Chiefs Pro Bowl Primer
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The NFL Pro Bowl rosters will be released later today. While there are no Kansas City Chiefs leading in the lame fan voting, KC has a couple of players that could be heading to Hawaii this year.
Let’s take a look at some Chiefs deserving of the honor.
1. Jamaal Charles
Charles should be a lock to make the team. JC is currently the third leading rusher in the NFL. He trails only Adrian Peterson (1,898) and Marshawn Lynch (1,490) with 1,456 yards. He is the leading rusher in the AFC. He is averaging a fantastic 5.4 yards per carry, which is remarkable considering he coming off ACL surgery.
Odds of making the team: Lock
2. Justin Houstin
After Charles, the water gets a little murkier. Still, Houston has had a heck of a season that at least warrants Pro Bowl consideration. Houston has 57 tackles and 10 sacks. His sack total is currently the seventh best in the AFC. He also has an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Houston’s performance against the New Orleans Saints helped secure one of KC’s two wins on the season.
Still, the Chiefs are so bad that Houston and his pass rushing partner, Tamba Hali, were likely robbed of a handful of sacks. Teams just didn’t have to drop back much against the Chiefs.
Odds of making it: Slim
3. Dustin Colquitt
Long the Chiefs’ best player, Colquitt has never been elected to the Pro Bowl. His problem tends to be that he doesn’t knock the crap out of every ball he kicks. Colquitt is more of an artist and is constantly trying to improve his team’s field position by dropping the ball inside the 20. Unfortunately, the votes tend to go to the punter with the highest average.
His 46.9 average is 14th in the NFL and 9th in the AFC. But Colquitt’s 42 punts inside the 20 is 12 better than any other punter in the AFC. It is second in the entire NFL, behind Arizona’s Dave Dave Zastudil (44). Only 25 of Colquitt’s 75 punts were returned.
Brandon Fields, from Miami, appears to be the guy that will get the nod thanks to his 50.3 average. While that is impressive, he only has 26 punts inside the 20.
Odds of making it: Slim
4. Derrick Johnson
Johnson has put together another Pro Bowl caliber season. His 119 tackles is good for 6th in the AFC among all defensive players. He also has two sacks and three forced fumbles. A lot of what Johnson does doesn’t show up on the stat sheet. According to Pro Football Focus, DJ is the third best graded ILB in the entire NFL, behind only Patrick Willis and Bobby Wagner, both of the NFC. He is credited with 68 stops, eight more than any other player at his position.
Odds of making it: Decent
5. Branden Albert
For a guy that the “experts” insist should be moved to guard every offseason, Branden Albert is a pretty damn good left tackle. In 13 games this season, according to Pro Football Focus, Albert is responsible for giving up only one sack. And that is with the dream team combo of Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn playing QB. His run blocking has been slightly below average this season but not so bad you need to worry about him. Still, tackle is a competitive field and it could be hard for Albert to break through.
Odds of making it: Slim
Pro Football Focus thinks the that Charles, DJ and Houston should all make the team. If I was a betting man, I’d say Charles and DJ will be the only two to make the team.
Check back later for the full roster!