Five members of the 11-4 Seahawks — RB Marshawn Lynch, LB Bobby Wagner, CB Richard Sherman and safeties Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas — were named Tuesday to 2015 Pro Bowl teams. Notably snubbed was quarterback Russell Wilson, an All-Star in each of his first two seasons in the league.
Six quarterbacks rated Pro Bowl invitations, including four from the AFC — Tom Brady of New England, Peyton Manning of Denver, Andrew Luck of Indianapolis and Ben Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh — and two from the NFC, Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay and Tony Romo of Dallas.
The Pro Bowl is Jan. 25 at University of Phoenix Stadium, site of Super Bowl XLVIX one week later. The captains of the Pro Bowl squads, who drafted their players, are Hall of Fame receivers Michael Irvin and Cris Carter.
Lynch locked up his fifth Pro Bowl berth with 1,246 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns and 34 catches for 331 yards and four TDs. Lynch is first in non-kicker scoring with 96 points. Sunday at Arizona, Lynch scored twice, including on a 79-yard run, as the Seahawks moved into first place in the NFC West with a 35-6 win over the Cardinals.
Wagner, a second-round pick in 2012 who missed five games due to injury, is a Pro Bowler for the first time. He ranks second on the Seahawks with 94 tackles (62 solo) and also has two sacks. His return to the lineup coincided with Seattle’s recent resurgence — eight wins in the past nine games, including five in a row.
Sherman (four interceptions, 68 passes defensed) is a Pro Bowler for the second time, Chancellor (69 tackles, 54 solo) for a third and Thomas (83 tackles, 52 solo) for a fourth in five seasons after he was the 14th overall selection in the 2010 draft. Seattle’s secondary sends three players to the Pro Bowl for the third time in the past four seasons.
The Seahawks had six Pro Bowl players in each of the past two years. Wilson and C Max Unger, out of the lineup much of the season with injuries, are the only players who failed to repeat from last year when the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII.
Wilson steered the Seahawks to the No. 1 seed in the NFC so far, throwing for 3,236 yards and 20 touchdowns (95.7 rating) and rushing for 842 yards and six scores. This year he became the first to throw for 300+ yards and run for 100+ in the same game (at St. Louis).
Wilson wasn’t the only Seahawks snub. Linebacker K.J. Wright leads the NFL’s top-ranked defense with 100 tackles (70 solo) and DE Michael Bennett tops the club with seven sacks and 18 quarterback hits.
“Sometimes you feel like your teammates are getting punished for being on a good team,” Sherman said Tuesday. “Your linebackers are getting punished for not having a D-line that allows them to make 130, 140 tackles. Your D-line is being punished because everybody is not going to get 10 sacks, or one guy is not going to get 14, 15 sacks – that’s difficult to get on a team like this.
“I think Mike Bennett should be in the Pro Bowl. I think K.J. Wright should be in the Pro Bowl. Obviously, there’s Russell (Wilson), but unfortunately . . . ”
Wilson is one of five Seattle Pro Bowl alternates, along with Bennett, kicker Steven Hauschka, LT Russell Okung and Unger. Any of the five could be added to the Pro Bowl squad if a selected member cannot participate.
10 Comments
Here is to ZERO Seahawks playing in the Pro Bowl this year. Who wants to play for that Stiff Cris Carter anyway?You know the guy that had to google Doug Baldwins Seahawk ring cuz he doesnt have one of his own? I dont like Cowboys either ~former or otherwise ~but Go Micheal Irvin. Beat Carter.
There should have been 8 Hawks named to that Roster and Coach Carroll should be coach of the year. Such is life. Go Hawks!
I had the great pleasure of watching Russell Wilson and the Seahawks defeat Tony Roma and the Dallas Cowboys 27-7 in the 2012 Season Opener.
It was clear the Seahawks were functioning as a well oiled machine with a precision instrument running the show. The Seahawks proceeded, in business like fashion, to dismantle Dallas. I remembered thinking, “What is it going to be like when they give Russel Wilson his lead?. 12 weeks later came the first of 3 forty plus point games in a row. No one has matched his performances or numbers since. Wilson led the Seahawks to victory in the first game of the playoffs, brought them back into the lead in the divisional championships with :30 to play. The Falcons completed to long passes to setup up the winning field goal, giving them the victory, 30 to 28. Wilson’s response? “Don’t worry..we’ll be back next year”
Wilson has beaten Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. He has not faced the other 3.
Will the oddsmakers bet against Wilson again this year when the superbowl is up for grabs?
Russell Wilson is the Tesla Model S of the football world..quiet, smooth, fast, nimble, efficient, maintenance free. The best ever tested. Everyone knows it..Some just don’t want to admit it. Go Russell, Go Seahawks.
He has beaten Luck, Brees and Rodgers, lost this year to Romo.
We lost to Luck last year in Indy~that was an “I cant believe it game” since we had the lead for over 3 qtrs….your statement~must have been the year before then that we knocked off the Colts???
No we didnt play the Colts in 2012~perhaps in preseason?This is only the end of Russell’s 3rd year… not finding a Reg season win over the Colts in research Dapper one. the Wilson/Luck debates annoys me so I’d hoped to uncover evidence of this being true.
He is one/one vs the Romo led Cowboys a loss this year… a win in 2012~ both played at the Clink.
I’m almost too superstitious to let my fantasy machine have free rein, but what the hell. So the Hawks appear in the SB vs. either Manning or Brady. The Hawks win and Russell throws for 350 yards, including three TDs. He scores two TDs on the ground. K.J. has two sacks and leads the team with 12 tackles, 4 for loss. With performances like that I wonder what the pundits would say about who was chosen for the Pro Bowl. Whether this wild fantasy comes true, who knows?
If the Hawks do actually go to the SB, it’s hard to imagine that any of them would be keen to play in the Pro Bowl one week earlier. Why risk injury?
No SB players play in the Pro Bowl. Not allowed.
I think its been that way since the dawn of the Dinosaurs…well the 60s anyway since that 1st SB was played in 1967…I think this is the 3rd time that the Pro Bowl is being played in the same city/same year(as host SB City is) in the SB era…Russ can attend as a fan since …you know ….we all know he will be playing in the big one.Go Hawks!
Pretty tough to crack the list of 6 QB’s. So many have been great for so long. Luck is the one the may be vulnerable next year and if we actually have an O line, RW will make it. No way will Brady, Manning or Romo play, so Russ will be there.
I’d love to see Wilson get an invite but I think being an alternate is fair. The Pro Bowl is about individual accomplishments and the Seahawks culture is about team play. A bit surprised at Luck going. I’d say Brees and Ryan are more deserving. Hopefully none of the Seahawks will be playing in it at all.
The irony of it all is while 5 QB’s were selected without Wilson, a live program on ESPN named Wilson as the best in today’s football.Talk about subjectivity.