Redskins in the Pro Bowl

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Now that pro bowl voting is open, it seems like a good time to look at the guys who deserve a trip to Honolulu. Maybe you're the type that votes a team full of Redskins every year. Hey, more power to you. But if you want to know who deserves it the most, heres a short list of guys who absolutely should be playing after the Super Bowl this year.

Carlos Rogers

No Redskin on the defense has been tested more than Rogers has this season (33 times), and no Redskin has been better than Rogers. It's hard to say where the Redskins would be without Rogers, and I'm thinking it would be somewhere around 1-4 with one of the worst passing defenses in the NFL. Shawn Springs still plays like a top corner when he's healthy, but back in April, we thought that Rogers would be coming off PUP about now. What he accomplished in this offseason defied all reasonable expectations, and it's time to reward him.

Andre Carter

Carter is probably going to get passed over for the probowl because he only has one sack on the year, but he's the best pass rushing lineman AND the best run stopping lineman on a top ten defense. Carter is as indispensable as any player on the team right now and his team leading 12 pressures are double as many as any other player on the team (6 -- Evans/Griffin).

London Fletcher

Okay, I'm back on the Fletcher bandwagon. Previously, I was in support of Rocky to the pro bowl, but after watching Fletch the last two weeks, I still believe the old man has the best coverage skills of any LB of our team (except Blades, perhaps). He's not as valuable against the run as people think, but his sideline to sideline range and toughness should be legendary. It's terrible that Fletch lost the first 9 years of his career to the media-challenged cities of Buffalo and St. Louis, because he has been a top five LB in the NFL for a long time, and has never been to a pro bowl. Well, I officially believe you have to send him this year.

LaRon Landry

The Redskins have given up two pass plays in excess of 40 yards this year (well, three if you count the one where Reggie Brown wasn't touched, but humor me). On both plays it was a Landry mistake that ALLOWED the offense to do what is taken for granted against other NFL teams once or twice a game. Landry is so versatile, but when you have a player that can go sideline to sideline in deep pass defense, you really have a secret weapon. That type of player comes along maybe 2-3 times a decade, and the Redskins drafted two of those guys in the last 5 years.

Chris Cooley

Those who haven't been hiding under a rock know that Cooley is one of the two best receiving TEs in the NFC, but this year especially, Cooley has become one of the best blocking TEs in the entire NFL. He, believe it or not, is the best blocking TE on the roster. Now the complete player in his 5th season, he should be in the next 6 pro bowls if he can remain healthy.

Chris Samuels

Samuels goes to the pro bowl every year. He just happens to be having a career year.

Pete Kendall

Pete Kendall, please get in line behind Shawn Springs and Andre Carter in the career reclamation project showcase.

Clinton Portis

Clinton Portis, through 6 weeks, is the best RB in the NFL by every conventional and sabermetric measure. In fact, it's not even remotely close. My argument against Portis was that he never breaks the long run. Well, in the last three games, Portis has SIX 20+ yard runs. So much for that.

I am taking credit for predicting this career year, which I did this offseason.

Jason Campbell

Yeah, he's looked more shaky in some games than others, but out of the NFC, you send Drew Brees to the pro bowl, you send Kurt Warner, and then in my opinion, Jason Campbell has outplayed every QB in the NFC B-East this year, and deserves the final roster spot at QB based on his first 6 weeks.

Chris Horton, Shawn Springs, Rocky McIntosh, Santana Moss and Corneilius Griffin should all receive consideration but ultimately I believe there are better options at those positions.