Pro Bowl snubs include Lions’ Matthew Stafford, Cowboys’ Sean Lee
My five cents
1. Players say they don’t care about the Pro Bowl … until they are left off the team. Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Minnesota Viking cornerback Terence Newman and Chicago Bears guard Josh Sitton are notable players snubbed by players, coaches and fans in all-star voting.
2. Derek Carr and Andrew Luck have met once previously. They were Texas high school quarterbacks in a 2007 Class 5A Region III semifinal game. Carr, a junior at Fort Bend Clements, completed 11 of 16 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns in a driving rain to beat Stratford 31-27. Luck, a senior at Stratford, completed 15 of 24 passes for 166 yards while rushing for 94. Carr moved to Bakersfield, Calif., the following season and played his senior year at Bakersfield Christian.
3. The Green Bay Packers might have found their answer at running back. Receiver Ty Montgomery had 162 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries last week, giving him 243 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries the past three games. Montgomery played receiver, running back and quarterback at Dallas St. Mark’s, rushing for 823 yards as a senior. He had 334 rushing yards in four seasons at Stanford.
4. The annual Sean Payton coaching rumors have started. CBS Sports reported the New Orleans Saints could deal Payton for “hefty trade compensation.” Payton, a former Cowboys assistant who makes his off-season home in DFW, signed a five-year contract extension during the off-season.
5. Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, who turns 37 next week, said he has no plans to retire. He ranks only 24th in passer rating at 85.8 and has 22 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Palmer signed a one-year extension worth $24.35 million in August, putting him under contract through 2018, with the next two years fully guaranteed.
This story was originally published December 23, 2016 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Pro Bowl snubs include Lions’ Matthew Stafford, Cowboys’ Sean Lee."