Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali Make Pro Bowl

On Tuesday at 6 P.M Chiefs time, NFL Network announced the Pro Bowl roster for both the NFC and AFC. And I was pleasantly surprised to see that both players that I thought should make the Pro Bowl (see post directly below) did make the Pro Bowl. And those players are Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali.

I listed both their credentials yesterday:

Tamba Hali: Last season, Hali finished with 14.5 sacks, good for most in the AFC and second in the NFL. This year, Hali is sitting at 12 sacks with one game to go. This mark is good for 8th in the NFL, but 2nd in the AFC, only behind Terrell Suggs with 13. Hali has three multiple sack performances, so eclipsing Suggs for the AFC sack crown is not out of consideration. Hali is also tied for 5th in the NFL, and 3rd in the AFC with forced fumbles (5). The problem is, as a 3-4 OLB, Hali doesn't record a lot of tackles. His priority is rushing the passer, and because of that, he is only 12th in the AFC in tackles for the OLB position, with 62.

Derrick Johnson: When the Pro Bowl rosters were announced on NFL Network last season, one analyst said his biggest "snub" was Derrick Johnson. Last year, Johnson finished with 121 tackles, 1 sack, 4 forced fumbles, 1 INT and 1 TD. This season, Johnson's numbers have been even better. Through 15 games, Johnson has 126 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 2 INTs. His tackles number is 9th in the NFL, 4th in the AFC, and 3rd of AFC Linebackers. And of the players with more tackles, only one in the AFC has more sacks. Johnson has been, perhaps, the Chiefs best player all season, and I really hope his invaluable efforts for the Chiefs are rewarded with a trip to a tropical destination.

Both Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson are not first-team Pro Bowlers. Terrell Suggs and Von Miller are both ahead of Hali, and the ageless and overrated wonder, Ray Lewis, is the only player ahead of Derrick Johnson on the AFC Defense roster.

Both these guys are very deserving, and they represent the first linebackers to represent the Chiefs at the Pro Bowl since Derrick Johnson in the 1997, and the first pair of Chiefs linebackers selected to the same Pro Bowl since 1973 - Willie Lanier and Bobby Bell.

The other Pro Bowl caliber players for the Chiefs that I thought could potentially make it were Brandon Flowers and Dwayne Bowe. The three cornerbacks selected were Darrelle Revis, Champ Bailey and Jonathan Joseph. These three players are pretty well-known names, and it's hard to fault these selections. And on the wide receiver end, it was Wes Welker, Mike Wallace, A.J. Green, and Brandon Marshall. All but Green has more yards, and all have more TDs. But if any of these players make the Super Bowl, or withdraw, then this opening might usher in Bowe's second straight trip.

There were a fair share of Pro Bowl 'snubs' and Pro Bowl surprises. One surprise, I felt, was Philip Rivers; another was his teammate Antonio Gates. That just goes to show you the Pro Bowl is not an effective evaluation of talent or performance rather than a popularity contest. Still, glad Hali and Johnson made the roster.

For the full roster list, here it is.