The Pro Bowl- a vision of the future

[FiddySicks]

As the only person (that I know of) on the boards who goes to the game, and as one of the few who actually wants the game to stay I don't see any real reason they moved the thing in the first place. It was cool because it was in Hawaii and after the Super Bowl so the whole thing was turned into a big celebration of the season that just ended. Sure it never had the atmosphere other all star games had, but it was still enjoyable. I still don't get why so many players find the Pro Bowl to be such an annoyance. It's a bunch of free stuff and a free vacation to Hawaii where they can have a really easy week with little real football effort, and they get to play a pickup game in some funky jerseys at the end. What's not fun about that? I'm interested to see how the game will work next week, but overall I think the previous format worked better. The NFL needs to let go of the idea of having a big time all star game like other sports do. The way teams must prepare and recover week to week pretty much makes this impossible, so why try to force it? And it doesn't really even matter all that much, the NFL is still the king of American sports leagues.

I think that they should make TWO Pro Bowls, one before the Super Bowl, one after. This is how it would work

NFC/AFC title games

NFL sponsored College Pro Bowl

Super Bowl

NFL Pro Bowl

This does three things. It gets rid of that worthless week without football, it brings in revenue from both games, and gives draft prospects one more chance to show off for NFL coaches in a sort of pre-combine activity.

[BBTV]

1. "it's a bunch of free stuff" - they're multi-millionaires... they don't need to work an extra week to get free stuff.

2. "I don't get why so many players find it to be an annoyance" - many of them have been done playing for a month, and their bodies are just starting to feel good again, then they have to go play this game. That, and they want to start their vacations or be with their families, and they have to go spend a week in Hawaii (yeah, I know - we'd all like to "have" to spend a week in Hawaii... but it's different.)

3. "it's a free vacation to Hawaii" - except that it's not a vacation. It's annoying practices and interviews. They can afford to go to Hawaii any time they want to. They don't need this "free" vacation.

4. "really easy week with little real football effort, and they get to play a pickup game in some funky jerseys at the end." - last time I saw it, there were still linemen hitting the crap out of each other, and RBs getting tackled by 300 lb DTs. It's certainly not a pick-up game - if it was, they'd just play flag football. It's probably a little less intense, but their bodies still take a beating, and the risk of injury is still there.

EDIT: is the board agonizingly slow for anyone else?

[MDC]

I like the idea of a Skills challenge sorta night. The NBA all star game may suck, but they do a great job with the All Star Saturday Night. Theres a lot to work with in the NFL for this too. Kicking distance and accuracy, passing distance and accuracy, obstacle courses, etc

[FiddySicks]

I like the idea of a Skills challenge sorta night. The NBA all star game may suck, but they do a great job with the All Star Saturday Night. Theres a lot to work with in the NFL for this too. Kicking distance and accuracy, passing distance and accuracy, obstacle courses, etc

Unless they changed it this season with the switch to Miami, they do have skills competitions during the week of the Pro Bowl.

[infrared41]

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?

It may be overstating it a bit to say we "hate" all-star games. I still enjoy the NBA and MLB all-star games a great deal. The fact that I can now watch pretty much any baseball player I want has certainly diluted the experience of the MLB game but I still enjoy it. It's just nowhere near the "event" it used to be. The NBA game is fun to watch just because it's fun to watch NBA stars playing street ball.

With regard to The NHL game and The Pro Bowl, I don't like either one of them. The reason is that we're not seeing real football or hockey being played in those games. The contact involved in both sports simply won't allow the players to play their all-star games at full speed with full contact so you end up watching a diluted football or hockey game. That's why I think The Pro Bowl isn't very popular

The NBA game is hardly "real" NBA basketball but the players can make up for it by doing things they'd never normally do in a regular season game.

Rams80 did a fine job of hitting on all the other reasons All-Star games are losing their luster.

[Sport]

EDIT: is the board agonizingly slow for anyone else?

Yes.

[CJworks]

EDIT: is the board agonizingly slow for anyone else?

Yes.

Goodness yes.

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I'm actually really ticked about the Pro Bowl this year. Having it the week before the SuperBowl? Have they lost their minds? If the name of the game is to have the best players from each conference compete in an exhibition game, why in the hell would you have it the week before the SB if you know the players from the SB teams aren't playing, considering they have the biggest game of their lives next week and don't wanna injure themselves in a meaningless game! Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that defeat the purpose? If you want the best players in the league and you're essentially counting out both SB teams' Pro Bowlers, you just have great players from good teams.

To fix this, I like the idea of starting it a week or so before the preseason (assuming there still is one at the given time). A skills challenge, in my mind, would also be a great idea, because then, you can actually see the players show their best potential talent (aside from the regualr and post seasons I hope ).

I dunno. Just my thoughts.

[infrared41]

EDIT: is the board agonizingly slow for anyone else?

Yes.

Sure is. It's been that way for a couple days now. It's getting better but it's still not right.

[Fondybadger]

Garrard as a pro bowler? LMFAO

[NJTank]

Its too bad David Stearn was not running the NFL he'd make everyone particiapte even the Super Bowl teams.

[BlueSky]

Saw the '76 Pro Bowl in New Orleans and it was cool. That was the time Ray Guy hit the hanging replay screens with a punt. First and only 'do over' I've ever personally witnessed.

With that said, I think it's just outgrown its usefulness. Back then, we weren't bombarded with coverage. No Sunday Ticket, if the game wasn't on in your town, you might see a few highlights of the major games but that was it. No nfl.com to watch video, no ESPN, none of that stuff, so if you were going to see a lot of the stars play, the Pro Bowl was a chance to do that.

For it to succeed today, it would have to be different. Bring back a variation of the old College All-Star game they had decades ago (surprising, it was last played in 1976 - thought it ended way before then). A college all-star team played the NFL champ each year. Change it to so you'd have one all-NFL Pro Bowl roster play the collegians. Now that would be worth seeing!

And we'd have known Reggie Bush couldn't beat NFL defenses to the edge.

[Bleujayone]

Might as well chime in.

I'd keep the Pro Bowl but I would not have it in Hawaii. I'd have it the day after the Super Bowl in the same host city as the Super Bowl hosted by Monday Night Football. Players can opt not to play in if they wish, but if they do they have to cough up half their bonus earned for being selected and give it to charity and they are still expected to show up to the game and sign autographs. That means the Super Bowl participants are excused to play but still required to show up and wave. The NFL relies on its fans for success and if the best players out there cannot play, they should be a part of the PR.

As part of the All-Star weekend there should be a QB skills challenge and some akin to the NFL Obstacle Course they used to have for the big guys. You want football in Hawaii, watch a UH game.

As for the game itself, I can think of only two options. The first being a scrimmage, but rather than AFC vs. NFC, there would just be a Red vs. Blue game where teams would pick captains and take turns picking teams from the batch of All-Stars selected like a sandlot game. The rules would be a glorified flag football game. 1st & 20, PATs from the 30, kickoffs from the 20, very generous In-the-Grasp rule, and gadget plays would be required. No, it would not be a recall football game but it would still showcase talent and be fun to watch.

The second idea would be an all-out game between Team NFL and a national all-star team of semi-pro players. My first thought would be a college team of All-Americans, but as I seem to recall there used to be a game between the All-Americans and the Super Bowl Champions which seemed to have fallen at the wayside in the 1970's. So I kind of like the NFL vs. Semi-Pros. (Think of the ultimate Pros vs. Joes). Probably not very likely, but it's fun to think about.

[FamousAtticus]

I think the Pro Bowl should go.

If anything they could keep it the week before Super Bowl Sunday as they are doing this year and just make the game a 2-hand touch game. I think that would greatly minimize injuries, heck even players playing in the Super Bowl could then take part...just an idea.

[FamousAtticus]

I also like the idea of some sort of "Skills Event".

[Gothamite]

As for the game itself, I can think of only two options. The first being a scrimmage, but rather than AFC vs. NFC, there would just be a Red vs. Blue game where teams would pick captains and take turns picking teams from the batch of All-Stars selected like a sandlot game.

That's the only idea I've heard that would be worth keeping the game for.

[Brian in Boston]

1) Select the Pro Bowl teams.

2) Conduct a nationwide children's essay-writing competition on the subject of "The All-Pro in My Life", with the authors of the best two works each being granted the right to "coach" one of the two Pro Bowl teams.

3) Load the previously-selected Pro Bowl team rosters into the Madden NFL game of whichever electronic gaming system pays the most money to secure sponsorship rights.

4) Let the child-coaches of the Pro Bowl teams have at it in an electronically-simulated game broadcast as part of the half-time activities of the Super Bowl.

5) Each child earns a college scholarship drawn from the Pro Bowl sponsorship money.

It makes about as much sense as anything else I've read... and would be a hell of a lot more entertaining than the dog-and-pony show the NFL puts on now.

[BBTV]

Might as well chime in.

I'd keep the Pro Bowl but I would not have it in Hawaii. I'd have it the day after the Super Bowl in the same host city as the Super Bowl hosted by Monday Night Football.

At the same field? There's no way they could play a game on the field right after the SB. Besides that, many SB host cities wouldn't have a second NFL-caliber facility to play in, let alone have enough facilities for the SB and PB teams to practice in.

Players can opt not to play in if they wish,but if they do they have to cough up half their bonus earned for beingselected and give it to charity and they are still expected to show upto the game and sign autographs. That means the Super Bowlparticipants are excused to play but still required to show up andwave. The NFL relies on its fans for success and if the best playersout there cannot play, they should be a part of the PR.

Nobody would play, and the entire thing would turn into an autograph convention. I'm sure that NFL security would like the idea of 10s of thousands of un-screened people being able to approach these athletes. Basically you're saying just turn it into a giant autograph show.

Aspart of the All-Star weekend there should be a QB skills challenge andsome akin to the NFL Obstacle Course they used to have for the bigguys. You want football in Hawaii, watch a UH game.

Meh, OK. Maybe they could have the linemen compete in races where they push a sled across the field.

As for thegame itself, I can think of only two options. The first being ascrimmage, but rather than AFC vs. NFC, there would just be a Red vs.Blue game where teams would pick captains and take turns picking teamsfrom the batch of All-Stars selected like a sandlot game. The ruleswould be a glorified flag football game. 1st & 20, PATs from the30, kickoffs from the 20, very generous In-the-Grasp rule, and gadgetplays would be required. No, it would not be a recall football game butit would still showcase talent and be fun to watch.

OK, so they wouldn't know the teams until the captains pick them, but they're expected to go out there and run plays and have blocking schemes? It basically is a flag football game, and I really can't see who would watch that. Did anyone watch that beach stuff that they did years ago where Robert Edwards basically ended his career (and nearly lost a leg?)

The secondidea would be an all-out game between Team NFL and a national all-starteam of semi-pro players. My first thought would be a college team ofAll-Americans, but as I seem to recall there used to be a game betweenthe All-Americans and the Super Bowl Champions which seemed to havefallen at the wayside in the 1970's. So I kind of like the NFL vs.Semi-Pros. (Think of the ultimate Pros vs. Joes). Probably not verylikely, but it's fun to think about.

This is almost Saintsfanish. Semi-pros? What, I say what qualifies someone as a semi-pro? If you're a college player, then you're an amateur. If you're an NFL player, then you're a pro. If you're in a semi-pro league, then you suck and would get destroyed on the field with NFL players. Actually, so would the college players.

Why in the hell would a good college player, who is only months away from being drafted and earning millions, subject himself to a game where he's going to get demolished by NFL players and risk getting hurt and losing millions?

As for the game itself, I can think of only two options. The first being a scrimmage, but rather than AFC vs. NFC, there would just be a Red vs. Blue game where teams would pick captains and take turns picking teams from the batch of All-Stars selected like a sandlot game.

That's the only idea I've heard that would be worth keeping the game for.

See above. Other than an awards show and maybe some kind of skills showcase, there hasn't been a single decent idea in this thread... except to get rid of the game.

[infrared41]

We'll all be better off the minute we all realize there is literally no way to make The Pro Bowl interesting. You're never going to find a way to make a good game out of it. Even the league knows it's in trouble. Why do we think they moved the thing to this weekend? It's a last ditch effort to see if they can muster up any interest in it.

End the damn thing so we can move on.

[NoHoJoe]

The Pro Bowl was played in Honolulu so the longest time taht the game has become worthless.

The logical thing to do is to either move it to the middle of the season just like the other All Star games or just get rid of it completely.....

[njmeadowlanders]

I'd turn it into flag football, NFL blitz style.

Make it 8 on 8 and 20 yards for a first (30 may be too much). You can still have everyone go, though obviously less snaps for everyone involved.