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5 Head-Scratching Vikings Pro Bowl Selections

If it seems like the NFL Pro Bowl gets a little more ridiculous, you're not alone in your thinking.

It's supposed to be football's showcase of its top talent all on the field at the same time. But the combination of player injuries, the teams playing in the Super Bowl and some players just not wanting to play prevent that from happening.

What happens next is like when you're the last kid picked for game of flag football. Players who probably don't deserve the honor get their trip to Hawaii. Every year, the players actually in the game get a little more ridiculous and the game loses its credibility. It's become almost unwatchable.

Here are four Vikings players, plus an extra, that make us shake our heads even as loyal fans when we hear they were picked for the Pro Bowl.

Wild Card Round - Seattle Seahawks v Minnesota Vikings
(credit: Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

Teddy Bridgewater (2016)

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater seemed to make progress in his second year in the NFL and first as a full-time starter. But was it worthy of going to the Pro Bowl? Bridgewater helped lead the Vikings to an 11-5 regular season and an NFC North Division title. Behind a banged up offensive line most of the season, he completed 65 percent of his passes for more than 3,200 yards and 14 touchdowns with nine interceptions.

Bridgewater had his struggles this year and was definitely inconsistent. He often held onto the ball too long and refused to throw the ball down the field and take chances. Bridgewater benefitted from his receivers getting yards after the catch this year. He has a promising future, but to consider him for the Pro Bowl is a bit laughable.

Minnesota Vikings v St. Louis Rams
(credit: Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Cordarrelle Patterson (2013)

You could make an argument that Cordarrelle Patterson was deserving of a Pro Bowl selection in 2013, his rookie season. He broke out with 45 catches for 469 yards and four touchdowns. He also had two kick returns for touchdowns.

But ever since, he's virtually disappeared from the Vikings offense.  He had just two catches for 10 yards this year. It's been suggested that he doesn't work hard in practice and doesn't take the time to master the playbook, which is why he's been reduced solely to kick-off duty. That's a limited role in itself with most NFL kickers able to force touchbacks or kick the ball out of the end zone entirely. Patterson has been nothing but a disappointment since his rookie year.

Michael Bennett
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Michael Bennett (2002)

Running back Michael Bennett had a decent season in 2002 as the Vikings struggled to a 6-10 record. But one has to wonder who was hurt and who didn't want to play for him to be a Pro Bowl selection that year. Bennett rushed for 1,296 yards, about 81 yards per game, and just five touchdowns. He also had 37 catches for 351 yards and a receiving touchdown. The numbers are decent, but we're stretching a bit to call him a Pro Bowl selection.

Minnesota Vikings Training Camp
(credit: David Sherman/Getty Images)

Koren Robinson (2005)

In the same year Koren Robinson went on a drunken joyride during training camp in Mankato and was arrested for DWI, he was named to the Pro Bowl. It might be one of the most odd selections in the history of the Vikings and the Pro Bowl.

That season, he played in 14 games and started five. He finished the regular season with 22 catches for 347 yards and one touchdown. One. He also had a single rushing touchdown. Some other Pro Bowl wide receivers that year included Steve Smith, Chad Johnson, Marvin Harrison, Santana Moss and Larry Fitzgerald. You can only shake your head with Robinson lumped in that group.

Daunte Culpepper
(credit: Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Daunte Culpepper (2003)

Daunte Culpepper had his moments with the Vikings and at one point seemed like the franchise quarterback for Minnesota. But his numbers that season don't immediately scream "Pro Bowl" caliber. He passed for more than 3,400 yards, or about 248 per game, and had 25 touchdowns with 11 interceptions.

Vikings fans know all too well how that season ended. It was the infamous Arizona touchdown as time expired in the regular season finale that knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs. The other Pro Bowl quarterbacks that year? Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and another laughable choice in Steve McNair.

All-Star games are supposed to be about putting the best players on the field at the same time. With the NFL there are limitations with injuries and the Super Bowl, but you may as well not even have a game if you're just putting players out there for the sake of having enough for the game. It should be a fun and entertaining event to watch, but it's to the point where most football fans are tired of it.

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