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The NFL's Pro Bowl has admittedly become a bit of a joke. The Pro Bowl Draft, initially hoped to spice up the event, is just silly and only televises a handful of the selections anyway. Further adding to the frustration is the fact that there were 35 replacement players in the game this January who were tabbed to substitute in for injured players or those participating in the Super Bowl.
The next edition of the Pro Bowl is one that the NFL hopes to reinvigorate the game once again, but the process and the game is still flawed - it's glorified touch football, which is hardly exciting for fans of the game. One thing that might add some viewership is a little more intensity, and we know just the person to bring it: Packers defensive end Mike Daniels.
Daniels was tabbed by NFL.com as one of their players who are "primed to make their Pro Bowl debuts" in the upcoming season. Of course, Packers fans hope that Daniels would be selected but would be unable to play due to having another engagement the following week in the Super Bowl, but it's not hard to imagine him bringing his telltale passion and attitude to Orlando if he is chosen this year.
As the article notes, "The Pro Bowl is often one or two years behind in recognizing emerging players, so Daniels is due." We would argue that he's well overdue, but that's neither here nor there. Daniels has posted 16 sacks in his last three seasons with the Packers, despite not even being a starter in 2013 and playing in a scheme that typically does not lead to big numbers from the defensive linemen. The guy absolutely deserves to get some recognition from the NFL community as a whole, beyond just a token inclusion at the back end of the league's "Top 100" list.
There are a handful of other players on this list who also have been surprising Pro Bowl snubs over the years. Take Patriots linebacker Dont'a Hightower or Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore, for example. However, of all the players listed, only Daniels has played in every one of his team's games over the past three years, which should further add to his case.
If Daniels continues to play at his current level, he absolutely deserves an invite to Orlando in January. Hopefully he will get one and will have to turn it down.