First the Pro Bowl. Then All-Pro nominations. Detroit Lions safety Glover Quin can’t seem to get any love following another outstanding season in the Motor City.
If you ask Detroit Lions fans who they thought the defensive MVP was for this team in 2017, you’d probably get a few different answers. Cornerback Darius Slay would likely be very popular choice. And why not? The dude is a beast, racking up a career-high eight interceptions and getting his first Pro Bowl nod.
Maybe some fans would point to defensive end Ziggy Ansah‘s 12.0 sacks. Others, the defense’s poor play following the season-ending bicep injury suffered by longtime veteran defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. Or perhaps their choice would be the Lions’ first rounder, linebacker Jarrad Davis, patrolling the middle and leading all rookies with 96 total tackles.
But for my money, no one defender played as well over the span of the entire season than safety Glover Quin. Aging like fine wine, the 32-year old continues to bring it at a high level. Recording a total of 84 tackles, six pass defends, three interceptions and a career-high four forced fumbles in his ninth season in the NFL, there are very few that do it better in this league.
Despite his on-field exploits, Quin has gotten no love this offseason. Being ignored by the Pro Bowl voters was a crime. But not receiving a single All-Pro vote is just absurd. And I’m not alone in thinking that.
"“I was shocked that [Glover] Quin didn’t receive a single All-Pro vote,” wrote Chris Wesseling on NFL.com. “As impressive as Earl Thomas, Micah Hyde and Kevin Byard were in 2017, I thought Quin jumped off the tape with a well-rounded performance almost every week in Detroit.”"
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Let’s face it, several NFL players get snubbed for these accolades every year. But fans who watch the games know just how important a player like Glover Quin is to this Detroit Lions’ defense. And until the rest of the league catches up to what every member of the Pride already know, we’ll just have to enjoy watching Quin play at an All-Pro level for ourselves.