The rosters for this year's Pro Bowl were just announced, but not the starters. Here are some highlights (maybe lowlights is a better word):
NFC: Five of the six tackles and guards are black, only Steve Hutchinson of Seattle making it. Olin Kreutz and Matt Birk are the two centers. Jason Witten made it as one of the two TEs. Culpepper, McNabb and Vick are the three QBs -- don't you love that one -- Vick makes the Pro Bowl.
On defense Patrick Kearney is one of the ends. Dan Morgan made it at inside linebacker and Keith Brooking at outside LB.
Those are the only whites on the NFC roster except of course for the punter and placekicker.
AFC: Manning, Brees and Brady are the three QBs. Guard Alan Faneca is the only white among the guards and tackles. Jeff Hartings made it as one of the two centers. On defense, free safety John Lynch is the only white player to be selected.
That's it for the entire AFC roster except for the punter, place kicker and special teamer (Larry Izzo, who could probably be an excellent linebacker but is one of many talented whites in the NFL who must spend his entire career solely as a "special teams demon").
The Pro Bowl teams are always considerably blacker than the average already considerably black NFL roster. The players are selected by players, fans and writers. My theory is that the black players vote almost exclusively for "brothers," with the fans and writers being almost as bad. For example, "Dr. Z" of Sports Illustrated's mid-season all-Pro team consisted of 22 black starters and zero whites.
NFC: Five of the six tackles and guards are black, only Steve Hutchinson of Seattle making it. Olin Kreutz and Matt Birk are the two centers. Jason Witten made it as one of the two TEs. Culpepper, McNabb and Vick are the three QBs -- don't you love that one -- Vick makes the Pro Bowl.
On defense Patrick Kearney is one of the ends. Dan Morgan made it at inside linebacker and Keith Brooking at outside LB.
Those are the only whites on the NFC roster except of course for the punter and placekicker.
AFC: Manning, Brees and Brady are the three QBs. Guard Alan Faneca is the only white among the guards and tackles. Jeff Hartings made it as one of the two centers. On defense, free safety John Lynch is the only white player to be selected.
That's it for the entire AFC roster except for the punter, place kicker and special teamer (Larry Izzo, who could probably be an excellent linebacker but is one of many talented whites in the NFL who must spend his entire career solely as a "special teams demon").
The Pro Bowl teams are always considerably blacker than the average already considerably black NFL roster. The players are selected by players, fans and writers. My theory is that the black players vote almost exclusively for "brothers," with the fans and writers being almost as bad. For example, "Dr. Z" of Sports Illustrated's mid-season all-Pro team consisted of 22 black starters and zero whites.