Donnie Jones snubbed - TWICE!

Anyone watching the Rams this year knows their only consistent player, their only decent player, the only player remotely worth consideration for the Pro Bowl, has been the punter, Donnie Jones. (Scott Linehan's only good personnel move.)

While the rest of the team has crumbled into Washington General-like futility, Donnie Jones just comes on the field and blasts the hell out of the ball every time. Early in the season he was even making TD-saving tackles on punt returns. Little did I realize that coming out of Sunday's game against Seattle, Jones was the #1 punter in the NFL with a 50.2 average, and his 40.9 net led the NFC and was good for 3rd in the entire league. And as the Post-Dispatch pointed out, Jones' performance borders on historical; there hasn't been a punter with a season average over 50 yards since the just-departed Sammy Baugh.

So, he's #1 in pure distance in the league, and #1 in net in the conference (by nearly a yard), so it's obvious who the NFC's Pro Bowl punter is, right?

Of course. Jeff Freaking Feagles.

Jeff Freaking Feagles, who is TWENTIETH in the NFL in punting average (though 2nd in the NFC in net). It's not even close; he's a full SIX YARDS A PUNT worse than Jones.

So we have a further addition to the mountain of evidence that the people who pick all-star rosters in sports are IDIOTS. And the Wise can't blame the fans; Pro Bowl balloting is still 2/3 coaches and players.

Whatever the hell they're watching.


Then again, Jones' own team just this week failed to recognize him as their best player. The Rams' vote for team MVP went to O.J. Atogwe, a few days after his woeful coverage of Deion Branch on a 45-yard bomb set up the Seattle FG that beat the Rams 23-20.

Atogwe's a nice player, and an effective playmaker in his ability to force fumbles, but he's been a repeat offender in coverage, which dulls some of that contribution. Donnie Jones has been playing at a historically-unprecedented level at his position all year and his ability to help the Rams in field position has made the most valuable defensive player on the team.

Jones should be the team MVP and the NFC's Pro Bowl punter, but he gets neither distinction from his inattentive peers.