Tag: Votes

Rashid Shaheed leads all NFC returns specialists in Pro Bowl Games votes

Rashid Shaheed leads all NFC returns specialists in Pro Bowl Games votes. The second-year Saints standout is a rising star:

Don’t blink or you’ll miss him. Rashid Shaheed leads all NFC returns specialists in Pro Bowl Games votes. The second-year standout is a rising star in the NFL, and he’s the only member of the New Orleans Saints to lead his position group in voting after the first round of fan ballots, the league announced this week.

And it’s easy to see why. Shaheed has missed a game with an injury and he’s still one of the top-performing punt returners, averaging 14.4 yards a pop on 18 returns; only one player in the league has a better pace while fielding as many punts (Los Angeles Chargers receiver Derius Davis, who has 16.6 yards per return on 19 tries).

Shaheed’s 343 kick return yards are second-best in the NFL, too. There’s just one player with more total return yards on punts and kickoffs this season, and that’s Keisean Nixon (Green Bay Packers), whose 8.1 yards per punt return is pedestrian by contrast. There are few players who can match Shaheed for volume and efficiency.

Hopefully Shaheed can return to work soon and continue to produce so he can earn his first Pro Bowl nod. He missed last week’s game with a thigh injury that’s kept him out of practice to start this week, too, so we’ll keep an eye on his status moving forwards.

Fans interested in voting for Shaheed (and the other Saints players on this year’s ballot) may do so at ProBowl.com/Vote, as well as on the Saints’ official website here. Voting will open on social media platforms later in December.

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Tyrann Mathieu leads all Saints players in Pro Bowl voting

Tyrann Mathieu doesn’t just lead all New Orleans Saints players in Pro Bowl voting. He’s their only player who leads his position group:

Woof. The New Orleans Saints often send four, five, and six or more players to the Pro Bowl each year, but they aren’t exactly resonating with fans this season. After a week of voting on social media, just one Saints player leads his position group in votes across the NFC: free safety Tyrann Mathieu.

The NFL shared updates on Pro Bowl voting Wednesday, and Mathieu leads all safeties in the conference (as well as all Saints players) in votes with 44,674 ballots and counting. Public voting ends Thursday, Dec. 15 with players and coaches casting their votes on Friday, Dec. 16, and results to be announced shortly after.

It’s good to see at least one Saints player making some noise, but it’s hard to believe Mathieu isn’t getting a boost from his reputation. He hasn’t quite met expectations this season after signing with his hometown team as a much-lauded free agent pickup. Mathieu is credited with 2 interceptions and 5 pass breakups, plus a fumble recovery, 64 combined tackles (46 solo, 2 tackles for loss), and a quarterback hit. With that said, Mathieu has been selected for three Pro Bowls in his career and two in both of the last two years, so he’s clearly still popular with fans.

We’ll have to wait and see if any of the other regulars make the cut as well. Defensive end Cameron Jordan has made more Pro Bowl appearances (7) than anyone else on the roster, but the trio of running back Alvin Kamara (5), cornerback Marshon Lattimore (4), and wide receiver Michael Thomas (3) haven’t exactly impressed this season, though Lattimore and Thomas have both missed extensive time with injuries. Left guard Andrus Peat (3) and running back Mark Ingram II (2) are the only other players on the squad with multiple Pro Bowl nods, but they might be long shots this time around.

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Terron Armstead leads NFC offensive tackles in Pro Bowl voting

Terron Armstead leads NFC offensive tackles in Pro Bowl voting

It’s about time that Terron Armstead started getting his due credit. The New Orleans Saints left tackle leads all NFC offensive tackles — on either side of the line — in Pro Bowl voting through the first two weeks, with an impressive 64,868 ballots putting him on top, per a Thursday NFL release.

That’s big enough on its own, but then you look at the other conference and realize that he’s halfway towards lapping his AFC counterpart again; Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. leads his conference with just 41,803 votes up to this point in the process. Being the best player on what’s become the league’s best offensive line has its perks.

One of those perks will be the titanic contract extension Armstead signs in the offseason, potentially with another team. But that’s something worth worrying about later on. For now, be sure to cast your vote for Armstead and his Saints teammates.

A couple of other Saints players are awful close to taking the lead at their position groups: Deonte Harris has the third-most votes among all returns specialists, while running back Alvin Kamara and defensive end Cameron Jordan are each ranked eighth among their peers.

Let’s push them over the top. Fans can vote using the hashtag #ProBowlFanVote on Twitter along with the first and last names of the player, the player’s official Twitter handle, or a hashtag including the player’s first and last name. This ends Dec. 16, and rosters will be announced live on NFL Network and ESPN Dec. 20. The 2022 Pro Bowl itself will be played at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday, Feb. 6.

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Marshon Lattimore leads all NFC cornerbacks in Pro Bowl fan voting

New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore leads his position group in fan votes for the 2021 Pro Bowl roster representing the NFC.

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The NFL announced the early results for fan votes on the 2021 Pro Bowl rosters this week, and New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore led his position group in the NFC with 31,053 ballots in his favor. It’s early, but he was the only Saints player to lead his position in voting so far.

Expect that to change. The Saints had 11 players voted onto the 2020 Pro Bowl roster, with Lattimore among five starters. However, the fourth-year cornerback wasn’t able to participate while recovering from offseason hand/wrist surgery. It was his second Pro Bowl nod after getting in back in 2017, when he also won Defensive Rookie of the Year recognition.

Here are the other four Pro Bowl starters from New Orleans in last year’s all-star game, and who currently ranks ahead of them in fan voting:

  • Wide receiver Michael Thomas (DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals)
  • Defensive end Cameron Jordan (Brian Burns, Carolina Panthers)
  • Kicker Wil Lutz (Younghoe Koo, Atlanta Falcons)
  • Returns specialist Deonte Harris (Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago Bears)

Fans interested in voting can do so at this link. The final rosters will count fans’ votes as one-third of the official tally, also taking votes from active players and coaches. If the Saints continue to flourish down the stretch, Lattimore should be joined by plenty of his teammates.

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NFL players vote yes, ratify new collective bargaining agreement

NFL players have voted to ratify the new collective bargaining agreement, which will govern for the next 11 seasons.

NFL players had until 9:00 p.m. PT Saturday to vote on whether or not to adopt the new collective bargaining agreement. After an independent audit of the ballots, the CBA has been ratified by a final vote count of 1019 to 959 and will govern through 2030.

Below is the statement the league issued from commissioner Roger Goodell.

“We are pleased that the players have voted to ratify the proposed new CBA, which will provide substantial benefits to all current and retired players, increase jobs, ensure continued progress on player safety, and give our fans more and better football.  We appreciate the tireless efforts of the members of the Management Council Executive Committee and the NFLPA leadership, both of whom devoted nearly a year to detailed, good faith negotiations to reach this comprehensive, transformative agreement. ”

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NFLPA extends player voting window on new CBA to Saturday

By a vote of the Board of Directors, the NFLPA has extended the voting window two days for players to submit their ballots on the new CBA.

The NFL owners have already approved a proposed new collective bargaining agreement which has been forwarded to the players to review, vote and ratify with a simple majority.

On Monday, however, the NFLPA released a statement indicating the voting window has now been extended from Thursday, March 12 to Saturday, March 14. All ballots are due by 8:59 p.m. PT.

The extension allows the players and their representatives more time to fully review the document, which is 456 pages long.

“Every vote matters, and we encourage all players to review the materials sent via email in order to make an informed decision,” the NFLPA said in a statement via Twitter.

The extension does have some potential ramifications, however, including giving teams more time to use both the franchise and transition tags before the new CBA would kick in and allow for only one tagged player.

Until the voting process is complete, NFL business is expected to be slow.

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Michael Thomas one of two unanimous selections for first-team All-Pro

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas and New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore were the only unanimous NFL All-Pros.

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The Associated Press announced its NFL All-Pro teams on Friday, and the New Orleans Saints had six players represented on the two lists. Wide receiver Michael Thomas, right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, linebacker Demario Davis, and returns specialist Deonte Harris were each selected as first-team All-Pros. Edge rusher Cameron Jordan and special teams ace J.T. Gray made the All-Pro second-team.

Interestingly, Thomas was one of just two players to be unanimously selected by the 50-strong panel of voters. He was joined by New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who tied the NFL lead for interceptions (6) on the league’s leading defense for total interceptions (25). That’s rare company for Thomas to join, but as the NFL’s king in both receptions (149) and receiving yards (1,725) there’s no doubting his qualifications. Depending on how the playoffs turn out, there’s a good chance Thomas and Gilmore may line up against each other in Super Bowl LIV.

The full list of Saints players who received All-Pro votes go as follows:

  • Wide receiver Michael Thomas, 50
  • Right tackle Ryan Ramczyk, 30
  • Punt returner Deonte Harris, 29 (plus 2 votes at kick returner, and 1 at special teamer)
  • Linebacker Demario Davis, 18
  • Edge rusher Cameron Jordan, 12
  • Special teamer J.T. Gray, 3
  • Kicker Wil Lutz, 3
  • Left tackle Terron Armstead, 2
  • Cornerback Marshon Lattimore, 1 (plus 1 vote at defensive back)

So this highlights a few issues with the Associated Press ballot. The biggest problem is that there are inconsistencies between position designations used by different voters, meaning Harris received nominations at punt returner (where he’s done most of his damage), kick returner, and special teamer. Similarly, Lattimore earned votes at both cornerback and defensive back. Until the Associated Press buckles down and makes it more clear which players are qualified for which positions, there are going to be more incongruities. At least Pro Bowl snubs like Davis and Ramczyk got their due.

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Michael Thomas trails only Amari Cooper in Pro Bowl voting

New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas might be the best in the game, but he’s behind Dallas Cowboys WR Amari Cooper in Pro Bowl voting.

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The 2020 Pro Bowl is months away, giving New Orleans Saints fans an opportunity to vote their favorite players into this year’s exhibition game. Fans can vote by following this link; we put together a list of all of the Saints players on this year’s ballot in this post.

Voting has been open for over a week, but no Saints players yet lead their category in votes earned, which is disappointing. It doesn’t help that the Pro Bowl’s position breakdowns are outdated, pitting fan-favorite Saints such as linebacker Demario Davis against pass rushers like Green Bay Packers star Preston Smith.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, one Saints player is within striking range of first place: wide receiver Michael Thomas, who some have suggested deserves recognition as the league’s Most Valuable Player. But even Thomas, the NFL’s leader in both receptions (94) and receiving yards (1,141), trails behind someone else: Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper.

That shouldn’t be too surprising. Cooper’s career has gone through a complete turnaround since the Cowboys acquired him in a trade with the Oakland Raiders, and he’s the focal point of their passing attack (logging 56 receptions for 886 yards so far). Dallas also enjoys the benefits of a national brand they’ve spent decades building, spurred on by the Cowboys’ first playoff win in five years last season. Cooper is one of the best players on a popular team, so of course he’s going to earn a ton of votes.

So it’s important for Saints fans to get out the vote and put in a ballot for Thomas. Be sure to check out the ballot and get your votes in before the Dec. 12 deadline for Pro Bowl fan voting.

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