Winfield makes probowl

[fishersofmen]

If there were ever a time for the NFL to re-evaluate its Pro Bowl procedures, I think we’ve hit it. Minnesota cornerback Antoine Winfield, who played in only 10 regular season games and is still playing in a limited capacity because of foot soreness, was added to the NFC roster Tuesday.

Don’t get me wrong. I think Winfield deserved this honor for several seasons before he finally broke through in 2008. When healthy, he’s one of the league’s best tacklers and is more than reliable in coverage.

But that’s just it. Winfield hasn’t been healthy for three months. He sprained his foot Oct. 18, missed six games and finished the year with one interception. He has spent the past two games as the Vikings’ nickel back because the foot has limited his speed in coverage.

Nevertheless, Winfield was a first alternate for the Pro Bowl and was presumably added to the roster because of an injury to Arizona cornerback Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie. Again, this isn't an attempt to mute Winfield's honor. There have been years when he's deserved to go to the Pro Bowl and been shut out, so I guess you could argue that what goes around, comes around.

But I think we can all agree on this: Any system that elevates a player who missed 40 percent of his team’s games -- no matter who he is -- is deeply, deeply flawed.

[ozzie]

how about the Basketball all-star game that has the potential of having Allen Iverson and Tracy Mcrady as starters and neither has played much at all this season!!! All-star games are for the fans and if the fans wanted to see Winfield in the game so be it......

[zepman]

Congratulations to Antoine...to bad he won't be able to play in it either...

[PierBridge]

Well deserved based on his play this season before the injury. I'm pretty happy with the Pro Bowl selections and the methods used.

[fishersofmen]

I agree. I'm glad he made it he deserves it. If not for this year all the years he didn't get in. (just an article I posted by the way.)

[ThunderLund78]

The game is such a joke. It might be an honor but it seems pointless to risk injury in such a meaningless game. And now the players for the Super Bowl teams don't even play because it's the week before the Superbowl. And if I was a Pro-Bowler on any of the teams that lose this weekend, the last thing I'd wan to do is play in some novelty game the next week on the same field that winners will play on for the big game.

I do think they need to have some sort of selection to honor the great players, but just give them a trophy or something, forget the game.