This sounds like the fan thing of all fan things, but I don’t care. I’m saying it anyway. The NFL should have picked Teddy Bridgewater for the Pro Bowl instead of Andy Dalton.

This isn’t just homerism. I think a legitimate objective argument can be made that Bridgewater should have been added instead of Dalton. Based not just on stats but other considerations having nothing to do with numbers.

Hear me out:

Today the NFL announced that the Bengals’ Dalton will replace Aaron Rodgers on the Pro Bowl roster after Rodgers ducked out due to his calf injury.

Dalton was actually not the next in line on the list of Pro Bowl alternates. Joe Flacco was next but Flacco begged out because his wife is having a baby.

By PFT’s reckoning, Dalton was actually the seventh alternate at quarterback. Matt Ryan, Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford have already had to step up and replace other players.

My argument isn’t really about whether Bridgewater deserved to be higher on the list of alternates than Dalton, although I think you could actually argue that as well.

I mean, look at the stats for a second:

Andy Dalton: 64.2% completions, 3398 yards, 19 TDs, 17 INTs, 7.1 yards-per-attempt, 83.5 QB rating in 16 games

Teddy Bridgewater: 64.4% completions, 2919 yards, 14 TDs, 12 INTs, 7.3 yards-per-attempt, 85.2 QB rating in 13 games

And Dalton was playing behind one of the league’s best offensive lines, compared to the Vikings’ line which was not great in pass protection. Dalton also had one of the league’s best receivers in A.J. Green for most of the year. How would Bridgewater have played behind Dalton’s line with a true #1 like Green?

But like I said, it’s not even about the stats (even though, just going by pure stats, Bridgewater has a strong case against Dalton).

Just think about it this way: which player would you rather see in the Pro Bowl, Andy Dalton or Teddy Bridgewater?

Obviously as Viking fans we’d rather see Bridgewater, but I mean objectively. Pretend you’re an average football fan who roots for neither the Bengals or Vikings. Would you rather see Dalton, a guy you know all about, or Bridgewater, a rising young star who brings a certain curiosity level?

Look at it from the NFL’s point-of-view. What is gained by giving the spot to Dalton? Why not give the spot to Bridgewater and try to build up the rising young star instead of handing it to Dalton, a guy everyone is bored with (including Bengals fans)?

The Pro Bowl is about marketing. A rising player like Bridgewater has more value from a marketing stand point than a veteran like Dalton who is coming off yet another playoff flop.

Just from a purely practical stand-point, it makes more sense to showcase Bridgewater than Dalton. The NFL should have thrown out their list of alternates and gone with the savvy marketing choice of Bridgewater.

Bridgewater may not have given the Pro Bowl a huge ratings spike, but it would have helped a little. Viking fans certainly would have been more keen to tune in with Bridgewater in the game. Do you think more Bengals fans will now watch because of Dalton?

Bridgewater may be a less accomplished player than Dalton at this point, but he moves the needle more than Dalton. And he had a good enough year to warrant consideration if you’re already far enough down the list to be picking Andy Dalton.

Putting Teddy in the Pro Bowl would have been a cool, savvy, fun thing for the NFL to do. But they stuck with their pre-determined alternate list and did the safe thing. It’s their loss.