DENVER — Justin Simmons was philosophical about his Pro Bowl snub although he didn’t sell himself short with false bravado.
The Denver Broncos’ star safety felt like he got robbed of his just reward.
“I did,’’ Simmons said Thursday. “First and foremost I think the guys that made it were more than deserving. Those three guys have had a heckuva year.’’
Hold on there, Justin. Simmons was being generous especially for Kansas City’s Tyrann Mathieu. The Honey Badger has a catchy nickname and he had a Week 1 pick six that apparently carried through the consciousness of Pro Bowl voters through the season. But he’s not near the overall player as Simmons. The Los Angeles Chargers’ Derwin James, a terrific hitter and playmaker who is often hurt, and Tennessee’s Kevin Byard were the other safeties named. Byard is terrific – his five interceptions matches Simmons and he has five more tackles with 73. But if two free safeties were taken instead of two strong safeties, Simmons would have made it. He was the first alternate Pro Bowl safety.
“Of course you ask any guy in this league that’s competitive you always think you’re the best at what you do,’’ Simmons said. “Obviously, I think I’m the best at what I do.‘’
Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell seemed to take Simmons’ snub harder than the player. Donatell used his Thursday news conference to deliver a structured, point-by-point glowing tribute of Simmons. Many of Simmons’ attributes that Donatell outlined could not have been known by voters or anyone else not intimately involved in the Denver defense.
“Justin is the type of guy—he doesn’t want to talk about Pro Bowls,’’ Donatell said. “He wants to talk about what he can do to help this team get back to the Super Bowl. All his energy is to that kind of thing. That’s how he works.
“As far as the deep part of the field—middle safety—his abilities are unmatched, and he has production to verify that. He’s the catalyst of this defense. He’s the connector -- that’s why we’ve been able to play with different combinations of linebackers and still have the flow and continuity. Our red zone has been very good over the last three years, and it’s not what we do, it’s how we do it. He’s a big part of that how. He gets all of the little, tiny things right at instances to give us a competitive advantage as a defense.
“This guy is the same guy every day in his preparation. I can say that for Pat (Surtain II, the Broncos’ rookie cornerback,) too. Pat’s headed in the right direction on this. Justin is like a [former Broncos Hall of Fame safety) Steve Atwater. Steve Atwater—it wasn’t on his terms of how he was going to perform every day for his teammates and his coaches. That’s really important.
“You can’t have a stronger catalyst for your organization. You see the things he does in the community on top of everything he does to help this team. The best way to sum him up, he binds people together, whether it be on the field or in the community. That’s how I feel about Justin.”
But here’s how it works for Pro Bowl selections. Mathieu, James and Byard play on teams that have a combined 27-15 record. Those three teams are in the AFC playoffs if the season ended today, which it did as far as the Pro Bowl voting is concerned. The Broncos are outside the playoff picture with a 7-7 record and that comes after four consecutive losing seasons.
The Broncos played in two primetime games this season and didn’t perform well in either, losing to a backup group of Browns, 17-14 and the Chiefs, 22-9.
“Anytime you’re winning, you get more primetime games,’’ Simmons said. “There’s more national coverage. Players and teams and fans get to see your team play. And then with that comes a lot more recognition. Like Pat’s (Surtain) been playing absolutely amazing. Dre’Mont (Jones) has been playing absolutely amazing. We’ve had linebackers plug in week-in and week-out play absolutely amazing.
“I just think guys don’t get the recognition they deserve unfortunately because we haven’t been winning football games. And even though we’ve been in position the last few games to potentially be first in our division or have a one-up in terms of heading into the playoffs, we just haven’t found a way to win those games. For me, that’s a little bit more important. Because once those things start happening the recognition starts coming.”
RELATED: Broncos shutout from Pro Bowl
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Sports