Jamalisms Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Which Titans are picked for the Pro Bowl when an outsider makes selections based on film-study and merit? The answer might surprise you. The Pro Bowl still matters to players. They take pride in election and nab bonuses for having been selected. That doesn’t mean those players will actually play in the game and it doesn’t mean they’ll give much effort even if they suit up. In part due to the lack of effort and star power, the Pro Bowl is very much an afterthought among fans. Apart from bragging rights if a given team gets many players elected - or fan gripes if too few players were selected – there isn’t a high level of interest in the game. Interest has waned so much that the NFL was rumored to be considering cessation of the game entirely. Instead, they altered the nature of selection. While voting is still a popularity contest among fans instead of a reasoned, merit based selection process by knowledgeable people, the NFL has moved towards scrapping the AFC versus NFC element. This allows for voting based on the league as a whole and does improve the process. With that said, overall Pro Bowl voting results are still questionable because fans vote for popular players. But what if you could move past fans and popularity? Andy Benoit of mmqb.si.com has released his film-based Pro Bowl ballot. In it, he notes that stats don’t always tell the story and attests that his selections are made based players who consistently “pop” on film. Which Titans players made the Pro Bowl based on his more reasoned, analytical approach? Three players. The first two selections were expected. Defensive Tackle Jurrell Casey is noted as comparing favorably to Geno Atkins while cornerback Alterraun Verner was selected for his keen sense of angles and closing speed. Both players are regularly praised by fans and whatever interest has been paid to the Pro Bowl largely calls them out as meriting selection. Benoit’s third selection might surprise some people. The last Titans player he chose has been the target of some fan ire for not living up to his contract. He’s a player that has acknowledged faults but hasn’t yet seemed to quell disappointment talk with his play. This player was the biggest free agent acquisition of the offseason. He is left guard Andy Levitre, selected due to his at-times dominant pull-blocking that keys the Titans run game. This raises some questions. Have fans been too hard on Levitre? Has he been too hard on himself? Is Benoit simply wrong? Interesting questions all around. Follow Titans Report on Twitter: @TitansReport Follow Jamal on Twitter: @Jamalisms Click here to view the article Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oilertattoo Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Verner, Casey not sure if a case for Wright could be made considering his third down performance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WG53 Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Casey. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonboy Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Verner and Casey. End of story. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stan Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Chris johnson Denali 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
titanruss Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 I think this article was more about levitre… I think he may have been hard on himself early. It takes a while to gel with new players. If he has improved it has gone largely unnoticed by the fans because of the poor play of the team as a whole. Finally, I have a hard time believing Benoit watched all the games… so it's possible he just threw an extra name out that sounded legit.(though that would go against the whole premise of the article) Jamalisms 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiscotitansfan Posted December 11, 2013 Report Share Posted December 11, 2013 Verner and Casey. End of story. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamRamrod Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Levitre has played a lot better than people are giving him credit for but I don't think he belongs in the Pro Bowl just yet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OILERMAN Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 It's a joke and doesn't matter It wouldn't surprise me if none of them made it And there is no way in hell Levitre deserves it more than Roos WVTITAN 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVTITAN Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 If 30 players drop out because of "an injury" Levitre will get in the probowl. The whole damn thing is a joke anyway. HOTT, and Atticus 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WG53 Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 If 30 players drop out because of "an injury" Levitre will get in the probowl. The whole damn thing is a joke anyway. The VY method. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperFreak90 Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Verner and Casey definitely. Levitre and Roos maybe Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OzTitan Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 (edited) In what way has Levitre had a season worthy of post-season accolade? Edited December 12, 2013 by OzTitan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamalisms Posted December 12, 2013 Author Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 Good question. No idea, but that he is getting the praise here suggests that it should at least be reconsidered whether or not he has been as bad as is believed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeamRamrod Posted December 12, 2013 Report Share Posted December 12, 2013 People around here don't watch the oline very well. A guy has a bad play and "he's trash" or "a bust". Eighteen, and Soxcat 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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