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Cleveland Browns fans have serious voting power.
With four days left in the fan vote for the 2015 Pro Bowl, eight Browns are the the leading or second-leaing vote-getters at their respective positions.
The Browns lead all NFL teams with eight players on the list. The next-highest teams on the list are the Broncos, Cowboys, and Packers with four apiece. The Steelers (3), Ravens (1), and Bengals (0) have a combined four players on the list.
For the second consecutive year, the voting is "unconferenced," meaning that the top players from each position will be chosen regardless of conference. Fan voting is only one-third of the selection process. A vote by the players and coaches on December 19 comprises the other two-thirds of the vote.
Per yesterday's NFL press release, the 88 All-Stars will be announced on Tuesday, December 23.
Here are the Browns players who are currently among the leading vote-getters at their respective positions:
- OT Joe Thomas (244,351)
- OG Joel Bitonio (185,345)
- ILB Karlos Dansby 205,321)
- CB Joe Haden (267,321)
- SS Donte Whitner (164,257)
- FS Tashaun Gipson (245,291)
- P Spencer Lanning (92,130)
- ST Johnson Bademosi (123,858)
Most of these players, such as Thomas and Haden, deserve to be on this list without question. Others such as Whitner and Bittonio have enjoyed very good seasons, but are surprising to see on the list, which includes the top two vote-getters at every position.
The two surprises on this list are Dansby and Lanning. Dansby has missed the past three games, though he was in the midst of a solid season before the veteran injured his knee against the Texans. Dansby has started 10 games at linebacker this season, recording 36 tackles, 37 assists, three sacks, and an interception.
Lanning's place as the second leading vote-getter at punter is a headscratcher. The second-year player out of South Carolina is averaging just 43.8 yards per punt. Lanning ranks 29th out of 33 NFL punters with at least 10 punts this season. To Lanning's credit, he does have the third-most number of punts in the league at 73.
Regardless, you can go to nfl.com/probowl/ballot to vote for all of your favorite Browns. The voting concludes on Monday, December 15. The Pro Bowl will be held on Sunday, January 25, 2015 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona.