Pro Bowl vote offers rebuke to T.O., praise for Wayne

	In his sixth season, Bills DE Aaron Schoebel will head to Hawaii in February courtesy of his league-leading 13.5 sacks.
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With the NFL announcing its Pro Bowl teams, expect to hear chatter for the rest of the season about how certain players were screwed. Just like great actors gets snubbed at the Oscars each year, deserving NFL players are conspicuously left off the Pro Bowl. There's simply not enough room on the 42-men rosters for every top player. Nonetheless, the voting system is the best in sports because it equally weighs the opinions of coaches, players and fans. (The consensus vote of each group counts one-third.) That said, here are 10 observations about this year's voting.

TERRELL OWENS

T.O. must have seen this coming. A couple weeks ago, his website emailed fans a link to the ballot and implored them to vote for him.

Owens leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns, which is nothing to, well, spit at. But Owens's omission indicates a backlash by those exhausted by his drama: the "accidental overdose," the "faking it in practice," the rambling interviews with the fawning Michael Irvin, etc. etc. There's no other way to explain why he isn't among the four NFC wideouts. Sure Steve Smith and Torry Holt are locks, and Donald Driver is having a better statistical year than T.O. But Owens' 77 catches for 1,040 yards are better across the board than Anquan Boldin's. And the Cardinals stink this season. If T.O. wasn't such a problem child, he'd be on the team instead of Boldin. 

I don't buy the argument that Owens was penalized for his drops. Owens has always had brick hands (injured paw or not). Plus, Smith uncharacteristically has had several drops this season. To me the snub is a repudiation from coaches, fans and players, and although the voting shouldn't be about messages, it's understandable.

AARON SCHOBEL

Miami end Jason Taylor is probably the defensive player of the year, but it's refreshing to see Schobel making his Pro Bowl debut at the other end spot. The Bills' right defensive end has been one of the best at that position for the past few seasons, but hasn't always gotten the acclaim. He couldn't be denied this season, not after leading the NFL with 13.5 sacks for a unit ranked 14th overall.

Over the past four seasons, Schobel has averaged 10 sacks. Plus, he plays the run and pass equally well. (Schobel's also averaged more than 65 tackles over the past four seasons.) He exploits his exceptional quickness and closing speed with relentlessness. But I'm curious as to how Schobel will be described when he becomes better known nationally. His 38-inch vertical is the same as DeMarcus Ware's, but Ware gets touted for his athleticism while Schobel is often referred to as a hustler. You get the drift regarding the tired stereotypes.

REGGIE WAYNE

The voting was sharp enough for Indianapolis' ostensible No. 2 wideout to make his Pro Bowl debut. That tag has been a misnomer for a couple of seasons because Wayne would be a No. 1 receiver on most teams. He shouldn't  have been penalized in the past for playing opposite a future Hall of Famer. 

Wayne actually has the second-most receiving yards in the NFL at 1,213 -- only 71 fewer than Chad Johnson. Harrison is third at 1,180. Last season, Wayne led Indianapolis with 83 catches to Harrison's 82, snapping Harrison's streak of six seasons to lead the club in catches.