Three Patriots Make the All-Pro Team
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The votes are in for the AP 2010 NFL All-Pro Team, and there are three New England Patriots who have been selected, one unanimously. QB Tom Brady received every vote from the AP panel, earning his second All-Pro selection but his first unanimous vote. Even in the record-breaking 2007 season, Brady was not voted in unanimously. He missed it by half a vote, sharing a ballot with Brett Favre (blah). Certainly, Brady would rather be playing in a Super Bowl than earning an individual honor. However, it is certainly a well-deserved honor, even if it doesn’t seem to mean a whole heck of a lot to him.
So what other Patriots made the All-Pro Team?
Linebacker Jerod Mayo, who led the NFL in tackles this year, was selected for the first time in his career. Also selected was guard Logan Mankins, which is pretty amazing considering he missed the first 8 weeks in a holdout. Personally, I don’t think any player that misses that amount of time, especially in a holdout, should be selected as an All-Pro. There are other deserving players who were there for their teammates for the entire season. Don’t get me wrong, I think Mankins’ play is certainly top-notch, but he only did it for half of a season.
**Update** Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer, nose tackle Vince Wilfork, and rookie corner back Devin McCourty were named second-team All-Pro’s. Being named an All-Pro, even a second-team All-Pro, is quite an honor, even more so if you’re a rookie, so a big congrats to Devin McCourty.
All three of the All-Pro selections were also selected to the Pro Bowl, though Brady will not be playing due to surgery on the stress fracture in his foot. This coming Sunday will be the last chance we get to see Bill Belichick and some of the 2010 Patriots in action. One thing to watch for is Belichick’s interaction with other players. His usual stoic demeanor tends to take a back seat when he’s interacting with players, and cameras and given more access to the players, coaches, and practices for the Pro Bowl. Perhaps a future Patriot lies on the Pro Bowl roster?