< Back to Front Page Text size – +

Gostkowski & Welker lag in fan Pro Bowl voting

Email|Link|Comments (8) Posted by Mike Reiss, Globe Staff November 12, 2008 12:30 PM

Although they're having Pro Bowl-caliber seasons, New England's Wes Welker and Stephen Gostkowski are not currently in the top 5 of their respective positions in terms of fan voting.

The top five receivers, in order, are Brandon Marshall (Denver), Reggie Wayne (Indianapolis), Andre Johnson (Houston), Randy Moss (New England) and Hines Ward (Pittsburgh). Marshall leads with 193,537 votes.

The top five kickers, in order, are Rob Bironas (Tennessee), Adam Vinatieri (Indianapolis), Jeff Reed (Pittsburgh), Sebastian Janikowski (Oakland) and Matt Prater (Broncos). Bironas currently leads with 53,254 votes.

Fan voting, which takes place on NFL.com, is one-third of the process. Players and coaches also are one-third each, with their votes tallied in mid-December.

Looking at the top five at other positions, Matt Light is third among AFC tackles, Tedy Bruschi is fourth among AFC inside linebackers, and Larry Izzo is second among AFC special teams players.

So, in all, the Patriots currently have four players in the top five of fan voting at their respective positions -- Moss, Light, Bruschi and Izzo.

» Back to Front Page

8 comments so far...

How can Bruschi be ranked higher than Mayo at ILB?

Posted by TC November 12, 08 12:55 PM

Wes Welker deserves Pro Bowl honors more than any Patriot. He plays consistent and hard, with tangible game-changing results, every game, but doesn't offer the juicy sound bite, call out opposing players, or do the media circuit.

If it's just a popularity contest, the league should label it as such, but Welker should get in regardless.

Posted by Marima November 12, 08 01:14 PM

Mayo is playing better than Bruschi

Posted by gick November 12, 08 01:22 PM

IMO! It is just a popularity contest anyway. I would say none of the four Patriots in the top five deserves to be there. Only Johnson and Marshall belong in the top five WR, (Sorry, but Welker and Moss are not top fives this year). Prater is the only kicker that should be in that group of top five. But Gostkowski should also be there, I think he is second behind Prater until he can start make some 45 plus attempts.

Posted by ricomandog November 12, 08 01:41 PM

Its not even a popularity contest its a name recognition contest and frankly it doesnt matter.

Posted by Scott November 12, 08 01:50 PM

Is this the game that takes place after the season is over ?

Is this the game that does not allow the defence to blitz the QB ?

Is this the game that has players laying beside the pool siipping on exotic drinks ?

Oh yes, that game ....

Pats are not about Individual Stats ... The only stat that matters is WINS

Posted by Blair from Canada November 12, 08 02:55 PM

Gostkowski suffers because of lack of name recognition. (Vinatieri, for example, has no business making the pro bowl)

Welker not getting recognition absolutely is a travesty.

And, IMO, Mankins is playing at pro bowl level, too.

Posted by Mike Allen November 12, 08 05:58 PM

When I was a kid, the best thing about the pro bowl was it was the players and coaches picking the best --- and who better to know than the people who prepare against you. The fan voting is just blatant NFL pandering. Maybe if they replace Goodell with somebody who actually cares about the game instead of the league's image, they'll get rid of this stupid fan voting and go back to basics.

Posted by Curmudgeon November 12, 08 07:47 PM

DO NOT HIT THE SUBMIT BUTTON MORE THAN ONCE!

You must be logged in to submit a comment.

This blogger might want to review your comment before posting it.

Mike Reiss, Christopher L. Gasper and the rest of the Globe team provide regular updates –and a behind-the-scenes look– on the daily happenings of the Patriots.

see all globe blogs