There will be snubs. There always are.
When the 2024 Pro Bowl teams are announced Thursday, there will be at least a few deserving players that don’t make it. Happens every year.
If you’ve already made a few Pro Bowls, it’s easier to go back, even if you don’t quite deserve it. You just get the reputation. If you’ve been on national TV a lot of were a high draft pick you’ll get extra consideration. Or just if you’ve been playing a long time and have a lot of friends around the league.
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It’s not a perfect system.
There’ve been plenty of prominent Eagles snubs over the years, and we put together a list of 10 of the biggest ones. We’ll know Thursday morning whether we’ll need to add anybody to this list.
WR Ben Hawkins, 1967: All Hawkins did in his first full season as a starter was catch 59 passes for 1,265 yards and 10 touchdowns in a 14-game season. He was second to Hall of Famer Don Maynard in receiving yards, and averaged 21.4 yards per catch, 4th-highest in the league. He also averaged 25 yards on kickoff returns. To this day, he’s one of only two players in NFL history to catch 50 passes, average 21 yards per catch and score 10 touchdowns and not make a Pro Bowl.
LB Bill Bergey, 1975: He made the Pro Bowl the year before 1975 and he made the Pro Bowl the three years after 1975, but for some reason during that five-year span the voters did not send Bergey to the Pro Bowl in 1975. He made 1st-team all-pro after recording three interceptions, leading the NFL with six fumble recoveries.
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RB Wilbert Montgomery, 1981: Huge year for Wilbert in 1981, with 1,402 rushing yards and a 4.9 average, 49 catches for 521 more yards and 10 touchdowns. He was 3rd in the league with 1,923 scrimmage yards but lost out to Billy Sims and George Rogers, who both had fewer yards. Montgomery remains one of only three NFC running backs ever with 1,400 rushing yards, at least a 4.9 average, 10 TDs and 500 receiving yards not to make the Pro Bowl.
DE Greg Brown, 1984: Since sacks became an official stat in 1982, some 79 players have had 16 sacks in a season and 72 of them made the Pro Bowl. One of the seven who missed out is Greg Brown, who had 16 sacks in 1984 but was snubbed in favor of Leroy Selmon, who had eight sacks - half as many as Brown - and Bruce Clark, who had 10 ½. Brown was second to Richard Dent in sacks among NFC pass rushers but still didn’t make the cut.
S Andre Waters, 1986: All the late Andre Waters did in 1986 was pick off six passes, recover two fumbles and record two sacks, but the Pro Bowl nod never came. Waters to this day is one of only three safeties in history to record six interceptions, two sacks and two fumble recoveries and not make the Pro Bowl. The others are Michael Downs of the Cowboys in 1984 and Mark Robinson of the Bucs in 1989.
DE Clyde Simmons, 1989: Clyde was such a beast and he never got credit for it because he happened to play on the same defensive line as Reggie White for seven years and Jerome Brown for five years. But in 1989 he had 15 ½ sacks, a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown, three forced fumbles and 135 tackles, most of any NFL defensive end. Yet his first Pro Bowl eluded him for two more years.
DT Andy Harmon, 1993, 1995: Take your pick which season was the bigger snub. In 1993, Harmon had 11 ½ sacks, 2nd-most among all interior linemen behind Hall of Famer John Randle, who had 12 ½. Of course Harmon was also an elite run defender. But he lost out not only to Randle but Cortez Kennedy (6 ½ sacks) and Russell Maryland (2 ½ sacks). Two years later, Harmon had 11 sacks, 3rd-most of all interior linemen but was snubbed in favor of Randle (10 ½ sacks), Kennedy (6 ½) again) and Dana Stubblefield (4 ½).
RB Brian Westbrook, 2006: Westbrook rushed for 1,207 yards with a 5.0 average and caught 77 passes for 699 more yards with 11 total touchdowns for 1,916 scrimmage yards. The only backs in NFL history with 1,200 rushing yards, a 5.0 average and 75 or more catches who didn’t make the Pro Bowl are Westbrook in 2006 and LaDainian Tomlinson in 2003.
WR Jeremy Maclin, 2014: Maclin’s numbers suffered a bit when Mark Sanchez replaced Nick Foles, but Maclin still had a career year with 85 catches, 1,318 yards, 10 touchdowns and a 15.5 average. Among those who made the Pro Bowl instead of Maclin was Calvin Johnson, who had 15 fewer catches, 250 fewer yards and two fewer touchdowns. One of only three WRs ever with 1,300 yards, 10 TDs and 15 yards per catch not to make the Pro Bowl (along with Bill Gorman in 1960, Derrick Alexander in 2000 and, ironically, Calvin Johnson in 2008).
C Jason Kelce, 2017, 2018: This is one of the crazier ones. Kelce was a 1st-team all-pro in 2017 and again in 2018 but didn’t make the Pro Bowl team either year. As a 6th-round draft pick, Kelce just didn’t have the reputation around the league yet. Those were the last two years of his career that he didn’t make the Pro Bowl, but the all-pro voters knew he was already the best center in football. Kelce is one of only nine players in NFL history to have two seasons where he was named 1st-team all-pro but didn’t make the Pro Bowl.
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