Its not the players or fans voting him in.
ITS THE COACHES. Do you really think the coaches are selecting him because he's popular? Where the hell is he popular? The NE fans have been trying to run him out of town for 3 years, so its certainly not here.
My guess, is that the coaches do a lot better of a job judging safety play than a bunch of internet-know-it-alls who don't even get to see what the safety is doing on 75% of the plays, because they're zoomed in on Tom Brady's Locks. :bricks:
For some strange reason, there are so many people here who just don't understand this.
Let's look at Meriweather's 2 pro-bowl years (with the assumption that he may have indeed gotten his 2nd one under his PROVEN reputation--which is commonplace and well-deserved, although he certainly had numbers in his 2nd yr that could have justified his selection too, considering he was an alternate) :
Year 1 pro-bowl-----
4 INT's, 2 FF's, 2 sacks, and 9 passes defended !!!!(certainly looks like a hell of a year to me, definitely pro-bowl worthy)
Year 2 pro-bowl-----
3 INT's, and 6 passes defended(considering that he was NOT a first-ballot choice, and that he went due to injuries, what is the 'big' problem that people here have??? Even if he would've been picked above everyone else, he had a pretty good yr anyway, and likely has earned a reputation through 2 out of the past 3 seasons, which is STILL deserving. I will agree that the 2nd selection is somewhat questionable, but do people not remember that he was an alternate?)
When a player has 2 or 3 pretty good years (in their first 2 or 3 yrs--mind you), and at least 1 of those yrs is extremely well deserved, they instantly become reputable in the minds of other players and coaches.
I am still not getting the hate for his pro-bowl selections, due to the circumstances, although I will agree that his 2nd selection last yr probably wasn't enough to earn a "first ballot selection...." which is exactly WHY he was an alternate!!!
