Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Turns out there won’t be a Silver and Blackout in Hawaii after all. With the Baltimore Ravens and Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach headed to the Super Bowl a roster spot on the AFC squad has opened. Naturally Oakland’s own Marcel Reece was the AFC alternate at fullback so it became academic that he got the nod for a trip to Honolulu. He’ll be the lone member of the Raiders involved with the NFL’s exhibition which is hard to believe given the season Sebastian Janikowski put together. But that is for another day.

For Reece the Pro Bowl trip is validation. As an undrafted free agent that actually played wide receiver in college, his transformation into a legit fullback capable of contributing in a multitude of ways has been nothing short of amazing.

Despite Greg Knapp’s inability to properly utilize all of Oakland’s offensive talent, Reece had a career year that saw him breakout as a tailback when both Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson were injured. In addition Reece caught 52 passes good for second best on the Raiders.

Congrats to Reece for the honor! It is well deserved and should be the first of many more trips to Hawaii …unless the Raiders are in the Super Bowl one day (hey, we can wish).

Jan 27, 2012; Ko Olina, HI, USA; Hawiian hostesses Aureana Tseu (left) and U

The most pointless football game on the planet will continue to be played one week before the most important football game on the planet. Despite flirting with the idea of abandoning the Pro Bowl after last season’s embarrassing game of two-hand touch the NFL, no doubt under pressure from the NFLPA, has decided to keep the tradition alive.

So go ahead and make your pre-Super Bowl plans now. The most boring game of football kicksoff at 4pm Pacific on January 27th, 2013, which means we’ll be sound asleep by 4:30 that same afternoon as the Pro Bowl puts us into our one-week hibernation ahead of the Super Bowl.

That means Richard Seymour can still plan on making his annual trip to Hawaii as he’s reached that point in his Hall of Fame career where he’s inked in no matter what type of season he’s had. The same can pretty much be said for Shane Lechler. Sebastian Janikowski finally got his props last year but that came as the result of one of the greatest seasons an NFL kicker has ever put together. Hopefully Seabass in on that Seymour level now too.

Of course the man that would be starting for the AFC, no questions asked, is Darren McFadden…wait for it…if he can remain healthy, of course. Run DMC has yet to put together a full season but when (if?) he does he’ll certainly earn his first trip to Hawaii. We’re still waiting for Tyvon Branch to get some Pro Bowl love too.

So for all of you that were on suicide watch due to the threat of no longer being able to watch yawn inducing scrimmage football…

GAME ON!!!

(Photo by YardBarker.com)

Tommy Kelly leads all defensive tackles with 7 sacks this season. The Raiders “D” line also leads the league in sacks with 26. When Kelly signed the HUGE contract with the Raiders, I about fell out of my chair. “Al has definitely lost it”, I thought.  Now I think, maybe Al is still Al, finding underground talent that produces in colossal ways. I am also not a football naive. I understand the Richard Seymour factor drawing copiousness amounts of attention. 

Darren McFadden is also finally paying dividends. His accolades this year are piling up as he makes his bid for the best running back in the league and fantasy steal of the season. RUN DMC is showing why Al picked him in the 1^st round. Darren has shown power and speed the likes of Bo Jackson. I know…. “The Legend”. When Darren gets five yards deep into the defense, he hits another gear. A “Bo Jackson type gear” where no one on the field is going to catch him from behind. 

Nnamdi is still Nnamdi. Battling a high ankle sprain for the last 5 week, he is still the best DB in the league injured or not.  Shane Lechler is still the best punter the NFL has ever seen. He is an automatic pro bowler till his right leg falls off one day or he decides to start kicking with his left. 

Other potential Pro Bowlers may include, defensive tackle Richard Seymour, full back Marcel Reese, and kick returner Jacoby Ford. I’m looking forward to seeing some silver and black helmets representing the Raiders on a national scale.

 Greg Simon

JBB Staff Writer