16 pmYou’re right Freak, it’s all a popularity contest. It just happens “bigger” safeties are more popular.
December 18th, 2008 at 9:01 pmthe probowl is bullshit as far as i’m concerned. the nfl goes thru this shit every year. some deserving player getting snubbed. i’m a cowboy fan, but could care less who goes from dallas. you know guys, all it cost us was salary cap space because the idiot fans voted these guys in and then the players use this as contract negotiations. bullshit again. the average fan does’nt know shit. scott i, like you, have been watching this game for 40 years. 1968 is when i remember sitting down for a full game and still get goose bumps when i think of all the game history i saw. but the thing that pisses me off most is this damn probowl selection shit. if your going to have a probowl based on popularity, than call it what it is for the fans sake. “popularity bowl”. but for the record books, put the voting in the hands of the players and coaches. i guarntee you that they know all about quintin mikell and his season stats
December 19th, 2008 at 5:55 amWell said, dave.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:42 amIt’s also outrageous that the pro-bowl can be voted on before half the games are even played. And it’s decided with some of the most important games of the season still remaining. Late season performance is far more important than looking good early.
Just look at my Redskins back when they were 6-2 and look at them now. Look at some of the performances from last week and recognize that the Giants-Panthers game had no bearing on the pro-bowl even though it decided the #1 seed in the game and featured some terrific running back performances. Or How Antonio Bryant has caught fire over the last few weeks.
The pro-bowl is just a flawed model through and through.
December 21st, 2008 at 10:29 pmi believe the probowl is probably on it’s way out, as we see it now? what happened to the contact situation with hawiaii???? i see some kind of modifications down the line????
December 25th, 2008 at 8:17 am