My 2011 AFC Pro Bowl Starters

Whenever the Pro Bowl rosters are announced there are those players that people feel got "snubbed", and the 2011 version is no different. Give the NFL it's due, because they seem to do a better job than either the NBA or MLB. The NFL's three pronged selection process, where players, coaches, and fans vote, seems to work the best. Of the 22 starters on both offense and defense, there are only four changes that I would make. Here are those that were voted in and the changes I would make, and most importantly why I would make those changes.

Offense: New England Patriots quarterback, Tom Brady, is probably the easiest pick on the team. He is set to start and I wholeheartedly agree. Joining him in the backfield will be two Houston Texans, Arian Foster, who led the NFL in rushing, and Vonta Leach at fullback. No problems there either. At the tackle positions we have Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns and D'Brickashaw Ferguson of the New York Jets, both solid choices. At center there is an obvious choice, the Jets Nick Mangold. Now we encounter our first problem position, guard. The chosen ones were Kris Dielman of the San Diego Chargers and Logan Mankins of the Patriots. Dielman is fine, but how can Mankins make the Pro Bowl when he only played nine of sixteen games. Mankins wasn't hurt, but rather holding out due to a contract squabble, so I give his spot to someone else. Brian Waters of the Kansas City Chiefs gets the start for me. Veteran Chargers tight end, Antonio Gates, missed six games but still managed to lead all AFC tight ends in reception yards. Gates gets to keep his spot because he missed his time because he was injured. Finishing off the offense are the wide receivers, Brandon Lloyd of the Denver Broncos and Reggie Wayne of the Indianapolis Colts were picked. I think Wayne had a down year in touchdowns and I'd rather have Dwayne Bowe of the Chiefs, who led the NFL in touchdown receptions.

Defense: We will start with the defensive line. All four selections are good ones. At the ends are Robert Mathis of the Colts and Jason Babin of the Tennessee Titans. The defensive tackles are Haloti Ngata of the Baltimore Ravens and Vince Wilfork of the Patriots. On to the linebackers where the vote got two out of three right. On the outside will be James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cameron Wake of the Miami Dolphins, which are good choices. At inside linebacker is where I have an issue. The Ravens Ray Lewis had a decent year, but mainly was picked on his reputation. A more deserving candidate in my book is Jerod Mayo of the Patriots, who led the NFL in tackles.

In the secondary the Ravens Ed Reed and the Steelers Troy Polamalu will be the safeties, both no brainers. The last change will be at the cornerback position. Darrelle Revis of the Jets stays on as a starter, but Nnamdi Asomugha of the Oakland Raiders will be replaced by rookie Devin McCourty of the Patriots. Asomugha didn't have an interception all year, while McCourty had seven. Asomugha also only had 19 tackles, while McCourty had 82. Teams may not be throwing Asomugha's way as much as they do McCourty's, but the difference in the numbers are too big to ignore.

More from this contributor:

5 Best College Bowl Games in my Lifetime

The Best Baseball Announcers of All Time

10 Best Sports Video Games Ever

Sources:

pro-football-reference.com

nfl.com/probowl