Green Bay Packers: Only two selected to AP all-pro teams
After only three Green Bay Packers were selected to this year’s Pro Bowl, it comes as no surprise that none cracked the Associated Press first team all-pro roster.
Left tackle David Bakhtiari and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix were the Packers selected to the second team. A few others received votes, but that’s all for the green and yellow.
Matt Ryan’s first team nod, along with runner-up Tom Brady on the second team all but eliminate the possibility of Aaron Rodgers winning the 2016 NFL MVP award, much to the chagrin of Packers faithful.
Bakhtiari was superb this season, starting all 16 games and anchoring one of the top pass-blocking offensive lines in the NFL. On top of that, this was only his fourth season. His best years are still ahead of him.
Clinton-Dix, alongside Morgan Burnett at safety, were really the only bright spots of a secondary decimated by injuries.
His presence in coverage was felt all season. With five interceptions, he finished tied for second among all safeties in that category. The Packers secondary would have fallen apart without the third year’s efforts.
Overall, I agree with the members of the AP and their selections. Everyone on the list has played great, and though a number of Packers have had solid seasons, it is a tough list to crack. It’s an even tougher challenge to make the case that any Packer deserves to take the place of any of the selections.
However, there is one that stands out. Ninety-seven receptions, 1,257 yards, and a league-leading 14 receiving touchdowns, after a full year off due to an ACL injury, Jordy Nelson should be on the list.
At the very least, he should have made the second team over Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans.
Evans did have a standout year as well, hauling in 96 passes for 1,321 yards and 12 touchdowns. He had similar numbers to Nelson. Maybe those figures are more impressive because of the difference in pedigree between the men from which they catch passes.
On the other hand, the impact of Jordy Nelson on an offense is arguably second to no non-QB in football. In the absence of his go-to guy, Rodgers put up career low figures in yards per game and passer rating. The passing game was as bad as it has ever been in Green Bay.
Since his return this season, Nelson brought his QB back close to career highs in yards and touchdowns, and was on the other end of over one-third of Rodgers’ league best 40 touchdown passes this season.
From accounting for nearly half of Rodgers’ passing yards against the Vikings in week 16, to saving the Packers from disaster in Chicago with a 60-yard reception a week earlier, Nelson has put this team on his back when they needed him.
In summary, Nelson’s team doesn’t make the playoffs without him this year. Evans’ team simply didn’t make the playoffs at all. Perhaps this sort of impact is not part of the criteria of the voting process. Maybe those 66 yards are the difference voters were looking for. If that’s the case, fine, keep number 87 off the list.
Next: How the Packers can beat the Giants
If being the integral piece of a playoff team’s offense means anything, choosing Mike Evans over Jordy Nelson was the one mistake on the list.