Every year, the NFL announces the Pro Bowl rosters in mid-December. And every year, the next day, reporters across the country write about which players were snubbed.

But the Pro Bowl rosters are limited to a certain size. Not every player left off the Pro Bowl roster was “snubbed,” but those lesser names having strong seasons still deserve attention. Here are five players who won’t be at the Pro Bowl, but are excellent nonetheless, and rarely get attention from the national press.

A quick note: the term “plays” used below adds together all defensive statistics: tackles, assists, passes defended, interceptions, and fumbles forced.

LEIGH BODDEN
Cornerback, Cleveland Browns

The Browns signed Bodden as an undrafted free agent back in 2003, out of Division 1-AA Duquesne. By his third season, it was clear he was Cleveland’s best defensive back. According to data collected last year by the Football Outsiders game charting project, Bodden allowed only 5.3 yards a pass when he was in coverage. That ranked fifth among all cornerbacks.

Bodden continued his strong play early this season, holding Joe Horn to just two catches for 25 yards and Randy Moss to just one for five yards. But a high ankle sprain cost him five games in the middle of the season, and although he’s returned to the field, he’s clearly not 100%. Next year he’ll be healthy again, and if the Browns’ rebuilding finally results in a playoff run, he’ll be one of the biggest reasons why.

LARRY FOOTE
Inside Linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers

Troy Polamalu, Joey Porter, James Farrior — the Pittsburgh Steelers defense has plenty of well-known playmakers. Larry Foote is less known, but no less important. Only Farrior has made more defensive plays for the Steelers this season.

Foote was a fourth-round pick out of Michigan in 2002. Forced into the lineup by injuries in 2004, he played so well that the Steelers let former defensive rookie of the year Kendrell Bell leave in free agency. Foote is the smallest of Pittsburgh’s four starting linebackers, but he makes up for it with excellent instincts, particularly when it comes to cutting down screens or dump-off passes before they can earn significant yardage. The Steelers are even using Foote in Polamalu’s position in some of their blitz packages, now that Polamalu is done for the season.

KIRK MORRISON
Inside Linebacker, Oakland Raiders

2005 was one of the best years in NFL history for rookie linebackers. Shawne Merriman, Odell Thurman, and Lofa Tatupu immediately stepped into important roles on playoff contenders. Oakland’s Kirk Morrison, a third-round pick from San Diego State, also stepped into the starting lineup, but it’s hard to get attention on a 4–12 team.

Morrison is even better this year, part of a young, improving Raiders defense that isn’t getting proper attention because the Oakland offense is so pathetic. Morrison has been involved in more plays than any other Oakland defender, and his 27 defeats — a statistic that adds together turnovers, tackles for a loss, and third-down defensive stops — is tied for third in the NFL with Chicago’s Brian Urlacher.

Morrison is good against both the run and the pass, although he’s more quick than he is strong. Most important, like Foote, he has strong football instincts and makes good decisions. And even though he plays for one of the most penalized teams in the NFL, Morrison hasn’t committed a single penalty all season.

DEMECO RYANS
Inside Linebacker, Houston Texans

First overall pick Mario Williams has showed a lot of promise in his first NFL season, but he has been overshadowed — not just by the two players chosen after him, Reggie Bush and Vince Young, but also by another rookie on his own team.

A second-round pick out of Alabama, Ryans has been involved in a higher percentage of his team’s defensive plays than any other player in the league except for Miami’s Zach Thomas, who leads the league in this category nearly every season. Ryans has 143 plays, and no other Texans defender is over 100. Ryans also leads all rookies with 23 defeats.

With Ryans and Williams, the Texans are two steps toward a great front seven. Unfortunately, two great young parts added to five awful parts still equals the league’s worst defense. When he’s not tackling running backs behind the line of scrimmage, Ryans is cleaning up after missed tackles by lesser Texans defenders like Morlon Greenwood and Anthony Maddox.

BART SCOTT
Outside Linebacker, Baltimore Ravens

Unlike these other players, Scott probably does qualify as a Pro Bowl “snub.” Ray Lewis is a future Hall of Famer, and Adalius Thomas made this year’s Pro Bowl, but Scott is the best linebacker on this year’s Ravens. Scott has made more defensive plays than Lewis or Thomas, and those plays, on average, gain fewer yards. Scott and Thomas both have 25 defeats, tied for seventh in the NFL.

Like Bodden, Scott went undrafted out of a Division 1-AA school, in this case Southern Illinois. He emerged last year, after Lewis went down for the year with a torn hamstring. Playing in the same position as Lewis, in the same scheme, Scott made his average play three yards closer to the line of scrimmage. This year, with Lewis back on the inside, Scott has moved to the outside and continued his excellent play.

Scott has a quick first step that makes him an explosive pass rusher and forces opposing offenses to change strategy. Baltimore opponents have been forced to either put a tight end on the blind side or leave backs in to protect the quarterback from him. If Baltimore’s playoff opponents don’t follow this formula, don’t be shocked to see Scott end up with something better than a Pro Bowl berth: a Super Bowl MVP trophy.

Mr. Schatz is the editor in chief of FootballOutsiders.com.