I can make a strong case for
Terence Newman based on his 7 year body of work. Newman is definatley in the conversation.
However,
Mike Jenkins and
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie were drafted in the same class and will compete for Pro Bowl births. Let's see what
Pro Football Focus has to say about them.
Which player should have been elected to the Pro Bowl fir
st? I prefer
K.C. Joyner's numbers, but I'll go with these for now. I've seen
AdamJT13 quote this site, so that tells me something. It may not be Joyner, but it's all I have right now.
If DRC is in Woodson's top 5 this year, with just 2 years in the NFL, then
Mike Jenkins (a Pro Bowler) deserves consideration for Woodson's list. Woodson may have considered Jenkins, and I heard him say that he considers the body of work and a CB's skill set when I saw his 2009 list. Woodson had Newman on there before 2009 started, so I'm not going to be overly critical of his list this year. Although, Samuel's selection this year is dubious, imso. I can take Newman and Jenkins (especially if DRC is on that list) and go right at Samuel. Back to the Pro Bowl...
DRC made the Pro Bowl over Jenkins last year. Jenkins was an "alternate". Let's see how the two NFC players stacked up according to
Pro Football Focus. I wanted to compare them, because they are both in the NFC, and they both have played 2 years. This was Jenkins first year starting full time while DRC took over during his rookie year, and he didn't have blockades in his way like Jenkins did.
Here are the numbers, according to
Pro Football Focus, on
Mike Jenkins and
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie of the Cardinals:
Mike Jenkins:
Snaps:
942
Yards:
585
TA:
99
YPA:
5.9
CP%:
50.5%
TD:
2
INT:
5 (2 taken away by penalty not on him)
PD:
15
YAC:
219
REC:
50
Long:
36
DRC:
Snaps:
987
Yards:
781
TA:
120
YPA:
6.5
CP%:
50.8%
TD:
6
INT:
6
PD:
16
YAC:
310
REC:
61
Long:
62
DRC's numbers are good, and you can make a case for him. He did give up 6 TDs and was targeted
120 times, though. His YAC yards are above 300, too. He is some what of a gambler, too. That is a ton of times to be targeted. Who is the Cardinals other CB? I don't even know.
Look at
Mike Jenkins' numbers according to PFF. Look at that
5.9 YPA. While YPA shouldn't be used as the sole judge of a CB (imo), it is a good stat that should be used in context. Compare Jenkins' YPA to Samuel's 8.8 YPA according to PFF. Might as well go at one of the "almighty ones".... Jenkins beats Samuel and DRC in YPA according to PFF.
Jenkins had one less pick, but he also had 2 picks taken away from him on penalties by other players. He could have tallied 7 INTs. DRC had one more pass defensed. Those two stats do not separate them. Both had a very good completion %.
What separates them?
Jenkins has the better YPA
5.9 to 6.5.
Jenkins was targeted 21 fewer times than DRC. 99 to 120
Jenkins gave up fewer yards: 585 to 781
Jenkins gave up 11 fewer receptions: 50 to 61
Jenkins gave up 219 YAC yards while DRC gave up 310 YAC yards. DRC gave up 91 more YAC yards.
Jenkins gave up 2 TD while DRC gave up 6.
Jenkins' longest reception against was 36 yards.
DRC longest reception against was 62 yards.
The INTs are 6 to 5 in favor of DRC, but Jenkins had two taken away (as stated above). 6-5 is a wash, anyway.
PFF rates Jenkins as the better run defender.
These stats say that Jenkins was the better player. I would like to see Joyner's numbers. Maybe, DRC should not have gotten that Pro Bowl bid over Jenkins.
Heck,
Asante Samuel shouldn't have gone over Jenkins, not even close, imo. Samuel had 9 INTs, but look at the amount of times he got beat. Jenkins had 5 picks and two taken away, and his YPA was top notch. I don't know why they don't take 4 CBs instead of three. It doesn't make any sense.
Here are the first three 2009 NFC Pro Bowl choices:
Woodson
Samuel
DRC
You could make a strong case (based on these numbers) that
Mike Jenkins should have started the Pro Bowl and not as an "alternate". You know, if you make a Pro Bowl, you should be known as a Pro Bowler, not an "alternate" Pro Bowler. Woodson and DRC had to pull out.
Newman was named, and then Jenkins was named after Newman.
The bottom line is this. This position has been judged by just picks and INTs for TDs for a while. That is how
DeAngelo Hall was named to 2 Pro Bowls while the better player, the more consistent, reliable player stayed home (
Terence Newman). While picks are important, they should not be the only criteria for judging a CB. There should be a complete picture and a body of work to be judged on.
I'll take Mike Jenkins' consistent, reliable play in 2009 over DRC's tendency to gamble for picks all day long and twice on Sunday. It will be fun to compare these guys for the years to come.
http://profootballfocus.com/by_posi...e=r&runpass=&teamid=-1&numsnaps=75&numgames=1
