The Patriots are arguably the best team in the NFL at this point in December. That spot has been buoyed by the production of some of the biggest stars in the game today. Some of that work has been noticed by fans voting for this year's Pro Bowl, but some of it has been overlooked.
With the Pro Bowl fan voting now concluded – one-third of the process, along with the voting of the players and coaches – three Patriots are among the leaders at their positions.
Quarterback Tom Brady finished third overall in fan voting, and third among QBs behind Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning, with 871,889 votes.
Tight end Rob Gronkowski was the 10th overall vote getter, first among tight ends, with 601,093 votes.
And kicker Stephen Gostkowski is the only other Patriots player around the top two at his position, leading kickers with 210,636 votes.
That leaves a number of players -- including cornerback Darrelle Revis, special teamer Matthew Slater, wide receiver Julian Edelman and safety Devin McCourty, among others – needing a boost in the voting from players and coaches if they are to make the NFL's version of an all-star game.
For comparison, Cleveland's Joe Haden (407,248) and Seattle's Richard Sherman (311,148) were the top vote getters at cornerback.
In fact Cleveland fans may have been the most active voters among any fan base, with T Joe Thomas, G Joel Bitonio, OLB Paul Kruger, ILB Karlos Dansby, Haden, SS Donte Whitner, FS Tashaun Gipson, P Spencer Lanning and special teamer Johnson Bademosi all finishing in the top two in the voting at their positions. Seems like there was some online ballot stuffing by the lake!
Final Pro Bowl honors will be decided after the players and coaches complete their voting, with the final selections to be announced Tues, Dec. 23 at 8 p.m. on NFL Network's NFL Total Access: Pro Bowl Players Revealed show.
Which Patriots player(s) most deserve(s) to be sent to the Pro Bowl? Was Revis overlooked by the fans in their voting? Let us know with a comment below!
