As recent nationally televised games coincided with the Sea-hawks’ second-half surge, their recognition level is obviously on the rise.
But with fan voting wrapping up Monday night, and players casting their ballots this week, it looks like the streak of Pro Bowls without a representative from the Seahawks might reach three.
These honors aren’t always fair because they tend to be stats driven, and there is often a lag time in recognition. Players tend to get voted in a year after they start deserving it, and end up making it a year after they cease deserving it.
Walter Jones and Julian Peterson were the last Seahawks to be voted in after the 2008 season. There hasn’t been much complaining about Seattle suffering snubs in that span, because the Seahawks have been operating without true elite talent at just about every position.
But they’re getting closer.
As of last week, only three Sea-hawks were in the NFC’s top five at their positions in fan voting. Strong safety Kam Chancellor and punter Jon Ryan were third, and free safety Earl Thomas was fourth.
Chancellor (four interceptions) and Thomas (two INTs) are in just their second seasons. Chancellor trailed Saints veteran Roman Harper and Green Bay’s Charlie Peprah.
Harper is a two-time Pro Bowl player with 71/2 sacks this season but no interceptions. Like Chancellor, Peprah has four interceptions. He led the Packers in tackles in their Super Bowl win over Pittsburgh.
Ryan is third in the NFC in punting average and leads the conference in punts downed inside the 20. When the Seahawks had a 2-6 record at the midway point of the season, some considered him the team MVP.
Thomas gained early recognition as a rookie with five interceptions last season. Fan support had him trailing the Packers’ Morgan Burnett, the 49ers’ Dashon Goldson, and the Giants’ Antrel Rolle.
It’s possible that player voting could elevate those Seahawks, and they’d be well-positioned for invitations as alternates, especially if the Packers – who lead so many of the positions in the fan voting – advance to the Super Bowl, making their players unavailable for the Jan. 29 Pro Bowl.
But you don’t have to strain your eyes much to envision a number of other Seahawks either deserving now or on the threshold of Pro Bowl recognition.
Running back Marshawn Lynch made it once with the Buffalo Bills, and he has cracked the 1,000-yard mark this season while scoring 12 touchdowns – second highest by NFC running backs.
Lynch’s violent rushing style has reversed team fortunes and earned highlight-reel exposure across the country. A full season of performance at the level he’s reached in this second half, and Lynch might threaten 2,000 yards.
Brandon Browner is another member of the Sea-hawks who plays with awe-inspiring force – sometimes even within the rules. Browner’s reputation for penalties won’t help him right now, but he has six interceptions and set a team record for return yardage (220 yards for an average of 36.7 per pick).
Only Marcus Trufant’s seven interceptions in 2007 exceeded Browner’s total in the Seahawks’ past 13 seasons. And Green Bay’s Charles Woodson (seven INTs) is the only NFC player with more.
Defensive ends make the Pro Bowl by recording sacks, so it will be almost impossible for Red Bryant to gain the honor he seems to deserve. Bryant has just one sack, but the man is a dominant run stopper and also blocked four placekicks (three field goals and one PAT) while also intercepting two passes.
On the other side of the defensive line, Chris Clemons is having another strong season, with 11 sacks. But that statistic ties him for sixth in the NFC.
That so many of these promising players are young signals an obvious upward trend.
But more important is the reality that individuals get the brightest spotlight when it’s a reflection of team success.
Of the 19 positions voted on by NFC fans, 13 leaders come from the three teams with the best records: Green Bay, San Francisco and New Orleans.
The Seahawks’ strong finish may not earn sufficient votes for this Pro Bowl, but it’s likely to generate attention for the next one.
Dave Boling: 253-597-8440 dave.boling@thenewstribune.com
