Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Pro Bowl Wide Receiver!

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NFLProBowl_logoHow could they just cut a Pro Bowler?!  I must’ve heard that exclamation at least seventy times in the past few days on local sports-talk radio regarding the Philadelphia Eagles’ decision to release Desean Jackson.  How, oh how, will the Eagles ever compete without Desean’s Pro Bowl talents?

Maybe the Eagles’ front office and Chip Kelly realize something that most of us don’t. Maybe they saw something on last year’s game-tapes that indicated Desean wasn’t as effective as his numbers indicate.  Maybe, just maybe, they realize that wide receiver could be an overrated position in the quest for a Super Bowl, worth not nearly the $10M that Desean was due.

Looking at Super Bowl Champions from the year 2000 until this past year, how many of those fourteen winning teams had a Pro Bowl wide receiver?  Three.  The 2001 New England Patriots had Troy Brown.  The 2006 Colts had Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne.  The 2010 Green Bay Packers had Greg Jennings.  That’s it.

Here is a breakdown of the Super Bowl teams since 2000 and their Pro Bowl positions:

2000 – Ravens (LT, DT, LB, FS, K)
2001 – New England (QB, WR, SS, CB, PR)
2002 – Tampa Bay (QB, FB, DT, DE, LB, LB, SS)
2003 – New England (DT, DE, CB)
2004 – New England (QB, RB, DE, LB, K)
2005 – Pittsburgh (LG, C, NT, LB, SS)
2006 – Colts (QB, WR, WR, LT, C)
2007 – Giants (DE)
2008 – Pittsburgh (LB, LB, SS)
2009 – New Orleans (QB, C, RT, LB, SS, FS)
2010 – Green Bay (WR, LT, LB, CB, CB, FS, PR)
2011 – Giants (QB, DE)
2012 – Ravens (RB, FB, RG, DT, FS, KR)
2013 – Seattle (QB, RB, C, CB, SS, FS)

Here is a breakdown of how many of those winners had Pro Bowlers at the different positions:

Safeties – 57% (8 of 14)
Defensive Lineman  – 57% (8 of 14)
QB – 50% (7 of 14 winning teams had QB Pro Bowler)
Offensive Linemen – 50% (7 of 14)
Linebackers – 50% (7 of 14)
RB/FB – 35.7% (5 of 14)
Cornerbacks – 28.5% (4 of 14)
Wide Receivers – 21.4 % (3 of 14)
Kickers – 14% (2 of 14)
Punt Returners – 14% (2 of 14)
Kick Returners – 7% (1 of 14)
Tight End – 0% (0 out of 14)

Having a Pro Bowl wide receiver seems to be slightly more important than having a Pro Bowl kicker.  The most surprising stat is safety and defensive line, where more than half of the past fourteen champions have had at least one Pro Bowler at those positions.  Two of the past fourteen have had two Pro Bowl safeties.  Having Pro Bowlers on defense and quarterback are clearly the most important positions for a team’s chances of winning a Super Bowl. Eleven of the past fourteen Super Bowl Champions have won without a Pro Bowler at wideout.  ONLY ONE of the past fourteen champs has won without a Pro Bowler at either defensive line and/or safety, Peyton Manning’s 2006 Colts.

130708thomas600Maybe the Eagles front office is aware of this. I would hope they are.  Looking at these numbers, it doesn’t make sense to have a wide receiver as your highest paid player, especially one who exudes an allegedly poor work ethic around one of the younger locker rooms in the NFL.  Looking at the stats above, the $6M that the Eagles are saving from the release of Desean needs to go directly onto the defensive side of the ball.  If the Eagles are serious about increasing their odds of winning a Super Bowl, history tells us that they better find at least one Pro Bowl safety.

Instead of whining over and over about the Eagles cutting a Pro Bowl wide receiver without any comments, we, as a fan base, should be complaining about the lack of Pro Bowlers on the defensive side of the ball, especially safety.  Focus, people….Focus!  Yet again, that Earl Thomas miss seems to haunt Philadelphia.

If Calvin Pryor or Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix are available when the Eagles pick, they must select them.  In light of 57% of Super Bowl teams having Pro Bowl defensive linemen and/or safeties, I would say that it is imperative that the first pick is used for the defensive side of the ball.  Defense seems to be a no-brainer in the first round, especially with all the wide receiver depth in this year’s NFL draft.  Unless, of course, Nick Foles is the next coming of Peyton Manning, then all bets are off.  I’m thinking they best go defense.