Whomever the Republicans want to run against Barack Obama in 2012 needs to call the Redskins marketing department for some help. They can really get the voters to the polls.
Well, if we all could vote for out presidents online.
Because of an aggressive campaign, the Redskins have managed to get 20 of their players as the top vote getters in the Pro Bowl voting. The Redskins have leaders in 16 of the 19 positions.
Right now, eight of the 11 starters on both offense and defense would be Redskins. All four special teams positions are led by Redskins -- including punter Ryan Plackemeier, who joined the team midseason. Shawn Springs is the leading vote getter at cornerback even though he hasn't played but half the season.
Fullback Mike Sellers has nearly 33% of the total votes for his position and could be a shoo-in to win. Rookie safety Chris Horton has a 206% lead over second place. The fan voting accounts for one-third of the overall tally and it isn't known if the coaches vote or players vote would be enough to knock all of them out.
Clinton Portis trails only Drew Brees in overall voting and should be in the Pro Bowl. You can argue that Sellers, Chris Cooley and Santana Moss should also be there. Guys like Andre Carter (who is second to Justin Tuck in voting for defensive ends) don't.
The Redskins have used a variety of means to get the word out, including having Hall of Famers Sam Huff and Sonny Jurgensen in internet ads asking for your vote. It has been so successful that the NFL sent an e-mail to all 32 teams to highlight what the Redskins have done.
"As it stands right now, the Redskins are leading the NFC ballots in 16 of 19 positions," said the e-mail, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press. "It's no surprise, given that they have been promoting this all season long. ... This would be a great weekend to promote Pro Bowl voting to your fans. Let me know if you need any ideas or support from the league (or the Redskins) in this important initiative."
This, of course, raises the question of whether fans should be allowed to vote for these teams. My opinion is "yes" since the game is for the fans ... and the fact that I think the NFL Pro Bowl should just go away. Yes, is screws with the deserving players who won't go to the Pro Bowl by not reaching bonuses in their contracts. No, it isn't fair. But that is what you get when you decide to involve the fans in these matters.
Twenty Redskins Lead Pro Bowl Voting originally appeared on NFL FanHouse on Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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