Redskins stuffing the Pro Bowl ballot box

whodatjerry · 11-20-2008, 04:54 PM

from nola.com

How many Redskins can you fit in the Pro Bowl?

With all apologies to the impending deactivation of "Ocho Cinco" Chad Johnson for breaking team rules and Tony Romo's apparently "epic" gift to the homeless (don't ask), the biggest story in the NFL has to be the ridiculous Pro Bowl voting going on right now that has 20 Redskins on a course for the NFL's all-star game.

20.

The situation has arisen as a result of aggressive marketing by the Washington Redskins front office ... and some grassroots enthusiasm and old-fashioned ballot-stuffing by the Redskins fans.

The end result has been an overwhelming response that has given 20 different Redskins players leads at their individual positions in the fan voting portion of Pro Bowl voting. The fan portion counts for one third of the vote, as do coaching and player portions.

But the weirdness of the whole situation comes in when one looks at the actual math. Due to the formula the NFL currently uses, some of the players' leads will be nearly insurmountable for other players to overcome, whether the coaches or players vote for those players or not.

So for instance, a player like Khary Campbell, who has a 2:1 lead on his nearest competitor in the fan voting, would earn that same percentage of points in determining the NFC's Pro Bowl special teams player. Should he earn even a fraction of that percentage among coaches and players, he will get himself an invite - provided the coaches and players don't vote for someone else by an even wider margin.

At several positions (like special teams player), the voting would not figure to be that one-sided ... meaning the Redskins fans may actually succeed in their mission to stuff the ballot box.

The entire situation is ridiculous, and it calls to attention the problem inherent in letting the fans decide who actually gets to go to these all-star games. Of course it's all rather meaningless in the final analysis, but I do feel bad for the players who earned Pro Bowl nods with strong seasons and may not get a look because of some Redskins fan somewhere voting his team guy in. A player like Jonathan Vilma, for instance, may get the short end of the stick here and not receive the proper acclaim he deserves.

Saints fans can go to NFL.com to vote and make their voices heard ... and perhaps undo some of the damage the 'Skins fans have done. As for the powers-that-be, perhaps they'll take this as a lesson to revamp the entire system.

We can only hope.

________________________________

Congratulations to the Redskins. I'm sure the Pro Bowl will be SO meaningful to the your players.

SaintsFanatic · 11-20-2008, 05:20 PM

good post jerry!

Quote:

The situation has arisen as a result of aggressive marketing by the Washington Redskins front office ...

so now everyone can just sit back and marvel over the Redskins having 20 players in the pro bowl?

I'm sure the rest of the nation will be soooo impressed.

11-20-2008, 04:54 PM	#1
whodatjerry In Drew We Trust! Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Harahan, La. Posts: 68	Redskins stuffing the Pro Bowl ballot box from nola.com How many Redskins can you fit in the Pro Bowl? With all apologies to the impending deactivation of "Ocho Cinco" Chad Johnson for breaking team rules and Tony Romo's apparently "epic" gift to the homeless (don't ask), the biggest story in the NFL has to be the ridiculous Pro Bowl voting going on right now that has 20 Redskins on a course for the NFL's all-star game. 20. The situation has arisen as a result of aggressive marketing by the Washington Redskins front office ... and some grassroots enthusiasm and old-fashioned ballot-stuffing by the Redskins fans. The end result has been an overwhelming response that has given 20 different Redskins players leads at their individual positions in the fan voting portion of Pro Bowl voting. The fan portion counts for one third of the vote, as do coaching and player portions. But the weirdness of the whole situation comes in when one looks at the actual math. Due to the formula the NFL currently uses, some of the players' leads will be nearly insurmountable for other players to overcome, whether the coaches or players vote for those players or not. So for instance, a player like Khary Campbell, who has a 2:1 lead on his nearest competitor in the fan voting, would earn that same percentage of points in determining the NFC's Pro Bowl special teams player. Should he earn even a fraction of that percentage among coaches and players, he will get himself an invite - provided the coaches and players don't vote for someone else by an even wider margin. At several positions (like special teams player), the voting would not figure to be that one-sided ... meaning the Redskins fans may actually succeed in their mission to stuff the ballot box. The entire situation is ridiculous, and it calls to attention the problem inherent in letting the fans decide who actually gets to go to these all-star games. Of course it's all rather meaningless in the final analysis, but I do feel bad for the players who earned Pro Bowl nods with strong seasons and may not get a look because of some Redskins fan somewhere voting his team guy in. A player like Jonathan Vilma, for instance, may get the short end of the stick here and not receive the proper acclaim he deserves. Saints fans can go to NFL.com to vote and make their voices heard ... and perhaps undo some of the damage the 'Skins fans have done. As for the powers-that-be, perhaps they'll take this as a lesson to revamp the entire system. We can only hope. ________________________________ Congratulations to the Redskins. I'm sure the Pro Bowl will be SO meaningful to the your players. Last edited by whodatjerry; 11-20-2008 at 04:57 PM.

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