Earlier on Tuesday, MDS pointed out that seven of the eight 49ers selected to the Pro Bowl had either been forced out of the game by injury or opted not to play.
You can go ahead and call those the good old days because it’s now a clean sweep. Linebacker Ahmad Brooks has joined his seven teammates on the outside looking in at this year’s Pro Bowl.
The absence of 49ers underscores the issue that the NFL is having in generating interest in the Pro Bowl. Changing the makeup of the teams and the format of the game is all well and good, but the complete absence of players from the NFC runner-ups makes it clear that it remains an uphill battle to make the game into the true All-Star Game that the league would like it to be.
The Redskins announced that linebacker Brian Orakpo will replace Brooks on the roster. Orakpo had 10 sacks and returned an interception for a touchdown in 2013, a strong rebound from a 2012 lost to a torn pectoral and a strong body of work for potential suitors to analyze when deciding to make a run at Orakpo if he becomes a free agent in March.