The Pro Bowl- a vision of the future

[Sport]

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.....

I said that Saintsfan's preseason pro-bowl was the dumbest idea I'd ever heard regarding the pro-bowl. This topped it. Congratulations

[BBTV]

They could do the pro bowl during half time of the Super Bowl, kinda like how they bring out the pee-wee players sometimes during half time of regular season games.

They just go out, play 10-minute halves, then go away so that the players who are actually playing in a real game can come out and play.

[BBTV]

Or, maybe they could split all the pro-bowlers up by position, and then they have a big arm-wrestling tournament. Offensive and defensive lineman compete against each other, d-backs and receivers, tight ends and linebackers and maybe fullbacks, and then the qbs and kickers can slap fight or something.

[slapshot]

There must not be that much of an incentive to participate in the Pro Bowl if all these players drop out of it. Maybe the league needs to increase the incentive?

Moving the game to before the Super Bowl is a good first step. Aside from BucFan, is there anyone else interested in the NFL after the Super Bowl ends? The two weeks between the conference championships and the SB is a long wait. The Pro Bowl definitely fills the void during the 2 weeks.

I wonder how torn up the field at whateveritscalled Stadium in Miami will be. If there's bad weather and there's not enough time to fix the turf for the Super Bowl, I predict the two games will be held in separate stadiums in the future.

One other thing the Pro Bowl needs is a skills competition. Stuff like fastest player, longest field goal, QB accuracy, etc. All the other major sports have them, and in most cases, the skills are more exciting than the game. The NFL seems to have the QB contest during the offseason, and it's shown on tape during Saturday afternoons.

[See Red]

There must not be that much of an incentive to participate in the Pro Bowl if all these players drop out of it. Maybe the league needs to increase the incentive?

Moving the game to before the Super Bowl is a good first step. Aside from BucFan, is there anyone else interested in the NFL after the Super Bowl ends? The two weeks between the conference championships and the SB is a long wait. The Pro Bowl definitely fills the void during the 2 weeks.

I wonder how torn up the field at whateveritscalled Stadium in Miami will be. If there's bad weather and there's not enough time to fix the turf for the Super Bowl, I predict the two games will be held in separate stadiums in the future.

One other thing the Pro Bowl needs is a skills competition. Stuff like fastest player, longest field goal, QB accuracy, etc. All the other major sports have them, and in most cases, the skills are more exciting than the game. The NFL seems to have the QB contest during the offseason, and it's shown on tape during Saturday afternoons.

I know they had a skills competition as recently as 2009, as I was watching it on NFL network during my lunch break on Tuesday. They had a "good hands" competition for WR's, a QB competition, a fastest player competition, and I remember one year watching Shayne Graham and Neil Rackers participate in a kicking competition which was awesome -- it was played like horse, they could pick anywhere to kick from, on or off of the field, and if they made it, the other person had to as well.

edit: I also remember seeing Offensive Linemen compete to see who could lift the most weight.

The issue is, people pay good money to see the MLB's HR derby or the NBA's All-Star Saturday Night and the atmosphere of events is great, and that's part of what makes it great... I don't think people would pack into a stadium to see an NFL skills challenge.

[FiddySicks]

There must not be that much of an incentive to participate in the Pro Bowl if all these players drop out of it. Maybe the league needs to increase the incentive?

Moving the game to before the Super Bowl is a good first step. Aside from BucFan, is there anyone else interested in the NFL after the Super Bowl ends? The two weeks between the conference championships and the SB is a long wait. The Pro Bowl definitely fills the void during the 2 weeks.

I wonder how torn up the field at whateveritscalled Stadium in Miami will be. If there's bad weather and there's not enough time to fix the turf for the Super Bowl, I predict the two games will be held in separate stadiums in the future.

One other thing the Pro Bowl needs is a skills competition. Stuff like fastest player, longest field goal, QB accuracy, etc. All the other major sports have them, and in most cases, the skills are more exciting than the game. The NFL seems to have the QB contest during the offseason, and it's shown on tape during Saturday afternoons.

I know they had a skills competition as recently as 2009, as I was watching it on NFL network during my lunch break on Tuesday. They had a "good hands" competition for WR's, a QB competition, a fastest player competition, and I remember one year watching Shayne Graham and Neil Rackers participate in a kicking competition which was awesome -- it was played like horse, they could pick anywhere to kick from, on or off of the field, and if they made it, the other person had to as well.

edit: I also remember seeing Offensive Linemen compete to see who could lift the most weight.

The issue is, people pay good money to see the MLB's HR derby or the NBA's All-Star Saturday Night and the atmosphere of events is great, and that's part of what makes it great... I don't think people would pack into a stadium to see an NFL skills challenge.

The skills competitions are held at the hotel the players stay at for that very reason. Nobody cares about them. About ten years ago they had a skills competition held in the Super Dome during Super Bowl week. A ton of big names were there and it was still an absolute flop.

[Roger Clemente]

They could do the pro bowl during half time of the Super Bowl, kinda like how they bring out the pee-wee players sometimes during half time of regular season games.

They just go out, play 10-minute halves, then go away so that the players who are actually playing in a real game can come out and play.

Not only that, but they also have to contend with the staging of the half time show and the band/musical act still playing while it's going on.

[AJM]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

[Firefly]

They should play the winners of the Puppy Bowl.

[Slickster]

The Pro Bowl game should be a charity flag football game and skills competition held at Meadowlands Stadium on NFL Draft Weekend.

[Viper]

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.

The National Lacrosse League actually dropped their All-Star game for this season, for lack of interest. Granted, "NLL All-Star Game" was always a bit of an oxymoron to begin with, but in this case (and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm the world's first person ever to utter the following combination of words) the NFL should follow the NLL's example.

[infrared41]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

[DDR]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

Right around the draft is when I'm at my most intense, too. I do three, maybe four mocks a day. My Big Board is pretty extreme.

[infrared41]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

Right around the draft is when I'm at my most intense, too. I do three, maybe four mocks a day. My Big Board is pretty extreme.

So you sit at your computer with furrowed brow and gritted teeth or something? Is your "big board" an actual board? Do you have a giant cork board or something with index cards etc? Or is the "big board" a figure of speech? What separates an "extreme big board" from a regular one? How long does it take to do "four mocks a day?" Are you doing all 7 rounds with all 32 teams?

No offense fellas but this is cracking me up. To each his own I guess.

[Harmening]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

Right around the draft is when I'm at my most intense, too. I do three, maybe four mocks a day. My Big Board is pretty extreme.

So you sit at your computer with furrowed brow and gritted teeth or something? Is your "big board" an actual board? Do you have a giant cork board or something with index cards etc? Or is the "big board" a figure of speech? What separates an "extreme big board" from a regular one? How long does it take to do "four mocks a day?" Are you doing all 7 rounds with all 32 teams?

No offense fellas but this is cracking me up. To each his own I guess.

That just made me laugh.

[infrared41]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

Right around the draft is when I'm at my most intense, too. I do three, maybe four mocks a day. My Big Board is pretty extreme.

So you sit at your computer with furrowed brow and gritted teeth or something? Is your "big board" an actual board? Do you have a giant cork board or something with index cards etc? Or is the "big board" a figure of speech? What separates an "extreme big board" from a regular one? How long does it take to do "four mocks a day?" Are you doing all 7 rounds with all 32 teams?

No offense fellas but this is cracking me up. To each his own I guess.

That just made me laugh.

Glad we could help.

[DDR]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

Right around the draft is when I'm at my most intense, too. I do three, maybe four mocks a day. My Big Board is pretty extreme.

So you sit at your computer with furrowed brow and gritted teeth or something? Is your "big board" an actual board? Do you have a giant cork board or something with index cards etc? Or is the "big board" a figure of speech? What separates an "extreme big board" from a regular one? How long does it take to do "four mocks a day?" Are you doing all 7 rounds with all 32 teams?

No offense fellas but this is cracking me up. To each his own I guess.

I was just joking around. You know, playing off your comment.

[BBTV]

TRADING DOWN AGAIN?!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[infrared41]

Like many people, come April, May, June I really start having withdrawls for NFL football.

I get so intense about the draft, I'd like to see the Pro Bowl then...it would give guys a time to rest.

Just wondering, how does one go about "getting intense" for the draft?

Right around the draft is when I'm at my most intense, too. I do three, maybe four mocks a day. My Big Board is pretty extreme.

So you sit at your computer with furrowed brow and gritted teeth or something? Is your "big board" an actual board? Do you have a giant cork board or something with index cards etc? Or is the "big board" a figure of speech? What separates an "extreme big board" from a regular one? How long does it take to do "four mocks a day?" Are you doing all 7 rounds with all 32 teams?

No offense fellas but this is cracking me up. To each his own I guess.

I was just joking around. You know, playing off your comment.

Flew right over my head.

[CS85]

How to fix:

1. Announce the pro bowl rosters, have it be a combo vote of players, coaches, fans, and the media.

2. Keep it in Hawaii, that way there's still an incentive/reward for the players to attend and celebrate, whereas Miami's somewhere where they travel to play there anyway.

3. Forget the game altogether. Just have a really, really badass skills challenge, which MANY more people would actually care about and be entertained by on television, which is what they're going for anyway.