-
josh weinfuss
Tempe, Arizona — Cardinals edge runner passion sweat He didn’t hold back his disappointment Wednesday at being named a Pro Bowl alternate this week.
The eight-year veteran said he was unjustly denied one of two ways to give a player individual recognition, despite being the only NFC player with double-digit points and not receiving a Pro Bowl invitation.
“I’m upset because there’s only two individual things you can get to and that’s Pro Bowl and All-Pro,” Sweat said. “And one was taken away from me. I’m categorically saying that it was taken away from me – and it’s not the first time.”
Sweat has already equaled his career-high 11.0 sacks, and his 4.0 forced fumbles this season not only lead the NFL, but are also a career high. He’s also playing in a scheme under Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis — both of whom coached Sweat in 2021 and 2022. philadelphia eagles – which allows him to move from one side to the other and play freely; While in Philadelphia, Sweat said, he was confined to one side.
“It’s like I don’t know what else I could have done at that time,” said Sweat, who is in his first season with the Cardinals. “I don’t know what else I could have done. Now in years past, maybe you could say they didn’t have the popularity, maybe they didn’t get the fan vote. This year, I was second in the fan voting for the NFC. It’s like, what else did they want me to do? The popularity was there. You could say the team was losing. It didn’t matter; I had the popularity.”
Sweat was the second leading vote getter among outside linebackers in the NFC and fourth overall. apart from New York Giants linebacker brian burns – Who was second in outside linebacker votes and second in total sacks – The other two NFC outside linebackers to make the Pro Bowl were two Los Angeles Rams, byron young And jared verseYoung was eighth overall and fourth in the NFC in voting, and he has the same number of sacks as Sweat, Vers was 10th overall and fifth in the NFC in voting with 6,5 sacks,
“The fans said, ‘That’s got to be the guy; we want him.’ My play showed I needed to stay in,” Sweat said. “But somewhere, some popularity within the league said he shouldn’t be in it. I just want to know if I’m crazy. The only double-digit NFC guy who couldn’t make it. They just wave a player card in your face, like, ‘Go vote. Look at the sacks and forced fumbles.’ But you’re on a better team or your team is losing or whatever; I’m not really trying to listen to any of that. I just want what I earned and worked for.”
Sweat said the fanfare is more in the Pro Bowl players’ faces than the All-Pro, which makes the Pro Bowl a “big deal.” He said not making the Pro Bowl was “disappointing” and that he wanted to play football and be recognized for his work.
He said that this humiliation made him feel as if his “efforts were wasted” – although, he said, this was not the case because he still wanted to play football.
“It still shows you’re one of the top guys in the league no matter how you made it,” Sweat said. “You were one of the photos there that was initially looked at, and I didn’t find anything. So, that’s why it’s important. That’s why it’s important.”
Sweat, who was also named a Pro Bowl option in 2021, but when called up nick bossa Hurt, he said he felt bad for the fans who voted for him.
“In previous years, I was in first place almost every time and I didn’t have a fan vote,” Sweat said. “This year, I got the fan vote and you’re going to tell me all of a sudden the players and coaches don’t respect me anymore? Man, oh no. Man, stop playing with me. But I mean, before I get fined and all that—-, I have to relax. But it was taken. It was.”
