For the first time since the 1994-1996 seasons, the Giants are on course to send no players to the Pro Bowl. I say on course, because rookie sensation Odell Beckham Jr. is a first alternate, meaning if one of the eight elected wide receivers bypasses the Jan. 25 game for any number of reasons – they’re scheduled to play in the Super Bowl; they realize the Pro Bowl is in Arizona and not Hawaii this year, etc. – Beckham will be the first one called.
How likely is it that Beckham will get the nod? Well, if we were at the height of the diva wide receiver era – when Randy Moss was driving into traffic cops and spraying officials with water bottles; when Chad Ochocinco was the name of a real player; and when Terrell Owens was doing sit-ups for the media in his driveway – then I’d say there was a 100 percent chance that one of the league’s top wideouts would bypass the trip to the Pro Bowl for some reason that made sense to him alone.
But nowadays? Nowadays the best wide receivers in the league are largely model citizens. *Checks TMZ Sports* Yup, none arrested lately.
Let’s look at the eight wideouts named to the Pro Bowl ahead of Beckham and assess their chances of missing the Pro Bowl and opening up a spot for the first-year standout -- which would allow the Giants to separate themselves from the other three teams who also had no one named to the Pro Bowl (Jacksonville, Minnesota and Tennessee) and allow them to match the Jets with one.
And that’s where we stand with New York professional football in 2014.
Antonio Brown: Pittsburgh has a decent chance to make the Super Bowl, which would preclude Brown from playing in the Pro Bowl. If Beckham replaces him, he’ll have to do Brown proud by fielding a punt return and karate-kicking the punter.
A.J. Green: The Bengals and Andy Dalton in the Super Bowl? More likely Green will be the Pro Bowl MVP.
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Calvin Johnson: The Lions and Matthew Stafford in the Super Bowl? More likely Megatron will be the Pro Bowl co-MVP.
Julio Jones: There are several reasons why he’ll likely be a no-go in the Pro Bowl. For one, he’s been nursing an injury; for two, the Falcons are still in the playoff picture and can actually win the NFC South if they beat Carolina on Sunday. I really hope the Falcons make the Super Bowl. What, they could put on a worse show than the Broncos did last year? Impossible.
T.Y. Hilton: The Colts might be the most confounding team in this year’s playoffs. If they won it all, I wouldn’t be surprised; and if they lost 98-56 in the first round, I wouldn’t be surprised either.
Jordy Nelson: Two weeks ago, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that Nelson and the Packers would be representing the NFC in the Super Bowl. That’s no longer the case, as Aaron Rodgers has regressed of late and the team looks a bit shaky. If the Packers don’t reach the Super Bowl, Rodgers will probably skip the Pro Bowl, because he’s dating Olivia Munn, and anyone who spends unnecessary time away from her should be fitted for a straitjacket. Nelson, who was not co-dating Munn as we went to press, would be wise to revel in his first Pro Bowl selection.
Demaryius Thomas: If Thomas is playing in the Pro Bowl, that means the Broncos and Peyton Manning will not be playing in the Super Bowl, which everyone agrees is a wise course of action.
Dez Bryant: Remember when Bryant was getting in trouble with mall cops for reportedly wearing his pants too low? And throwing sideline tantrums when things weren’t going his way? Those days might seem long gone, but winning (which the Cowboys are doing these days) has a way of curing all. If Dallas flames out early in the postseason, Bryant might want to skip the Pro Bowl – not least because he’s a pending free agent, and exposing himself to injury in a meaningless postseason exhibition would be diva-level dumb. Chances he plays in the Pro Bowl? About the same as the Giants winning the Super Bowl.
In closing, I’d say Beckham has a great chance to play in the Pro Bowl.
