No one can blame the fans for Jeff Saturdayās surprising selection to the NFC Pro Bowl team.
The Green Bay Packersā center was one of three Packers players voted to the NFC team, along with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and outside linebacker Clay Matthews. Rodgers is a starter, Matthews and Saturday are backups.
This is the sixth time Saturday has made the Pro Bowl in his decorated 14-year career, but the 37-year-oldās inclusion this season was a major surprise, because just last week he lost his starting job to Evan Dietrich-Smith.
Saturday led the fansā voting at center, but that counts only one-third overall in determining Pro Bowlers. The other thirds are the voting by players and coaches. So Saturday had enough votes from those other two groups to finish second at center in the NFC, behind only Seattleās Max Unger.
Fan voting closed early last week, and players and coaches voted late last week, so both groups had 14 games on which to base their votes. Ralph Cindrich, Saturdayās agent, offered a spirited defense of his client going to the Pro Bowl after the Packers signed him as a free agent in the offseason.
āWhen (the Packers) brought him in, they knew at 37 and his weight, he wasnāt going to blow guys out of the hole,ā Cindrich said. āHe was going to call your audibles on the line, he was going to keep your offense going, he was going to keep the camaraderie and everything else. Itās like saying the president, does he really deserve to be president? Well, you voted him in, thatās the process. So, hell yes he deserves to be in (the Pro Bowl). Thatās me saying it.ā