Viking RT Brian O'Neill doesn't get the recognition he deserves due to factors outside of his control
It's been a great season for the Minnesota Vikings. They currently sit at 14-2 with a chance to earn the number one seed in the NFC along with the NFC North by beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday night in the biggest game the Vikings have had in the regular season in years. The Vikings […]
It's been a great season for the Minnesota Vikings. They currently sit at 14-2 with a chance to earn the number one seed in the NFC along with the NFC North by beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday night in the biggest game the Vikings have had in the regular season in years.
The Vikings were given a lot of respect on Thursday when they saw six of their players named to the Pro Bowl Games. On top of that, seven players were named alternates.
In the Pro Bowl Games announcement, there were some surprises for the Vikings, with one of them being the lack of supposed respect paid to right tackle Brian O'Neill.
Why Brian O'Neill didn't make the Pro Bowl
Anyone who has watched O'Neill this season knows that he's played at a Pro Bowl level all season. He's allowed just 18 pressures on the season with two of those being sacks. He even went four consecutive weeks without allowing a pressure and has six such games this season.
O'Neill has been incredibly consistent while playing 1,035 snaps this season despite missing some snaps with an ankle injury he suffered earlier in the season. the Vikings have consistently left him on an island this season and it's worked out very well for them.
This year, O'Neill was a fourth-alternate at offensive tackle. So, why isn't O'Neill a Pro Bowler this year? Simple: there is too much talent at the position in the NFC.
Despite there being 53 roster spots on a National Football League roster, there are only 42 named to the Pro Bowl Games. That limits how many players from each position make it. Heck, only two off-ball linebackers are making the game, something that hindered Blake Cashman from making the Pro Bowl this year.
Offensive tackle is an incredibly competitive position, especially in the NFC. Just among the NFC, O'Neill is competing with the likes of (bold=Pro Bowl selection):
- San Francisco's Trent Williams
- Detroit's Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell
- Philadelphia's Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson
- Tampa Bay's Tristan Wirfs
- New York's Andrew Thomas
- Minnesota's Christian Darrisaw
There is a wealth of talent at the position and there are going to be multiple talented players left out of the position every year. There are only three spots available at tackle, which arguably should be increased by one and focus on both left tackle and right tackle.
That will allow multiple players to get the recognition that they deserve.
Will the NFL do that? Unlikely. It would saturate the amount of Pro Bowls that modern players would have versus earlier eras. Is that right or wrong? That's up to interpretation, but it's likely not going to change.
For now, O'Neill is just going to have to wait to get that recognition, despite being one of the best in the NFL.
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