New England Patriots’ Jamie Collins, Devin McCourty Snubbed In Pro Bowl Voting
By Connor Fulton
@ConnorFultonRS
Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports
The 2015 Pro Bowlers have been announced. As usual, the voting system proved to be inept as a slew of unworthy players were selected, while more deserving guys were left on the fringe. The New England Patriots’ defense saw Darrelle Revis go to the Pro Bowl, but his teammates Jamie Collins and Devin McCourty were snubbed.
Let’s start with Collins. The sophomore pro has burst onto the NFL scene as one of the most promising young defenders in the league. Collins leads the team in tackles (111), tackles for losses (seven), fumbles forced (three) and is tied for the team lead with two interceptions. In addition, he has posted three sacks and blocked a field goal in Week 15 that powered the Patriots to a victory over the Miami Dolphins.
Collins’ impact has been felt beyond the stat sheet, however. When Dont’a Hightower was sidelined in Week 14 against the San Diego Chargers, Collins assumed quarterbacking duties for the defense, taking Hightower’s role as signal caller. The result: Collins and the rest of the Pats’ defense surrendered only one touchdown (the other was a fumble return by the Chargers) and pitched a shutout in the second half.
Collins should have been chosen over Clay Matthews, who squeaked onto the roster because of name recognition to fans. Matthews may be a very good player, but his 2014 season starks in comparison to Collins’.
Meanwhile, McCourty has been a major reason why the Patriots’ secondary turned a new leaf in 2014. The coverage blanket McCourty provides in the back end allows cornerbacks Revis and Brandon Browner to be more aggressive in their one-on-one matchups.
McCourty is more than just a rangy free safety, however — he makes plays. His diving interception against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2 was one of the best picks of the year, and his theft of an Andrew Luck pass sparked the Patriots to a Week 11 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.
Tashaun Gipson earned a Pro Bowl nod, but he only played 11 games due to injury. McCourty would have been the better choice here simply because he has been playing at an All-Pro level for four more games than Gipson.
Connor Fulton is a Patriots and NFL writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ConnorFultonRS, or find him on Google.
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