Was Josh Sitton a Pro Bowl snub? We examine.
Now that Jay Cutler is in Miami, the number one argument among Bears’ fans seems to be whether or not the team has a good offensive line. Those who think the line is subpar think the tackles are atrocious, Josh Sitton is aging and Kyle Long is never on the field. Those that feel the line is solid, agree with the issues around Bobby Massie, but support Charles Leno to remain at left tackle, like the acquisition of Sitton (even if it cost the team Robbie Gould) and know how good Long is, even if he’s not at 100%.
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Sitton, while his age may not be what some Bears’ fans want to see, has been very productive since coming over from Green Bay. Sitton has put together another solid season in 2017. SItton has been on the field for 13 of 14 games this year and has been one of the most productive guards in the entire NFL.
Plenty of fans don’t like the grades of Pro Football Focus, but they do serve plenty of benefit for offensive line play. Their grading system for offensive lines is almost identical to how coaches grade linemen in film rooms across the country.
Looking at the PFF grades for guards, Sitton currently ranks third in the NFC. He’s currently behind Brandon Brooks of Philadelphia and Zack Martin of Dallas. It’s no coincidence that Martin and Brooks were named the starting guards of the squad. But the third NFC guard isn’t Sitton, it’s Brandon Scherff from the Washington Redskins.
Scherff was the 5th overall pick in the first round of the 2015 draft and was part of the all-rookie team that year. Since then, he’s earned Pro Bowl nods in both his second and now his third season. The Redskins as a team are struggling almost as much as Chicago so saying that Scherff is the benefit of a vastly better team would be false.
Would saying Scherff earned the spot over Sitton based on reputation be accurate? Sitton has been in the Pro Bowl three of the last four years, so that would be inaccurate as well. The bottom line on this decision? While Sitton has a slightly higher PFF grade, Scherff is part of a team that won two more games thus far this season and part of an offense that is far more effective than Sitton. It’s very difficult to make any kind of strong argument that Sitton should be in over Scherff.
Pro Bowl Snub-O-Meter- ROOM TEMPERATURE