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JJ Watt went to five Pro Bowls in his illustrious NFL career that will likely see him donning a gold jacket in the future. Now, he is an NFL analyst with CBS Sports. However, not everyone is a fan of former players like him talking about the NFL.
Former NFL running back Rashard Mendenhall took to Twitter (X) to say he is not a fan of "average white guys" commenting about football. Mendenhall added that the Pro Bowl should have a team of all-black players against a squad of all-white players.
Watt gave an interesting response:
"We’d get cooked at corner, not gonna lie. Nobody on our squad is covering Tyreek," he tweeted.
According to Statista, 56.4 percent of the players are Black followed by White at 26.4 percent. It does not seem that the former Pittsburgh Steelers running back will get his wish anytime soon.
The Pro Bowl underwent a massive overhaul last year. The NFL announced last September that it would now be called "The Pro Bowl Games," which made its debut in February at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. The week-long celebration showcases the skill set of NFL players through various new events.
It will culminate as the AFC and NFC face off in an action-packed flag game featuring the Pro Bowl players. The captains of the flag football teams will be Eli and Peyton Manning once again. In the previous format, the two conferences competed in an exhibition game that felt meaningless to some players and fans.
2023 NFL Pro Bowl voting leaders heading into Week 16
On the NFC, the Pro Bowl games might see plenty of San Francisco 49ers stars based on the voting entering Week 16. Christian McCaffrey is leading all running backs with over 100K votes, and his teammate, quarterback Brock Purdy, has close to 85K votes.
Tua Tagovailoa leads all quarterbacks in voting while his teammates, Raheem Mostert and Tyreek Hill, are also top vote-getters in the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs have Travis Kelce and Creed Humphrey leading the way at their respective positions.
Top Vote Getters (Offense)
The defenses of San Francisco and Baltimore have plenty of representation so far in the voting. Defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave lead the way in the NFC. Roquon Smith, Geno Stone and Kyle Hamilton lead the way on the AFC side.
Top Vote Getters (Defense)
Lastly, kicker Brandon Aubrey could make it in his rookie season while Braxton Berrios could make his first Pro Bowl based on the voting so far.
Top Vote Getters (Special Teams)
Fans can vote directly on Twitter (X) by tweeting the first and last name of the player, tagging the player's official Twitter handle, or making a hashtag including the player's first and last name. All three must include the hashtag: #ProBowlVote.
