The Pro Bowl- a vision of the future

[Saintsfan]

The NFL Pro Bowl is, IMO the least worthy of all of the all star type match ups, and this bothers me a bit because its such a potentially good spectacle. Here is what I would do with the match.

• first off, play the game at the begining of the following season, rather than the end of the current season.
  
• Play the game as part of the Hall of Fame celebrations, in Canton.
  
• Have some kind of 'skills' day the day before the enshrinemnt day.
  

Here is some of my thinking. First off it seems a bit of a waste to have voting for Pro Bowl places and then have half the players cry off or get pulled because there team is in the Superbowl. So play the game as a curtain raiser to the next season, rather than a closer to the current season. This might also push up the level of play in the game, as players will be wanting to put down markers for the new season. Also it would mean the crowd could get a game watching great players throughout the game, rather than being pulled after a quarter. (Or rather they would still be pulled but replaced by other stars.)

I appreciate that the Pro Bowl is connected with Hawaii, and would be a bit sad to lose that connection, but I think that a giving the game some more relevance, and context, by putting in the Hall of Fame weekend, would help. You'd also have Saturday night as the stars of the past and Sunday night as the stars of today, which would be neat for marketing ideas.

I think a skills day, with perhaps a kicking competition, some kind of passing competition, maybe a receiving version of the dunk contest? might be fun as well! But I dunno if that would work in a football sense.

I guess there are drawbacks, for instance players and coaches would be away from there teams at a crucial time in pre season preparations. But would coaches and players perhaps benefit as well from being around the best players in the game at that time of the season as well?

What else would anyone else do with the Pro Bowl?

[BBTV]

*breaks own promise not to reply to these threads*

I guess there are drawbacks, for instance players and coaches would be away from there teams at a crucial time in pre season preparations. But would coaches and players perhaps benefit as well from being around the best players in the game at that time of the season as well?

No. 1000x no. It's ridiculous to have another meaningless exhibition right before the season starts. No team in their right mind would allow a multi-million-dollar player participate in such an event. The players are around the best players all of the time. It doesn't matter. Besides, if they're already pro-bowlers, do they really need the "benefit"?

What else would anyone else do with the Pro Bowl?

Get rid of it. Just announce the rosters, and leave it at that. It will never be a worthwhile game. Ever.

[infrared41]

What else would anyone else do with the Pro Bowl?

That's two votes for getting rid of it.

[Sport]

Yeah, if I had my way the game wouldn't be played. Make a lineup of all stars, but the game is not necessary. And playing it in the preseason is the worst idea I've heard when discussing the pro-bowl. If someone gets injured in the current probowl, heaven forbid, then at least they have an offseason to get healthy. The same injury in a meaningless preseason probowl and they'd likely miss regular season games. Owners will never go for that.

[Gary]

What else would anyone else do with the Pro Bowl?

That's two votes for getting rid of it.

Add in the third vote for getting rid of it.

[Saintsfan]

Yeah, if I had my way the game wouldn't be played. Make a lineup of all stars, but the game is not necessary. And playing it in the preseason is the worst idea I've heard when discussing the pro-bowl. If someone gets injured in the current probowl, heaven forbid, then at least they have an offseason to get healthy. The same injury in a meaningless preseason probowl and they'd likely miss regular season games. Owners will never go for that.

Accept that owners don't mind players in pre season games when they are playing for there team and the owner is profiting from the match!

I do hear the 'Don't bother with the Pro Bowl' calls, and I think there is probably a good case for that, but I just feel something could be made of the game. Basketball and hockey owners are happy, well at least prepared, to let players play in all star games at crucial times in the season, I think a deal could be struck to play it in pre season, so that all the pro bowlers get some game time against top quality opposition, but allowing most clubs to also play a pre season game, using back ups to fill in, in the same week. If it was at the same time as the Hall of Fame celebrations that would give players at least 3 weeks to recover from any injury before the regular season games begin.

I do think the week after the Superbowl is a bad time to play the game, and that in some ways this years solution is not a bad time, but then the Superbowl bound players still miss the game.

[infrared41]

This guy is just a garrulous version of WillMorris.

[epper]

For the first time this year, I'm in the "trash it" crowd. I mean, when a supposed all-star game has David Garrard on the roster, who was by my count, the 8th or 9th best QB in the AFC, you know it's lost its value. Especially now with 14 players from the two SB teams pulling out.

I say scrap even naming AFC and NFC teams. Just name 1st and 2nd team All-Pro teams and be done with it.

[Harmening]

*breaks own promise not to reply to these threads*

I guess there are drawbacks, for instance players and coaches would be away from there teams at a crucial time in pre season preparations. But would coaches and players perhaps benefit as well from being around the best players in the game at that time of the season as well?

No. 1000x no. It's ridiculous to have another meaningless exhibition right before the season starts. No team in their right mind would allow a multi-million-dollar player participate in such an event. The players are around the best players all of the time. It doesn't matter. Besides, if they're already pro-bowlers, do they really need the "benefit"?

What else would anyone else do with the Pro Bowl?

Get rid of it. Just announce the rosters, and leave it at that. It will never be a worthwhile game. Ever.

Yep. Get rid of it.

Do some kind of awards and highlights show instead.

[BBTV]

Accept that owners don't mind players in pre season games when they are playing for there team and the owner is profiting from the match!

Wrong. Most star players barely play in the pre season. Maybe a couple of series in the first game, a quarter in the second, maybe a half in the third, and then nothing in the fourth. Some stars, like Tomlinson and Westbrook (they were stars before this year at least) don't even play at all. If there's even a question about a guy, he's usually held out.

Tickets for pre season games are sold as part of season ticket packages, so other than in the crappy markets, these games are sold out regardless of who plays. The owners just want their guys healthy for the season. That's it.

This guy is just a garrulous version of WillMorris.

At least WM knows the difference between accept and except, as well as there and their. This guy is difficult to even read.

[Saintsfan]

Accept that owners don't mind players in pre season games when they are playing for there team and the owner is profiting from the match!

Wrong. Most star players barely play in the pre season. Maybe a couple of series in the first game, a quarter in the second, maybe a half in the third, and then nothing in the fourth. Some stars, like Tomlinson and Westbrook (they were stars before this year at least) don't even play at all. If there's even a question about a guy, he's usually held out.

And I would expect that players with a questionable status would be able to be withdrawn from the Pro Bowl. But in the Pro Bowl, how many star players would expect to play for much more than a quarter? It seems to me that my idea would at least allow a crowd to watch a game with top players for a full 60 minutes in pre season?

It is only an idea, and no its not perhaps perfect. But if the NFL wants to keep the Pro Bowl it MIGHT be a way to add a bit of relevance and context to the game.

[BBTV]

Teams use the pre-season practices (and to some extent games) to allow the players (usually the new ones) to learn the plays and to gel with their teammates. Pulling top players out of that in order to have them prepare for a game with players other than their teammates would only retard that process. Plus there's the issue of the pro-bowl coaching. What owner would allow his coach and staff to leave the team to get a team ready for this nonsense? None that I know of. Also, no team would want any of their star players playing for another coach, who could conceivably put them in positions that could threaten their seasons (leave them in too long, call plays that get them pounded, etc.)

[Firefly]

Isn't the move to the week before the Super Bowl due to the fact that the Pro Bowl has poor ratings? Who wants to see a dream team half-ass a game that interrupts a vacation? Brian Cushing pulled out of playing the Pro Bowl due to being tired from working his ass off to be a Pro Bowl caliber player.

I rather see the Pro Bowlers play flag football with a lucky group of 9-year-olds. The linemen can serve orange slices and Ecto Coolers on the sideline.

Or maybe an award show. You haven't lived until you've witnessed Hugh Jackman's musical salute to pass rushing.

[rams80]

Yeah, if I had my way the game wouldn't be played. Make a lineup of all stars, but the game is not necessary. And playing it in the preseason is the worst idea I've heard when discussing the pro-bowl. If someone gets injured in the current probowl, heaven forbid, then at least they have an offseason to get healthy. The same injury in a meaningless preseason probowl and they'd likely miss regular season games. Owners will never go for that.

Accept that owners don't mind players in pre season games when they are playing for there team and the owner is profiting from the match!

I do hear the 'Don't bother with the Pro Bowl' calls, and I think there is probably a good case for that, but I just feel something could be made of the game. Basketball and hockey owners are happy, well at least prepared, to let players play in all star games at crucial times in the season, I think a deal could be struck to play it in pre season, so that all the pro bowlers get some game time against top quality opposition, but allowing most clubs to also play a pre season game, using back ups to fill in, in the same week. If it was at the same time as the Hall of Fame celebrations that would give players at least 3 weeks to recover from any injury before the regular season games begin.

I do think the week after the Superbowl is a bad time to play the game, and that in some ways this years solution is not a bad time, but then the Superbowl bound players still miss the game.

Broken bones take longer than that to heal, and ligament tears or anything requiring major surgery can cost you almost, if not all of, the entire season. Even minor tweaks cost you valuable practice time, which is critical in the preseason so as to get players better acclimated to one another.

Basketball and hockey owners tolerate all star games because the individual injury risk is much less in a single basketball or hockey game than it is in a football game-to the point where one more game is acceptable. (What's one more game out of 80+, not counting the postseason?) Also, there is a necessity for a showcase event such as these, as well as the pre-game skills competitions, because they are not on the level of the NFL in terms of national prominence; every week in the NFL is a showcase event.

Additionally, at this level, there is much less developmental benefit in playing with the "elite of the elite" than there is in playing and practicing with your own team in order to learn your team's system and get ready for the season.

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Name the Conference teams, let Reebok make their custom Pro Bowl jerseys, and don't play the game.

[-kj]

So, more of a general sports question than specifically the NFL, but it arises out of the sentiments in this thread:

When did we stop enjoying all-star games and start completely hating them? Is it just a continued trend of cynicism, or is there something more to it?

[rams80]

So, more of a general sports question than specifically the NFL, but it arises out of the sentiments in this thread:

When did we stop enjoying all-star games and start completely hating them? Is it just a continued trend of cynicism, or is there something more to it?

I'm not sure. Perhaps it was the advent of 24 hour cable television and sports coverage that allows you to follow a given league on television at a regular basis, and not only see the all star game and a select few regular season games. A single exhibition game is less exciting now.

Perhaps it was the seeming rise in the number of players who opt out of these games that removed some of the luster.

Perhaps it was the introduction of widespread internet voting, with its dramatically increased ballot box stuffing; all star rosters traded in some of their elite nature in favor of popular players from popular teams where were pretty good at one time.

Perhaps its a combination of all of that.

[BBTV]

I've always thought the Pro Bowl was a total waste of time, but I used to look forward to the other ASGs. Now, I think that they are also a total waste. I'd rather watch my team play some real games instead of having a break in the middle of the season. Rams has a point though - back in the day, I never had cable, so the only time I got to see these other players (and more importantly, their uniforms) was when my team was playing them (on the road, because home games were rarely broadcasted - which means that I never got to see the west-coast players) or on baseball cards. Now, it's really no big deal. It's just a lot of build up and hype for a game that players don't want to be a part of, and (I think, anyway) most fans don't care about anymore.

I really hate baseball's all star break, as it leaves me with nothing to watch for three or four days, since I don't really watch TV other than the Phillies and occasionally the Flyers.

[BlueSky]

In the "picture worth a thousand words" category, another vote to get rid of the actual game:

Drew Brees going to the locker room after dislocating his elbow in the game that followed the 2006 season.

Note bitter Viking in background.

[Sport]

I enjoy the NHL and MLB all star games, but the pro-bowl always seemed like a career ending injury waiting to happen, and the NBA all-star game has become an alley-oop contest.

[Firefly]

When did we stop enjoying all-star games and start completely hating them? Is it just a continued trend of cynicism, or is there something more to it?

Other than seeing one in person, has any All-Star game been something you felt you really needed to see? I honestly rather see the Home Run Derbies, Three-pointer challenge and Slam Dunk contests.

I can't tell you the last time I saw a All-Star game from start to finish. Hell, the last one I even watched saw a bit of was the Pro Bowl last year and that was only due to it being the only thing at the gym that wasn't FoxNews or the Food Network (why, why, why is the Food Network always on at the gym?)