With the announcement of the 2010 Pro Bowl Rosters, many Clevelandites (yes, I know…) were pleasantly surprised that two Browns made the team. And while Josh Cribbs and Joe Thomas are very deserving for the honor, there is another Brown that should have made the roster.
Eric Wright should be in the Pro Bowl.
What?!
Remember this?
Just look at the statistics comparing Wright with the AFC Pro Bowl cornerbacks:
Eric Wright: 60 tackles, 53 solo, 2 for a loss, and 3 INT’s.
Darrelle Revis: 54 tackles, 47 solo, 0 for loss, 6 INT’s and 1 TD.
Nnamdi Asomugha: 34 tackles, 30 solo, 8 for a loss, and 1 INT.
Champ Bailey: 72 tackles, 61 solo, 3 for a loss, 1 forced fumble, and 3 INT.
Looks like someone got voted in on reputation (or the “Raider’s mystique”). And yes, I know the selections are partly a popularity contest (see, e.g. Asomugha and the Ed Reed selection). But we need to look at things objectively.
Add the statistics to the fact that Wright is the MVP of the Browns’ secondary and the only one opposing offenses respect. Not to mention the great plays he made during the Pittsburgh game (e.g., reading WR screen off the snap and swatting the ball away), probably the greatest game of the last few years from the Browns’ perspective. He also shut down Ochocinco to just 24 and 38 yards in their two games, Greg Jennings to 52 yards, and Vincent Jackson to 54 yards.
Other corners in the AFC could complain of a snub: Jonathan Joseph, Leon Hall had better years than anyone, and Leigh Bodden, and Cortland Finnegan had better years than Asomugha. But given the Browns’ year, the importance he has to the team, playing just days after a horrible car crash, and the fact that his statistics are better than at least one Pro Bowl corner, Wright should have made the team.
It’s easy to discount Wright because he plays on a bad team with a secondary that started the year with Brandon McDonald (*shaking fist* McDonald!) as a starter, and has Browns fans clamoring for Eric Berry. But, objectively, Eric Wright deserved a nod for his great work this season.
The Cleveland Monk 
The problem with just looking at numbers for defensive players, especially DBs, is that they don’t reflect the way a team avoids a DB’s side of the field. It’s widely acknowledged that teams don’t throw anywhere near Asomugha. I haven’t watched the tape, but if that’s true, you can understand why he’d be voted in.
I understand the Asomugha argument, but to me it’s exhibit #1 of voting on reputation. Asomugha did not do anything special this year. If everyone is scared of him and not throwing to him, then he gets voted in because of his reputation as a good corner, not by what he actually did this year. I think the Pro Bowl should reward players who had good years, not just players that have a reputation for playing well, even though they did not do anything special.