BOWL OF CONFUSION

Players are pretty clueless when it comes to Pro Bowl voting.

Getty Images

A coveted cornerback, somehow, Ken Lucas has never made a Pro Bowl.

Believe it or not, there's only about a month left to cast your vote in the next election.

This particular element of the democratic process has been in effect since 1995, and should you fail to exercise your duty, you dare to mock democracy itself. I'm talking about the Pro Bowl, of course. Fan voting ends on December 9th, and the top vote getters will be revealed this coming Tuesday. Total fan votes have gone from 10 million in 2001 to 83 million last year. In fact, the National Football League has the unique distinction of being the only sports league where the all star game roster is shaped by the unlikely triumvirate of player, coach and fan.

Not that any of them have a great chance of getting it right.

And not every player is enamored with the Pro Bowl nor its selection process, either. For the past seven years Panthers cornerback Ken Lucas has played the position at a high level without ever having made the trip to Hawaii. But Lucas seems, quite frankly, not all that interested in leaving the contiguous 48. After the Panthers' victory over the Cardinals last Sunday, Lucas dressed in front of his locker.

"Is this your best year?" I asked.

"No, 2005 was," replied Lucas. "But when the team is playing well, then more people notice how you're playing."

Despite an '05 season in which Lucas had six interceptions, or perhaps because of it, he is still annoyed with last year's vote, which sent 13 Dallas Cowboys to Honolulu. Thirteen!

"Come on man," says Lucas. "When you have that many people in the Pro Bowl, you're supposed to win the Super Bowl. The Pro Bowl is a joke. I don't pay attention to it anymore."

I'll admit that I used to pay closer attention to it than I do now. After all, I did participate in the last players and coaches-only vote back in 1994. It was my finest hour in the process. Back then, I was a youth I voted like a youth, meaning I wasn't up to speed on all the issues. But when I became a man, I was fortified by wisdom. Let me show you.

The problem is, defensive backs rarely interact with offensive linemen, much as the defensive line rarely interacts with receivers. Basically, not enough of the electorate really has any idea who is worthy of post-season honors.

Here's how it worked back then: defensive players voted for offensive players and offensive players choose the defense. The problem is, defensive backs rarely interact with offensive linemen, much as the defensive line rarely interacts with receivers. Basically, not enough of the electorate really has any idea who is worthy of post-season honors. So when the ballot is placed before you and you want to vote for the best offensive line candidate, you really don't have much to go on. So I, like most defensive backs asked the defensive line which guards, centers, and tackles gave them the most trouble. The defensive line makes similar inquiries about receivers. Without being completely informed everyone gains some insight to the most deserving candidates.

But as you get older, overall vision and grasp of the issues lead one to make more informed decisions, especially on those matters that directly impact your life. Former Redskins linebacker Ken Harvey was especially adept at blitzing off the edge. In fact he had 14 sacks in '94.

When a blitz was called I would love to be lined up on Harvey's side because more often than not, his very presence would goad the quarterback into making a less than perfect throw. This of course gave me a greater opportunity to make a play on the ball. So on those rare occasions when Harvey didn't duly influence the quarterback, I took notice of the offensive tackles who impeded his rush. And come voting time, I would have an informed opinion of the offensive line. Then I cast my vote. It really was empowering.

But sometimes a deserving candidate can't get the requisite number of votes. Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield is another guy who has played some exceptional ball for the past ten years. He's never been to Hawaii. But Winfield is a little more pragmatic than Lucas, attributing his absence in the big game to a surplus of equally qualified candidates.

"When I was in Buffalo, I was going against guys like Ty Law and Champ Bailey," says Winfield. "Now, in Minnesota, I'm going against some good guys here too." He's right. The NFC boasts a solid array of corners like Green Bay's Al Harris, the Cowboys' Terrence Newman, and before he left the conference, former Atlanta Falcon De Angelo Hall. (The recent misadventures of Hall inspire a broader discussion.

Getty Images

Hall's stay in Oakland was brief.

I'm not so sure a garden variety popularity contest is the best way to go in any election. While I'm sure your favorite player appreciates the high regard you hold him in, you should bear in mind that he makes enough loot to send himself to Hawaii. So if you really want to apply your civics skills in the most productive manner, I suggest you carefully examine the scheme in which your favorite player operates. Should you do this, you might actually be more prudent than some NFL personnel folks who are paid to monitor such things. Want an example?

This past winter, the Oakland Raiders signed Hall with every intention of fortifying their defense. It was a 7-year $70 million deal. On Wednesday, the Raiders cut the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback in part because of his enormous salary. But truth be told, Hall was still adapting to the Raiders' defense which is heavy in man-to-man coverage. In Atlanta the Falcons played a lot of cover two. A lot of teams do. A cover two-heavy system offers any intrepid corner the opportunity to disguise his intentions before the play. He can press the receiver at the line of scrimmage, as if he's going to play bump and run, but on the snap of the ball, he can bolt to the flat and jump in front of an out-route. Or he can line up 10 yards deep, and when the ball is snapped he can sprint forward in time to steal a quick slant or even a deep comeback. Such freedom lends itself to creativity, which leads to picks, like the six Hall had in 2006.

While in Atlanta, Hall also had the luxury of playing behind relentless pass rushers like John Abraham and Patrick Kerney. In Oakland, Hall didn't have that level of heat in front of him. But the Raiders play man-to-man on defense for the same reason they throw the deep ball on offense. It's not that they have the personnel to actually do either one of those things, it's just, well…what Al Davis wants to do. Nonetheless, I believe the uber athletic Hall was on his way to becoming an every down man-to-man corner and someone worthy of legitimate Pro Bowl consideration.

That's my opinion. But it's your vote.

Print Article . Email Article. Subscribe to The Magazine