Surprise, no Rams to the Pro Bowl

Never have, never will. But, at least there’s even more of a reason not to watch this year.

how could O.J. Atogwe not be seen as one of the best free safeties in the NFC?

Can’t believe it was Jeff Feagles. What an incredibly bullshit gatekeeper pick. Consider these:

Punting avg.: Jones, 49.8 yds (1st); Feagles, 44.0 yds (19th)
Longest punt: Jones, 68 yds (10th); Feagles, 61 yds (t-25th)
% of punts inside the 20: Jones, 26.8% (23rd); Feagles, 38.2% (9th)
Net punting avg.: Jones, 42.0 yds (3rd), Feagles, 41.9 yds (4th)

Let’s think about this. How does a punter who averages punts of 44 yds finish with a net average of just shy of 42? Field position. You punt from the 50, it’s either going to be a touchback or you’re going to down it somewhere inside the 20. If, however, you’re Donnie Jones, and your offense is constantly forcing you to punt from your own 20, you’re not going to be able to punt it inside the 20 and the other team is going to get a solid return. Despite this HUGE handicap, Jones still has a better net punting average. The proof is in the return numbers.
Feagles has punted 55 times, but only faced 21 returns, a return % of 38.2%. So 3 out of his 5 kicks were either touchbacks, fair catches, went out of bounds, or were downed by his own team. 3 out of 5.
Jones, on the other hand, punted 71 times and faced 51 returns for a 71.8 %. Jones only enjoyed the reality that 3 out of 10 of his punts went un-returned.
I don’t often give a damn about punting except to say after each of the last 5 or so games that Jones deserved to be in the Pro Bowl. Bullshit.
And in case you’re wondering what I mean by the term ‘gatekeeper’, consider that how much attention they get in the national media and how the league has to respond to that attention. Here’s a hint: their kicker and punter both made the Pro Bowl. That’s right. Not only did Feagles make it, but John Carney, who hasn’t even attempted a single kick from 50+ all season and only kicked 5 from 40+, was named to the Pro Bowl. And in case you’re asking who I would have sent along with Jones as the P, it would’ve been relatively easy for me: Rob Bironas, the Titans’ kicker.
He’s the 4th highest-scoring kicker, he of course hasn’t missed an XP, he’s kicking outdoors, has gone 14/17 from 40+ and made his only 50+ FG, a 51-yarder. What’s more, no kicker has had more of an impact than Bironas. For a team that has had an incredible season, Bironas has played a huge part in it. Much, much, MUCH bigger than what Carney has contributed to the Giants.
Ugh.