Tennessee Titans 2014 Pro Bowl: Alterraun Verner IN, Jurrell Casey OUT

Jurrell Casey Snubbed

Dec 1, 2013; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is sacked by Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey (99) at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indianapolis defeats Tennessee 22-14. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Casey didn’t make the Pro Bowl. Not only that but he’s not even the first alternate. Kind of crazy for a defensive tackle who excels in run defense and has 10.5 sacks. Guess that means that Casey is one of the NFL’s best kept secrets.

Let’s compare the interior defensive linemen who made it in ahead of him:

Gerald McCoy (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 48 tackles, 9 sacks
Haloti Ngata (Baltimore Ravens): 45 tackles, 1.5 sacks
Ndamukong Suh (Detroit Lions): 45 tackles, 5.5 sacks
Justin Smith (San Francisco 49ers): 49 tackles, 6.5 sacks
Dontari Poe (Kansas City Chiefs): 51 tackles, 4.5 sacks
Kyle Williams (Buffalo Bills): 65 tackles, 10.5 sacks

Now let’s check a couple snubs:

Jurrell Casey (Tennessee Titans): 54 tackles, 10.5 sacks.
Marcell Dareus (Buffalo Bills): 67 tackles, 7.5 sacks.

It’s worth mentioning that Bills defensive end Mario Williams also made the Pro Bowl. Williams had 34 tackles and 13 sacks. Along with Kiko Alonso, Williams and Dareus, that’s a loaded defensive front.

Back to Casey. A lack of name recognition and a team that doesn’t get much media attention has to play a huge part in him not getting the recognition that he deserves. Don’t forget that he’s posting these numbers without a top-tier outside pass-rush specialist who could take some double-teams away from him. Casey has done remarkable when one considers the lack of a dominant supporting cast around him.

What do our readers think? Was there anyone else who was snubbed? Did Kendall Wright deserve recognition despite only having two touchdown receptions? Give your take in the comments, Twitter or Facebook.

SOURCE:

Titans Online

NFL.com