You could tell that Matt Nagy badly wanted to give his full, unadulterated thoughts on Allen Robinson’s Pro Bowl exclusion. Nagy’s tone immediately shifted when he was asked about it, and the anger on his face grew with each stunted attempt to find diplomatic words.
“You really want to know?,” Nagy finally asked, after more than a few moments of tense silence. “Yeah. I'll just say this: A-Rob. He – A-Rob is a pro. I'll just leave it at that. A-Rob, he's special. A-Rob, he's unbelievable. Unbelievable. That word snub. A-Rob is unbelievable and needs to be in the Pro Bowl.”
That’s been the company line since Sunday night, when the NFL announced the Pro Bowl rosters. Robinson’s been the best player on the Bears’ offense all season, and his inclusion had become something of a foregone conclusion.
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Instead, the NFC is sending New Orleans’ Michael Thomas, Atlanta’s Julio Jones, and Tampa Bay’s Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. All four – from the same division, no less – are worthy inclusions. That doesn’t make those around Halas Hall any less angry for Robinson, who put up stats worthy of playing in the sparsely-attended Orlando showcase.
“He's a Pro Bowler in my mind,” Mitch Trubisky said. “He's done a lot for this team and he's played his tail off all season long. I mean, I don't know what goes on with the voting and all of that but he's had a heck of a year and I'm very proud that he's one of our leaders and a great teammate.”
By all accounts, 2019’s been the second-best season of Allen Robinson’s six-year career. Going into Week 16, his total yards (1,023), touchdowns (7), and yards per game (73.1) are all pacing only behind his stellar 2015 season – the only other time he’s made a Pro Bowl. Assuming he stays involved over the next two games, he’ll set career highs in Catch% (63.8) and first downs as well. All this for an offense that ranks 23rd overall in DVOA and, if you can believe it, won’t be sending anyone to the game.
“It’s unfortunate, certainly, for him individually,” offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said. “I know he would be the first guy to say it’s team first over individual first. That’s the type of guy he is, the type of leader he is, and if we had put together a few more wins, it’s probably a no-brainer. It’s a tough deal for him, but at the same time, I know he’s all about the team.”
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Helfrich is right in a sense – the only person who *wasn’t* visibly upset about the ‘snub’ was Robinson himself. He had mentioned throughout the season that being named to the Pro Bowl was a bigger deal for his family than him personally, and, quite frankly, with the amount of players who decide against playing in the game, it’s not unlikely that Robinson ends up there anyways. He thinks he played well enough to merit consideration, but you won’t catch him sweating it, either.
“Oh yeah, definitely. I believe I did – I thought I made plays when my name was called,” Robinson said. “But again, that’s not something I’m going to lose sleep over or anything like that.”
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