2011 Pro Bowl: Brandon Flowers, Tamba Hali Among Those Who Miss Out

OK by now we know that there were three Kansas City Chiefs players selected to the 2011 Pro Bowl -- WR Dwayne Bowe, RB Jamaal Charles and G Brian Waters. They're all very deserving and I don't think many of us dispute that.

But what about the guys who didn't make it? Who should have been in?

While I would have loved to see guys like CB Brandon Flowers, LB Tamba Hali and LB Derrick Johnson in the Pro Bowl, I can't completely disagree with the current list of Pro Bowlers.

There's Flowers. After Nnamdi Asomugha and Darrelle Revis in the AFC, I thought Flowers had a great shot of getting in. Wrong. Devin McCourty from New England is the third one in but he's earned it. He's playing on the NFL's best team and is second in interceptions this year.

Then there's LB Tamba Hali who's having a solid season but he's up against stiff competition -- James Harrison, Cameron Wake and Terrell Suggs. While Hali's season has been terrific, so are these other guys. Suggs getting picked over Hali? I can live with that.

Derrick Johnson perhaps? Sure, I can see the argument but ahead of NFL tackle leader Jerod Mayo and Ray Lewis? I'm not sure about that. 

I think the thing to remember with some of these guys -- Flowers, Hali and DJ -- is that they're now in the conversation for the league's best. It takes a couple of years for the public to get to know these guys -- a playoff run could help with that -- so I don't think we've heard the last of some of these names in future Pro Bowls.

The Pro Bowl will always cause a bunch of disagreements but even when you argue that so-and-so should be in, you're taking out another worthy candidate. That said, I do think Flowers and Hali are on the list of guys that should have been in or should be the top alternates. Unfortunately you can't always win.