We were not playing to really look at Pro Bowl selections, but every time the Pro Football Hall of Fame announces their classes, articles always point to the amount of Pro Bowl selections a player accumulated. With that in mind, we thought we would take a brief look at this year’s Pro Bowl selections, and what, if any impact that holds for the Hall of Fame.
Quarterbacks:
Tom Brady, New England Patriots. 10th Pro Bowl Selection. Brady is already a First Ballot Hall of Fame inductee, and there is a very good chance he could add a fourth Super Bowl Ring. Brady is also a former two time AP MVP, and a two time Super Bowl MVP. He has nothing left to prove.
Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Luck has proven to be deserving at the hype when the Colts drafted him number one three years ago. Luck is three for three in Pro Bowl and is considered one of the top Quarterbacks in the game today. Should he continue this run, he is on pace for Canton, and considering he is only 25 years old, there should be better years ahead.
Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos. 14th Pro Bowl Selection. Like Brady, Peyton is a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer. Manning, who is also a seven time First Team All Pro, won a Super Bowl with the Colts, and is the holder of multiple NFL records, but is lacking the playoff success of Brady, though there will never be any doubt that Manning belongs in Canton.
Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Older than you think (31), is building a strong case with a Super Bowl (2010), an MVP (2011) and two Quarterback Rating Titles (2011 & 2012), but in this era of huge QB numbers, Rodgers still has some work left to do. This season, and the fourth Pro Bowl definitely helps.
Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Roethlisberger is a two time Super Bowl Champion and enjoying his best statistical season of his career. Roethlisberger has been known as very good, but not at that Brady/Manning level, and this third Pro Bowl and the statistical gains this year is huge for his Hall of Fame cause.
Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Tony Romo is the most polarizing Quarterback of the last few years, but love him or hate him, he is making a strong statistical case for Hall of Fame consideration. A fourth Pro Bowl doesn’t hurt, but he needs some serious playoff wins to really crash the conversation.
Wide Receivers:
Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Three Pro Bowls in five seasons is a great start for Antonio Brown who going into the final week is leading the NFL in Receptions and Receiving Yards, which if he holds, would make it his first in both categories. This is the kind of year that would look great on a Hall of Fame resume, but there is still a long way to go.
Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Bryant’s second selection in five years, and second in a row. Bryant, who has had a controversial personal life, is now making headlines only on the fired and has improved every year. It is still a long path to go, but he is moving in the right direction.
A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Green is four for four and he is 41 Receiving Yards away from also having his fourth consecutive 1,000 Yard Receiving Year. Saying that, he has not that monster year, and playing in Cincinnati, which does not see that much attention does not do him in any favors. Green may have more Pro Bowls than Brown and Bryant, but he has a lower profile. Pro Bowl accumulation really helps Green.
T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. Hilton is on his third NFL campaign, and he played good enough to have been considered last year. With Andrew Luck as his Quarterback, and being the main target, he is in good position to get honored again.
Calvin Johnson, Detroit Lions. 5th Pro Bowl Selection. “Megatron” is coming off a down year (for him), but after three First Team All Pro Selections, two Receiving Yards Titles and a long for football stint where he was considered the best Wide Receiver in the NFL, he may already have done enough. As he is already at 10,000 Yards, he may only need one more Pro Bowl caliber season to cement induction.
Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Jones second Pro Bowl in four years and this is the year that he has lived up to the high draft pick. At only 25, he is in a really good spot to earn a lot more of these accolades.
Jordy Nelson, Green Bay Packers. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is Nelson’s first Pro Bowl nod in his seven years in the league and the former Super Bowl Champion is having his best season to date. This acknowledgment is essential for him to have serious Hall consideration.
Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Three Pro Bowls in five seasons and three consecutive seasons over 1,400 Receiving Yards is putting Thomas in a decent path for consideration.
Offensive Tackles:
Ryan Clady, Denver Broncos. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Fair or not, the Offensive Line is where Pro Bowls carry the most weight, and a fourth one (along with two First Team All Pro Selections) is huge for a player like Clady. A Super Bowl win protecting Peyton Manning would be a major notch on the belt.
Jason Peters, Philadelphia Eagles. 7th Pro Bowl Selection. This is massive as the odds dramatically increasing from seven to six Pro Bowls. His two First Team All Pro Selections certainly help. This is getting Peters a lot closer to Canton, and another two or three above average seasons could do it.
Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Two Pro Bowls in four seasons is a good start, but there is a long way to go for the young Offensive Lineman.
Joe Staley, San Francisco 49ers. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. This is Staley’s fourth consecutive Pro Bowl selection, but at the age of 30, he has to set up a couple more in his early 30’s to really be in the conversation. He is a lot closer than he was a week ago though.
Joe Thomas, Cleveland Browns. 8th Pro Bowl Selection. An eight Pro Bowl Selection, along with four First Team All Pro Selections places Joe Thomas in the dance. A couple more and he will impossible to ignore. The eighth Pro Bowl selection may already be enough.
Trent Williams, Washington Redskins. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Williams’ third Pro Bowl selection in a row over a five year career.
Offensive Guards:
Jahri Evans, New Orleans Saints. 6th Pro Bowl Selection. This is huge for Evans, getting that sixth Pro Bowl, especially when it may be forgotten that this selection was mildly controversial, as he is not coming off his best year. With four past consecutive First Team First Team All Pro Selections and a Super Bowl win, this add on is huge to the Canton cause.
Mike Iupati, San Francisco 49ers. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Three Pro Bowls in his first five seasons (the last three consecutive) is a very good trend for Iupati.
Kyle Long, Chicago Bears. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. It is way to early for anything to be set in stone, but you can’t ask much more than going two for two as an NFL Offensive Tackle. Long has the kind of start that gets you noticed by Canton.
Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. Not a bad way to start for a rookie! Let’s see what else he accomplishes over his career.
Josh Sitton, Green Bay Packers. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Sitton is enjoying his second Pro Bowl in seven years in the NFL.
Marshal Yanda, Baltimore Ravens. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Yanda is enjoying his fourth consecutive trip to the Pro Bowl, but at the age of 30, he doesn’t have much time left to make a case.
Centers
Travis Frederick, Dallas Cowboys. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. The Dallas Cowboys improvement this year was aided by an improved O-Line, and this is Frederick’s first nod in his two years in the NFL.
Jason Kelce, Philadelphia Eagles. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is Kelce’s first Pro Bowl honor, but at the age of 27, he has to step up production in that category.
Nick Mangold, New York Jets. 6th Pro Bowl Selection. This is a major accomplishment for Centers, and with his two First Team All Pro Selections in his pocket, Mangold should now be part of the discussion. Two more Pro Bowls puts him in a place that will be hard for Canton to ignore.
Maurkice Pouncey, Pittsburgh Steelers. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Four out of five seasons in the NFL where you are nominated for the Pro Bowl is a very good start. Repeating that over the next five years could get Maurkice Pouncey inducted.
Tight Ends:
Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Graham’s third Pro Bowl, but you would think he would have accrued more than that by now. As someone considered to be a game changer at one point of his career, Pro Bowl accumulation may not be as important as it would be for other Tight Ends.
Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. “Gronk’s” third nod aids a case where he has already been a First Team All Pro Selection and if he gets a Super Bowl this year (he doesn’t have one yet), this could be a massive year for accumulating Hall of Fame credentials.
Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. Olsen is a long resected Tight End in the National Football League, but a first Pro Bowl the year before he turn 30 is not a pace that will get him much consideration.
Julius Thomas, Denver Broncos. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Although this is Thomas’ second Pro Bowl selection in four years, the first two seasons for Julius Thomas did not see him make very many plays at all. His progress of all the Tight Ends is what intrigues us the most.
Running Backs:
Le’Veon Bell, Pittsburgh Steelers. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. Le’Veon Bell in his sophomore season is having a breakout season, but Running Backs in this era of offensive openness, are a dime a dozen. Bell’s first Pro Bowl is nice, but in this era, it will take a lot more than it may have in others.
Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Not a bad stretch for Charles with four Pro Bowls and two First Team All Pro Selections, but he is 21 Yards shy of 1,000 Rushing, and that is a milestone he needs to hit to stay in the hunt.
Arian Foster, Houston Texans. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Foster is a very popular and successful Running Back with a Rushing Title under his belt already, but there is a lot of work left to do to avoid Shaun Alexander territory.
Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks. 5th Pro Bowl Selection. Lynch may have stated recently that the writers won’t elect him, but this selection and if he has another good and deep playoff run with Seattle will make it impossible for anyone to ignore his cause.
LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia Eagles. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. McCoy already has two First Team All Pro Selections and a Rushing Title under his belt, but netting a third Pro Bowl is huge for future consideration for the Hall of Fame.
DeMarco Murray, Dallas Cowboys. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Earning his second consecutive Pro Bowl nod, DeMarco Murray is currently leading the NFL in rushing. If he holds, this would be huge for any kind of potential Hall of Fame induction.
Fullbacks:
John Kuhn, Green Bay Packers. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. With two Pro Bowls in nine years, we have a good career, but a Hall of Fame one? John Kuhn would probably tell you otherwise.
Marcel Reece, Oakland Raiders. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Reece received his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection, which is a nice step to receive the ultimate post career accolade.
Defensive Ends:
Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is the first Pro Bowl nod for Campbell, but as this also his seventh NFL season, he is a long way away from making serious consideration for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Robert Quinn, St. Louis Rams. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Quinn’s second straight Pro Bowl nod, and third season with ten Quarterback Sacks. If Quinn continues at this pace, he will be hard to ignore in the future.
Cameron Wake, Miami Dolphins. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. This is a very nice nod for Wake, who is over the 60 number in Quarterback Sacks and with four Pro Bowls in six seasons, he is on a good pace for Hall of Fame consideration.
DeMarcus Ware, Denver Broncos. 8th Pro Bowl Selection. This is a huge win for Ware who already has two Quarterback Sack Titles and four First Team All Pro Selections. Ware might very well have enough to enter Canton now.
J.J. Watt, Houston Texans. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. The Houston Texans star has already won a portion of the Defensive Player of the Year and is considered by many to people to be on the Hall of Fame path.
Mario Williams, Buffalo Bills. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. A controversial 1st Round pick at the time, Mario Williams has already hit the 90 Quarterback Sack mark. Williams needs another few Pro Bowls and at least a First Team All Pro Selection for a legit shot at the Hall of Fame.
Defensive Tackles:
Marcell Dareus, Buffalo Bills. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Dareus is coming off his second Pro Bowl nod of four NFL seasons, but with the extensive defensive stars on the ballot, Dareus has a long way to go.
Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is Donald’s first Pro Bowl selection in his two years in the league, and it should be interesting to see what transpires from here.
Gerald McCoy, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. McCoy now has three consecutive Pro Bowls and with a First Team All Pro Selection under his belt, he is in a good position to enter the hunt in the future.
Dontari Poe, Kansas City Chiefs. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Poe’s second consecutive Pro Bowl and second in his three seasons in the NFL. A very good start for the Nose Tackle.
Ndamukong Suh, Detroit Lions. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Suh is making his fourth trip in five seasons and is one of the most notorious players in the league. His level of fame does not hurt his future chances for Hall of Fame consideration.
Kyle Williams, Buffalo Bills. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Williams is netting his fourth Pro Bowl but at the age of 31 his time is running out to make a serious run at the Hall of Fame.
Outside Linebackers:
Connor Barwin, Philadelphia Eagles. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is Barwin’s best season in the National Football League but as it took him seven years to register a Pro Bowl season, he is not considered a strong contender for Canton.
Elvis Dumervil, Baltimore Ravens. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Dumervil is coming off another great season, and with one Sack Title and a First Team All Pro Selection under his belt, Dumervil’s great season elevates his chances.
Tamba Hali, Kansas City Chiefs. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. This is Tamba Hali’s fourth consecutive Pro Bowl and he is one half a sack away form hitting 80 for a career. This is good, but he has yet to be considered the top Linebacker in the NFL, and he needs a season where he has that label to seriously be considered for the Hall.
Justin Houston, Kansas City Chiefs. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Houston’s third consecutive Pro Bowl in his four year career. Going into this weekend, Houston is leading the NFL in Quarterback Sacks and if he gets the Sack Title and a First Team All Pro Selection, Houston just got a lot closer and is a few great years away.
Clay Matthews, Green Bay Packers. 5th Pro Bowl Selection. From the great Matthews Family, Clay Matthews made his fifth Pro Bowl in six seasons, and if he just has average seasons for the next six years, he will be strongly considered.
Von Miller, Denver Broncos. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Miller’s third Pro Bowl in four seasons, and had he not been popped for PED use last year, he might have secured a 4th. This is a great start for the young Bronco.
Inside Linebackers:
Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Luke Kuechely is in his third season and in the only season where he was not named to the Pro Bowl, he was named by AP as the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Considering he has already been named by AP as their Defensive Player of the Year (last year), you could not ask for a much better start.
C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is Mosley’s first Pro Bowl, and in his rookie season. A “one for one” start is fantastic, but years away from even thinking about the Hall of Fame.
Lawrence Timmons, Pittsburgh Steelers. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. In his eight season in the NFL, Timmons is earning his first Pro Bowl nod. It is a nice accolade, but unlikely to be duplicated.
Bobby Wagner, Seattle Seahawks. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. In that stellar Seattle defense, Wagner will need a lot more Pro Bowls to earn attention, but this is a nice start.
Cornerbacks:
Vontae Davis, Indianapolis Colts. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This Davis’ first Pro Bowl in his six seasons and is coming off his best season. At only 26, there is still time for his to make a Hall of Fame impact, but he will need more campaigns like this one.
Brent Grimes, Miami Dolphins. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Grimes will go down as having a very good career, but three Pro Bowls in eight seasons likely won’t cut it.
Joe Haden, Cleveland Browns. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Haden has had a very good five year career and seems to get better every season. Should he continue that arc he would net a few more Pro Bowls and find himself in contention.
Chris Harris, Denver Broncos. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. Harris is having his best season and this is his first Pro Bowl in four years. Like others in this ratio, there is still some ground to cover, but lots of time to accomplish it.
Patrick Peterson, Arizona Cardinals. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Richard Sherman may get all the press in the NFC West, but Patrick Peterson has earned four Pro Bowls in four seasons, two of which were First Team All Pro; an accomplishment Sherman cannot match. This is a Hall of Fame pace, which the football pundits are aware of.
Darrelle Revis, New England Patriots. 6th Pro Bowl Selection. Possibly the biggest Pro Bowl selection in terms of Hall of Fame consideration, Revis’ 6th spot should be enough already, especially considering he had those three consecutive First Team All Pros earlier (2009-11) and the imaginary title of Cornerback champion at the time. If the Patriots with the Super Bowl, and he has a good game, he can’t be kept out.
Richard Sherman, Seattle Seahawks. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. As mentioned earlier, Sherman is the most recognized Cornerback in the NFL, but he needs to gain more trophies in the case, because he has done enough yet. Still, anyone with a Super Bowl Ring and a spot where at one time he was recognized as the best in his position means he doesn’t need as many Pro Bowls as others.
Aqib Talib, Denver Broncos. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Talib has emerged as one of the top Corners, and this second consecutive Pro Bowl cements that perception.
Free Safeties:
Tashaun Gipson, Cleveland Browns. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. Gipson is currently leading the NFL in Interception Return Yards and was a huge part of the Browns defensive renaissance. He may be one to watch in the future.
Glover Quin, Detroit Lions. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. In Quin’s seventh season, he is going into the final game of the year leading the league in Interceptions. There is significant work to do for Quin if he is looking for future Hall consideration.
Earl Thomas, Seattle Seahawks. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Already considered one of the top Free Safeties in the past couple of years, another Super Bowl by Seattle and he is on a Canton path that will be difficult to derail.
Eric Weddle, San Diego Chargers. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. His third in seven seasons, Weddle’s case is aided but there is still a lot of work left to do.
Strong Safeties:
Kam Chancellor, Seattle Seahawks. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Another potent member of Seattle’s defense, Chancellor’s third Pro Bowl in five years puts him on the radar.
T.J. Ward, Denver Broncos. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. Ward’s second consecutive Pro Bowl with two different teams is impressive, but Strong Safeties have a hard enough path to the Hall as is. He will have to be dominant in the next few years for a legit shot.
Punters:
Kevin Huber, Cincinnati Bengals. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. With all due respect to Huber, it took Ray Guy a long time to get inducted. One Pro Bowl in six years does not put him on the map.
Pat McAfee, Indianapolis Colts. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. The exact same scenario as above.
Place Kickers
Steven Gostkowski, New England Patriots. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Over nine years this is a good average, but Kickers have to be exceptional to really get noticed.
Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts. 3rd Pro Bowl Selection. Many have said that the Vinatieri is already there with his clutch performances in the past but the road for Place Kickers to Canton is a hard one. This Pro Bowl could be huge for him.
Special Teams:
Justin Bethel, Arizona Cardinals. 2nd Pro Bowl Selection. This is Bethel’s second Pro Bowl in three seasons, but Special Teams players have to do a lot more to get inducted. Ask Steve Tasker!
Matt Slater, New England Patriots. 4th Pro Bowl Selection. Four consecutive Pro Bowls are impressive, but in Special Teams, the Hall generally doesn’t care. He will need four more.
Return Specialists:
Devin Hester, Atlanta Falcons. 4th Pro Bowl Seelction. Devin Hester is considered one of the greatest Returners of all time, but he needs these type of accolades to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles. 1st Pro Bowl Selection. This is the first for Sproles, who has already had a spectacular career, but only one Special Teams Pro Bowl Selection is not what will get someone into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As mentioned earlier, Pro Bowl nominations (right or wrong) do sway the vote for the Hall of Fame. From our point of view the biggest ones that aid the race for a bust in Canton are Ben Roethlisberger’s third, A.J. Green’s fourth, Jason Peters’ seventh, Jahri Evans sixth, Nick Mangold’s sixth, Marshawn Lynch’s fifth, DeMarcus Ware’s eighth, Elvis Dumervil’s fourth, Darrelle Revis’ sixth and Adam Vinatieri’s third.
As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com will be paying attention to these accolades and how it impacts future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions.
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