The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

Guy commands double teams on almost every snap, leads the league in sacks, and is probably not going to make the pro bowl. He and Carpernter- hello? 60 yard field goal and a top 3 in the league kicker if not better- are neither one near the top of the fans' ballots. UGH!

Because it's a popularity contest I suppose.

Pretty much.  Cameron Wake is not a name people recognize.

Ha ha ha. Bet Aaron Rodgers knows who he is. Wake won us that game. -EK

How can you not spell ProBOWL. 

Seriously, you cannot spell BOWL??

Did you even graduate 2nd grade?

A ha ha ha ha ha! Don't know what's funnier- the fact that 35 people viewed this thread before someone caught that, or the fact that I mistyped it. Wait- got it- the fact that I have an MA fromt he Citadel in English. In my defense, I started the thread from my phone, and was in such a hurry, didn't bother to double check what was auto-populated as I was typing. -EK

Several reasons. 

1. There are other good linebackers in the NFL.

2. Very rarely does a guy get voted in during his breakout season.  Typically it is not until the following one.  Last year he didn't do much.  Maybe he is good enough to go to the probowl, maybe not.  But I won't vote for him this year. He needs to prove he is an elite player and not just a one shot wonder. We are talking about a guy who entered the league in 2005 and as of yet has not started in a full season worth of games.   

3. Being on a team that wins prime time games helps.  Being on a team that is out of playoff contention hurts.

Entirely an opinion that you're entitles too, but not entirely correct. He did NOT come into the league in 2005. He never started an NFL game before last year- a year where he racked up 5.5 sacks off the bench behind Porter and Taylor. He's a 2 time CFL Defensive Player of the Year and is a league frontrunner in several stats-  QB hurries, sacks, and tackles for a loss.

He entered the league in 2005.  He spent the training camp with the Giants and was not good enough to make the 53 man squad.  He then played in the CFL where he showed enough for a second NFL team to take a chance on him.  And he has had a half of a good year.  Being the CFL Defensive Player of the year, is an honor slightly less prestigious than the being named the best practice squad player in the NFL.  Cause the CFL is a league of guys not good enough to make an NFL practice squad. 

He certainly has played well enough for Dolphin fans to be quite happy with Irland/Saprano/Parcells decision to sign him (although I rarely see that posted in their defense at talent evaluation everyone just bemoans the drafting of White).  But he has not shown enough for me to call him pro-bowl quality.   

Perhaps you don't understand the way the CFL lines up. LB's there line up 5 yards further back than in the NFL, so 39 sacks in two season is monsterous no matter how you want to discount it. Again, if beating out Matthews, Harrison, Ware, Umenyiora, and the perennial sack leaders in his first full season doesn't warrant consideration for a spot, then what exactly does? It's a Pro Bowl for THIS SEASON- not a career achievment award. -EK

Season ain't over yet.  That is the problem.  You are asking me to call him elite based on a half a season of good play.  I won't do it. He is a guy who has been trying unsuccessfully to get a spot in the NFL from 2005-2009 and then finally this year became a starter I am not going to give the benefit of the doubt he will maintain the level for the remainder of the season.  Keep it up until next year and he goes to the pro-bowl.  Thats the way it works.  Wes Welker went to the pro-bowl in 2008 for his moster year in 2007.  Peyton Manning is going to the pro-bowl this year cause he threw 49 TD in 2004, not for what he did this year. 

Thank God only a third of the vote is from the fans. Your POV is lunacy. Revisit this thread when his peers vote him in for what he did THIS year. -EK

I think you can call Wake an elite (or soon to be an elite) pass rusher. Even the commentators say it during the games. He should be going to the pro bowl with stats alone but, we'll see.

You can call him potentially soon to be an elite.  But you can say the same thing about Devin McCourney being potentially an elite cornerback.  Keep it up for another season and they go. 

That's just lunacy. If they keep it up for another season, they're an elite player for two years. At this moment- right now- Wake is the best pass rusher in football by any and all stats. He is beating double teams for sacks and wearing out O-linemen who have been in the NFL for years, and who- by YOUR determination are sooooo much better than anyone in the CFL. You don't get it both ways- either the NFL is better, and he's beating the best of the best, or it's not better and what he did in the CFL carries merrit. -EK

He has had a good half a year in the NFL.   His accomplishments in the CFL are meaningless.  I am not ready to call him elite.   

How is 11 games leading the league in sacks a half a year? Whether YOU are ready to call him elite or not doesn't mean he isn't. Despite whatever keyboard warrior reputation you have garnished here, the world does not base its judgement of elite status on you. Nearly 3/4 of the season is in the books and he's the best pass rusher. Period. What part of that is debatable? -EK

Hope he doesn't go. It's just a game where there is a chance he blows out a knee or something. Don't want him getting hurt in the Pro Bowl

I'd be fine with him not going as long as he's given the honor. Did Marino ever go? I seem to remember him having a mysterious knee ailment every year about that time. -EK

He's not there because Dolphins' fans suck and don't support their team, in general.

Majority of NFL fans disagree with you!

The history of the NFL is littered with guys at all positions who had a great season, and then faded into a footnote. Wake is having a phenominal year, but I am not ready to call him the next Jason Taylor, Bruce Smith, or Reggie White until he can back it up with a couple more dominant seasons as a leading pss rusher in the league.

This year, he is the best pass rusher in the league (so far).  He should go to the Probowl if he keeps it up.  It's a popularity contest, and that's it.

That isn't a ringing endorsement.

Lets back track for a moment.  The original question was posed as to why Wake was doing better in the pro-bowl voting?

As is typically the case fans of a particular team often view more of their players as pro-bowl worthy than fans league wide.  Often over emphasizing the greatness of their own players and seeing the flaws of competing players.

I answered why Wake is not doing as well in pro-bowl voting among the fans of the other 31 teams as he is doing in the hearts of Dolphin fans.  You can not like the answer.  But I laid out why the majority of NFL fans disagree with Eknight on Wake's pro-bowl worthiness. 

I'm not starting an argument, merely making an observation. Going into any sports bar I am typically underwhelmed by the general knowledge of most sports fans. That is all I was trying to say.

Valid points, but Wake has been dominant and leads the league which means that many fans are ignoring this fact or just playing the homer things which is why I hate the concept of fans voting who goes. It's not like a lot of people watch the Pro Bowl game anyway.

I am still not sold on Wake being a pro-bowler.  But your punter has earned my vote.   

85% of people who vote for pro-bowl vote on name recognition.

Peyton Manning is having a horrible year by his own standards, but I bet he still makes the pro-bowl.

By his own standards.  He has thrown as many ints as Henne and more ints than Sanchez.  He isn't having a bad year comparable to himself.  He is having a bad year comparable to some crappy QBs. 

How's that for cherry-picking your stats to fit your conclusion!

Manning leads the league in yards and has a 90+ passer rating. He's thrown 26 touchdowns to go with the "more ints than Sanchez" (who has 16 touchdowns). Sanchez also has nearly twice the number of sacks. For Manning that's not an o-line thing, he is really good about getting rid of the ball.

Saying he is having a bad year comparable to some crappy QBs is borderline insane.

Stop talking now. I pray ignorance is not contagious. Wake commanded double teams the entire game and his TWO sacks of Sanchez sealed the game for Miami. You're just being disputatious now for the sake of spite. -EK

Well, well, well....looks like his peers DID disagree with you....

His peers also sent Logan Mankins who didn't play for half the season and Brandon Merriweather who is the third best safety on his team.  You want to defend that as well.  I am still not sold on the idea that any one of the three should go. 

Actually, if I may interupt the debate.......

The pro bowl is a yearly event that should recognize the achievements for that year based on stats and game play for that year. Why should a player have to have several years of of outstanding play for a yearly recognition event ? If a player has the stats and game play for that said year, they should go. Stats and game play rule in this situation IMHO !!!!