Titan-less Pro Bowl
No Titans will be going to the Pro Bowl this year. As much as it is disappointing, it really isn’t surprising. The Titans have been completely inconsistent in every phase of the game this year and that’s just not how players make it to the Pro Bowl. Jason McCourty has really blossomed this year but his production seemed to have dropped off after suffering a concussion in the Titans vs. Bills game. Had he continued playing as he did at the beginning of the season he would have been a shoe in, but his maturity at the corner position will do. He’s not the only Titan who fell just short.
Marc Mariani had another great year of returning kicks but has been overshadowed by all the explosive kick returns around the league by the likes of Devin Hester and Patrick Peterson.
Rob Bironas had his own voting campaign with a bunch of famous country singers telling voters to go vote him to the Pro Bowl, be he also fell short even though he has had season deserving of the award.
Cortland Finnegan has had his best season in recent memory but it doesn’t really show in his stats. Without the big shiny INT or FF numbers jumping off the page, it’s hard for a cornerback to get recognition for his play and that’s what has happened to Finny this year.
Colin McCarthy has been astounding at his position and it looks like the Titans have found a long-term leader for this defense. Had McCarthy been starting since the beginning of the season and played at the same level he has been playing at, there is no way he wouldn’t of made the Pro Bowl.
Jurrell Casey has had a great rookie campaign, recording 46 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack. He’s been the big run stopper that he was drafted to be. Unfortunately his stats also lack in the shiny areas and his play has been inconsistent at times.
Karl Klug was a complete steal. This 5th round draft pick has picked up 7 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in a situational role for the Titans. Unfortunately because of his size he has only been in the game in a situational role, which limits the amount of plays he can make. It’s not a bad thing, as it keeps him fresh and healthy, it just makes it that much harder to make the Pro Bowl.
Jared Cook may finally be emerging as the offensive playmaker everyone expected. Last week he set a new franchise record for the TE position, catching eight balls for 169 yards and 1 touchdown. Unfortunately his heroics came to late in the season to effect his Pro Bowl voting. This was also a year where players such as Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham have been unstoppable forces at the TE position.
None of the Titans will be making an appearance at the Pro Bowl this year, but there is still a lot to be excited for. From what we’ve seen from the players above and even others I didn’t mention, I’d be amazed if this team didn’t make a strong playoff push next year and send at least one of these guys, if not more, to the Pro Bowl.
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