If you haven’t seen either game Baltimore Ravens QB Tyler Huntley started in 2022, you’ve been missing out on the worst quarterback play you’ve ever seen in your life.
With Lamar Jackson out with a knee injury, Huntley went 1-1 as a starter, 0 TUDS to go with 2 INTs, with 413 passing yards in three games.
Somehow with those numbers, Huntley was announced today as the AFC’s fourth Pro Bowl replacement at quarterback off Adam Schefter.
The three quarterbacks in the AFC Pro Bowl are Josh Allen of the Bills, Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs and Joe Burrow of the Bengals. Two substitutes landed in front of Jackson and Huntley; one is reportedly Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
If the other is Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, that means Huntley finished higher than Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. If the other is Lawrence, it means Huntley finished higher than Herbert.
This means that if one of the three quarterbacks who have been voted to the Pro Bowl decides not to participate, Huntley would participate in the game and « make » the Pro Bowl.
Tyler Huntley is three guys away from changing plans/not participating for whatever reason they choose to be recognized as one of the best quarterbacks on earth.
The numbers actually make his performance look like Better than if you were to actually watch him play.
Huntley is « so good » that without Jackson this season, Baltimore has been held to 16 points or fewer in three straight games for the first time since 2000.
The Ravens have scored just two touchdowns in three games, including none in the final seven quarters.
To put this Huntley Pro Bowl crap into perspective, here’s a quick list of AFC QBs that were « voted » better than:
Trevor Lorenzo
Derek Carr
Yours Tagovailoa
Ryan Tannehill
Matthew Ryan
Russell Wilson
MacJones
Kenny Pickett
Davis Mills
And that’s the short list. We know Joe Flacco and Mike White are better than him, and AFC QBs like that, so I saved us some time and didn’t list guys like Jacoby Brissett or Teddy Bridgewater.
Huntley allegedly received more votes than any unnamed AFC quarterback, Mahomes, Burrow, Herbert or Lamar Jackson.
By any imaginable statistical metric, there are at least 15+ QBs in the AFC most deserving of this potential accolade.
Who is Tyler Huntley?
When Anthony Wright is asked if he’s Tyler Huntley, Anthony Wright takes offense.
Tyler Huntley makes Anthony Wright look like Steve McNair. Tyler Huntley is the black Kyle Boller.
But the big problem here isn’t Tyler Huntley. The Pro Bowl is a complete joke.
And that FINALLY proves that Pro Bowl selections don’t matter. To judge any player in NFL history against players from another era, « x player made x Pro Bowls during his career. »
So how are Pro Bowlers selected? I should add for a game that doesn’t even exist anymore, which is further confirmation that the accolade is complete BS.
How are Pro Bowlers selected?
The rosters are selected based on three voting groups: fans, players and coaches. The vote in each category represents one-third of determining the 88 pro bowlers. The NFL is the only sports league to use votes from fans, players and coaches to determine who makes the Pro Bowl.
How are Pro Bowl alternatives determined?
Six players have been named as replacements for the Pro Bowl, meaning they would be on the shortlist to replace players who are either set to play in the Super Bowl or simply choose not to fly to Las Vegas. But curiously, the only one advertised currently is Huntley, via Schefter, via « league sources ».
So, I dug more because this is absolute crap. I have nothing against Tyler Huntley aside this tweet i pumped out a week ago watching him struggle to complete the most basic of forward passes – all the boy wants to do is run.
I’m not usually a fan of Mike Florio, but he took a deep dive who’s even more cantankerous than me on this matter. It’s worth reading here. From the piece:
The article includes this not-so-subtle sales pitch: “Huntley should be a free agent this offseason and will continue his attempt on Saturday to prove his worth to Baltimore and other teams. If some top quarterbacks retire and Huntley ends up making the Pro Bowl, his offseason value could be further increased.
First of all, there is no Pro Bowl, just a series of made-for-TV events. It’s hard to see how Huntley’s value as a football player would be « increased » in any way if he gets an invitation to participate in a bunch of non-football stuff.
Second, and far more important, Huntley will not be a free agent after the season, not in the way that term is always used. He will be limited free agent.
Huntley did not play until December 4, a game during which Jackson suffered a knee injury. And while some players get grades based solely on reputation, how would Huntley garner enough support from fans, players and coaches to essentially finish seventh among all quarterbacks in the AFC?
I’m not going to make this an article about Adam Schefter taking an agent’s pay for « earned media » – this is an article mocking the Pro Bowl and how a player’s notoriety is summed up by Pro Bowl appearances as buffoonery. It’s a direct popularity contest.
Since 2010, players from the two teams who advance to the Super Bowl do not play in the Pro Bowl and are replaced by alternate players.
Obviously either Allen or Mahomes will be in the Super Bowl. That makes Huntley a Pro Bowler an even more likely reality.
And I just won’t live in a world where that’s allowed. It’s like the time Oprah started giving away cars on her show. If an audience of 200 all gets “free cars,” you really have to wonder what the motivations and craftsmanship of that car are.
The metric that matters is unequivocally the All-Pro selections.
Being named a first- or second-team All-Pro is more prestigious because an All-Pro selection is much more exclusive than a Pro Bowl selection.
There can only be so many All-Pro selections in any given position. All-Pro is at the league level, with no required number per conference.
The NFL Pro Bowl has gone from one of football’s most prestigious awards to one of the biggest sports jokes. And players like Huntley are why.
People drop out all the time because they’re injured or don’t want to play, and now that Super Bowl players can’t make the Pro Bowl, players seem to default in because no one else can or wants to make them play.
High-profile players like Tom Brady drop out of the Pro Bowl every year, paving the way for mediocres to get there shot in this all-star game.
To call Tyler Huntley mediocre would be an insult to players like Trent Dilfer and would give him far more credit than he deserves, for things he didn’t get.
