Special teams ace Brenden Schooler only Patriot named to Pro Bowl, Christian Gonzalez snubbed
FOXBOROUGH — Special teams ace Brenden Schooler was named to the Pro Bowl on Thursday, the lone member of the Patriots to land a spot.
The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pounder, in his third season, was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Texas in 2022. He’s played in all 16 games this season and has nine special teams tackles. Schooler also has been utilized as a part-time defensive back this season and has a pair of sacks.
One Patriot who was snubbed was cornerback Christian Gonzalez. The 22-year-old has been playing at an elite level this season, but the 6-1, 205-pounder, in his second year, lost out to Derek Stingley, Patrick Surtain, Marlon Humphrey, and Denzel Ward.
Last week, Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino was asked about a lack of national recognition for Gonzalez.
“You can talk about him however you want. All you have to do is turn on the tape,” Pellegrino said. “If guys aren’t talking about him, that’s negligence. I don’t know. The guy is playing at a very high level. I don’t care what anybody says. That’s how I feel about the guy. He’s a great competitor.
“And honestly, the thing that makes him an even better competitor? He doesn’t care about any of the awards. He just wants to win. He wants to go out there and compete. What more can you ask for out of a guy? He really doesn’t care about all the glory, all the awards. He just wants to win. That’s my message. Just watch the tape. You guys can figure it out.”
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