Detroit Lions Matthew Stafford Snubbed for Cam Newton in Pro Bowl

Posted by Luca Hannan on Thursday, January 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment 

 

The Detroit Lions first 10-win season since 1995 was cut short with a loss to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card game of the NFL playoffs. But, Detroit Lions fans thought they had a new reason to be excited – the upcoming NFL Pro Bowl later this week.

Since 2010, the NFL Pro Bowl game has been moved up and played one week before the Super Bowl to both increase the momentum going into the Super Bowl and decrease the idea that the Pro Bowl is an afterthought of the NFL season.

The New York Giants continued their improbable Super Bowl run by knocking out the San Francisco 49ers by a field goal (20-17) with a 31-yard overtime boot by kicker Lawrence Tynes. In so doing, the Giants inadvertently gave Detroit fans a reason to cheer, or at least we thought so…

Because of its earlier date, the Pro Bowl will be missing some of its invited players. Those who are Super Bowl-bound will most likely decline to play rather than risk injury and hurt their team’s chances to hoist the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.

Thus, it is highly unlikely that Giants quarterback Eli Manning will suit up as the quarterback for the NFC Pro Bowl team, leaving a roster spot open for a quarterback who actually threw for more yards, more completions, more touchdowns, and had more wins than Manning; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford.  Thats what the majority of the public believed this morning until news hit the Internet that Matthew Stafford had been snubbed again, this time in favor of Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton.

Many NFL analysts (and most Detroiters) were baffled when the initial Pro Bowl rosters released in December omitted Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford for the NFC roster.  Today, NFL fans are even more perplexed that Matthew Stafford has been snubbed again, this time in favor of Rookie Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton.

Any person who has remotely watched the NFL this year that can deny the fact that Matthew Stafford has had a Pro Bowl-caliber season may either be a New York Giants or Carolina Panthers fan, or not basing their decision on the actual statistics:

Regular season wins

Matthew Stafford 10 – Eli Manning 9 – Cam Newton 6

Passing yards

Matthew Stafford 5,038 – Eli Manning 4,933 – Cam Newton 4,051

Completions

Matthew Stafford 421 – Eli Manning 359 – Cam Newton 310

Yards per game

Matthew Stafford 314 – Eli Manning 308 – Cam Newton 253

Passer rating

Matthew Stafford 97.2 – Eli Manning 92.9 – Cam Newton 84.5

By all accounts, the numbers prove that Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford had a better regular season than New York Giants QB Eli Manning, and a far better season than the QB picked to take Mannings roster spot on the NFC Pro Bowl team, Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton.

Unfortunately, the one lone Detroit Lion that was actually named to the Pro Bowl this year, stud wide receiver Calvin Johnson, will not be able to represent Detroit this Sunday due to an Achilles injury that kept him out of several practices in the final weeks of the season.  Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White will take Johnsons roster spot on the NFC team.

Also, in a complete lapse of judgment by Pro Bowl voters, Detroit Lions All-World defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was somehow completely omitted from the NFC defensive roster.

Yet, with standout talents from all over the nation playing in the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl, youre sure to find an athlete to cheer for this Sunday.

The NFL Pro Bowl will be televised nationally on NBC, live from Honolulu, at 7:00 PM EST on Sunday January 29.

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