In honor of the 2016 Pro Bowl, we play ‘Who’d you rather’ with the biggest positions on the field. Gurley or Peterson? Quarterback, running back, corner back and more are up for debate. Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
This is it, the biggest football day of the year! That’s right, it’s the NFL Pro Bowl draft tonight! TEAM RICE! TEAM IRVIN! Nothing is on the line!
Okay, I can’t be bothered to keep up this charade. I will not watch a moment of the Pro Bowl draft or of the actual Pro Bowl game this weekend. Not one moment. However, there is an interesting experiment lurking here with regards to the rosters.
Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin are going to select their rosters for the game out of all the players available for the Pro Bowl. Some, like Cam Newton, will not be available. It’s not worth bothering with making whole rosters, but I would find it interesting to play a Who Ya Got? with a couple of the major positions.
In this instance, we will play with the same batch of available players that Rice and Irvin will. Let’s start with the quarterback position.
Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger have already removed themselves from this game. Cam Newton is obviously gone and Tom Brady is out now as well. Of the remaining players, I think the option comes down to Jameis Winston, Eli Manning, or Russell Wilson. With so many dropouts, it’s a pretty easy decision. I want Wilson.
At running back, my interest is in terms of this specific game and moving forward. If you could grab one of the RBs to set on your roster for next season, would you rather have Adrian Peterson, Devonta Freeman or Todd Gurley? I believe those are the clear top three available.
Gurley has the highest upside because of his age and talent, but he gives me pause for some reason. I think I would still take Peterson, even with his fumbling issues.
What about cornerback? Which guy would you rely on to lock down half the field on defense? The answer is no longer Darrelle Revis even though he made the Pro Bowl. The young batch of Josh Norman (unavailable) and Marcus Peters are intriguing. The old guard of Richard Sherman and the Broncos guys (also unavailable for this game) are also superb.
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I know he made a couple of mistakes in the NFC Championship, but I think I would go with Patrick Peterson. He offers the best meld of youth, athleticism and skill while also being an asset on special teams.
Finishing this off, because it seems wrong to dwell on the Pro Bowl rosters even this long, is return specialist. Do you like Darren Sproles or Tyler Lockett as your return man? I know Lockett is getting all the buzz because he’s a rookie making so many big plays, but I still want Sporles as my return man. I feel like he won more Eagles games these past two seasons than any of the quarterbacks they have had.
DAN:
My favorite part of the Pro Bowl is reading the rosters. My second favorite part is the fact that Michael Irvin and Jerry Rice, arguably one of the best rivalries the sport has ever had, face off as team captains. Yet with all the roster substitutions, there is little debate remaining about who’s in and who’s out. You posed the one question worth asking!
I’ll start where you left off, with the return specialists, since you took the words out of my mouth. Darren Sproles turned a bad Eagles team into contenders last season, at least in the NFC East. Considering his experience and versatility, he’s my pick in the return game.
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It pains me to say this, but Darrelle Revis is no longer the best in the game. He’s simply great. Getting older has become a reality for Revis, making Richard Sherman the pick now at cornerback. While I love what Peterson has done with Arizona, I don’t think Seattle makes a playoff run without Sherman. He’s the force of the Seahawks secondary and my current pick at cornerback.
At running back I’m going with Todd Gurley. Peterson and Freeman are excellent, but age and unpredictability put them at second and third in my book. Gurley proved he’s a star in this league, and with youth on his side, he’s far and away the better pick out of the backfield.
As for quarterback, its pretty much a two-man race. I don’t trust Eli Manning, so he’s out. That leaves the potential that is Jameis Winston, or the known success of Russell Wilson. While I love what I saw from Winston in his rookie year, there’s no way I’m passing on Wilson. He’s a dynamic talent and whomever picks first in the Pro Bowl draft better snatch him up.
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You missed one other position of note, the place kickers. This was a total debate until Gostkowski bowed out. Do you want Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots or Dan Bailey of the Cowboys? Does the fact that many blame Gostkowski for his team’s AFC title game loss factor into the decision? Do you really want a kicker from either the Patriots or Cowboys, no matter how good they are? Tough decision! Good thing we’ll get an alternative selection.