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The NFL announced the 2013 Pro Bowl rosters tonight, with the Miami Dolphins landing one player, defensive end Cameron Wake, on the AFC's team. Wake is currently third in the AFC in sacks, behind fellow Pro Bowl defensive end J.J. Watt from the Houston Texans and Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller of the Denver Broncos. The Dolphins' star defensive end has 15 sacks, a career high, and has been rated as the top pass rusher, according to Pro Football Focus, all season.
However, two Miami players who were worthy of being named to the Pro Bowl were left of the roster. Punter Brandon Fields is currently second in the NFL in punting average wit a career high of 50.3 yards per kick. He has pinned opposing offenses inside their own 20 yard line 26 times on the year. Instead, Kansas City Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt took the AFC's roster slot.
Colquitt is averaging 46.9 yards per kick this year, and is giving up the second highest return average in the league, with teams bringing his kicks back 14.2 yards. The upside of Colquitt this year is, he has pinned teams inside their 20-yard line 43 times, out of the 75 times he has kicked the ball.
The bigger snub, however, is center Mike Pouncey. The Dolphins' second year center has been dominating teams all year, and is a huge part of the development and success of rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Pouncey routinely clears the first level, and moves down field to block in the second level on running plays, springing Reggie Bush, who should reach the 1,000 yard mark for the second time in his career this week against the New England Patriots.
Pouncey is ranked by Pro Football Focus as the fifth best center in the league, tied with the Houston Texans' Chris Myers. Ahead of those two are all NFC centers, meaning, according to their rankings, Myers and Pouncey should be the Pro Bowlers out of the AFC. Myers was named to the Pro Bowl tonight, but Pouncey was left off the roster, with his twin brother, Maurkice, making the roster from the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Maurkice is ranked as the 14th best center in the league, according to PFF.
Mike was left off the roster simply because Maurkice came into the league a year earlier than Mike, who stayed at Florida for his senior year.
The Dolphins had other players who could have made the Pro Bowl, including safety Reshad Jones and rookie special teams/return man Marcus Thigpen (3rd in the NFL in kick return average and 5th in punt return average), but the fact that Pouncey and Fields were completely left off the roster cannot be seen as anything except a snub.