The Pro Bowl rosters were announced yesterday, and as has become the custom here in New England, a number of players earned berths while others were among the most noticeable snubs. Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri were named to their second Pro Bowl, while Larry Izzo and Richard Seymour were each named to their third.
As Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe writes, other Patriots were seemingly as deserving, but were left off the roster. Tedy Bruschi, Corey Dillon, Rodney Harrison, and Joe Andruzzi are four players that Cafardo believes warranted a closer look from those voting.
Cafardo also reviews comments made yesterday by Brady, who addressed the media after reviewing the tape of his four-interception, un-Brady-esque performance in Miami.
Michael Felger of The Boston Herald also reviews the perceived Pro Bowl snubs. Harrison, arguably the best safety in football after the Ravens Ed Reed, is often left off the roster by his fellow players because of his hard-hitting, take-no-prisoners style of play. With Miami's Zack Thomas out with injuries, it was widely believed that Bruschi would finally get a nod behind Baltimore's Ray Lewis. Instead, Pittsburgh's James Farrior was the second middle linebacker named to the squad.
Felger also goes around the locker room, where no one on the team is panicking. Despite the disaster in Miami, the team expressed its confidence in Brady and its ability to regroup in time for the playoffs.
Tom Curran of The Providence Journal also notes the team is doing its best to put the loss behind them, and includes some positive words from Jason Taylor, the Miami defensive end who had a big part in the Patriots loss.
In his notebook, Curran discusses the decline in looks David Givens has received as of late. Givens says his diminished role has nothing to do with his health, and Curran ties it to the return of Deion Branch, who had missed seven games with a leg injury.
Bill Reynolds of the Journal points out that it took a stunning upset for the Patriots to gain the full attention of New England sports fans. Throughout the season, particularly during the Red Sox playoff run, the Patriots seemed to fly well below the radar, despite amassing one of the league's best records. Now, as Reynolds points out, everyone is watching the Pats, and many do so with remarkable trepidation.
Alan Greenberg of The Hartford Courant reviews the tremendous heat coming Brady's way after his questionable decision-making towards the end of Monday night's loss.
Michael Parente of The Woonsocket Call commends Brady for the grace with which he has handled the media this week. In stark contrast to Jets quarterback Chad Pennington, who has come under heavy fire in New York for some very immature behavior, Brady calmly withstood the barrage of questioning that followed a rare poor performance.
In his notebook, Parente reviews the Pro Bowl selections, the injuries, and the attempt to wake up the struggling special teams unit.
On ESPN.com, John Clayton discusses whom he believes to constitute snubs, starting with Dillon.
