You Make the Choice

With the Pro Bowl this Sunday, I decided to repeat a series of posts I did last year with the Chiefs that made the Pro Bowl, comparing their season to Pro Bowl seasons of the past by Chiefs players in the same position. I enjoyed it so much last season, that there was no way I was going to miss out on it this season if any Chiefs players were selected, and luckily, Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali are both first-time participants so I get to do some original research.

I will only be addressing Pro Bowl seasons after the AFL-NFL merger of 1970, so if I don't mention anyone before that year, that is why. Also, if you like to live in the past, here are the posts I did last year for Matt Cassel and the Quarterbacks, Jamaal Charles and the Running Backs, Dwayne Bowe and the Wide Receivers, and Eric Berry and the Strong Safeties. 

So, starting with outside linebacker, I will make the list. There is a catch, however. Unfortunately, defensive statistics weren't kept as religiously as they are today; sacks by defensive players weren't recorded by the NFL until 1982, and tackles have only been loosely recorded by teams and not recorded by the NFL until 2001. The Chiefs don't have tackles compiled before 1977 or sacks before 1973. So I will only be able to mention Bobby Bell's three Pro Bowl appearances.

1970, 1971 and 1972 - Bobby Bell: Bell is considered one of the best defensive players in Chiefs history, and has been the gold standard set for all Outside Linebackers to follow his footsteps in a Kansas City uniform. He was a second round pick in 1963, and spent his entire career with the Chiefs. He helped solidify one of the most daunted defenses in NFL history that helped lead the Chiefs to two Super Bowl appearances and one victory. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the first Chief to do so in 1983.

1989 - Derrick Thomas: Now we get to one of the greatest and most beloved players in Kansas City Chiefs history. Thomas was a rookie in the 1989 season, having been selected 4th overall out of Alabama. That season, Thomas would record 75 tackles, 10 sacks, 3 forced fumbles (FF) and 1 fumble recovery (FR). No other rookie would make the Pro Bowl for the Chiefs until Eric Berry in 2010. It was the start to a Hall of Fame career. 

1990 - Derrick Thomas: The 1990 season was the first playoff year for Thomas and the rejuvenated Kansas City Chiefs. Paired with Neil Smith and under the coaching of Coach Marty, the Chiefs defense was a real threat and provided consistency throughout the season, resulting in the Chiefs first playoff appearance since the 1986 season. That season, Thomas would go on to have 63 tackles, and set a Chiefs record with 20 sacks in a season, and a NFL record with 7 sacks in one game. 

1991 - Derrick Thomas: Another strong year resulted in another playoff appearance, this time making it to the divisional round. Thomas's numbers were 79 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 4 FR.

1992 - Derrick Thomas: 67 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 3 FR

1993 - Derrick Thomas: 43 tackles, 8 sacks, 4 FF 1 FR

1994 - Derrick Thomas: 65 tackle, 11 sacks, 4 FF 3 FR

1995 - Derrick Thomas: 48 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 FF 1 FR

1996 - Derrick Thomas: 47 tackles, 13 sacks, 5 FF 1 FR

1997 - Derrick Thomas: 34 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 3 FF

2011 - Tamba Hali: The first linebacker to make the Pro Bowl for the Chiefs since the late Derrick Thomas, Tamba Hali is actually coming off a better season in 2010 than he's had in 2011. Last year, Hali won the AFC Sack Crown finishing with 14.5 - second best in the NFL. This season, Hali finished with 12, which is second best in the AFC and 8th in the NFL. But Hali has also become a more complete player, and has increased his tackle total from 51 in 2010 to 66 in 2011 and has improved in coverage. And while he should have been selected to the Pro Bowl last season, it's better late than never.