From Not-So-Pro to Pro Bowl

A brief commentary on the Pro Bowl:

I believe the NFL may have finally turned the Not-So-Pro to a real Pro Bowl. My reasoning for this is as follows:
1. For the fans, having the game before the Super Bowl gives greater continuity to the season. It allows fans to see the best players, who are not in the Big Game, play and play for something. How much better than the 'holiday-weekend-flag-football-game-on-the-beach' that makes us turn off the game half way through the 2^nd quarter.
2. For the host state, having the Pro Bowl in the same state as the Super Bowl is excellent for the host state's economy with two huge venues for revenue to stream in.
3. For the NFL, having the Pro Bowl prior to the Super Bowl generates two weeks of build up and fan interest in the games. This in turn gives greater exposure to the NFL and generates revenue. Also, the two week layoff that sometimes occurs prior to the Super Bowl is eliminated, thus avoiding a fall off of fan interest and keeping the games in the news.
4. For the players participating in the Super Bowl, it allows for two weeks of preparation and healing. As a result, some who might not have played due to injury may play. Also, media scrutiny will likely be diminished thus less distraction.
Here's to hoping that the first game may truly be a Pro Bowl rather than the glorified version of sandlot football and a forum for game announcers who are more interested in small talk and the irrelevant that it has been in the past.

[Coach K-LO]

HappyCat -

you make some good points, but we will see the SuperBowl suffer from a bad field that has been played on the week before......keep an eye on this.....

Next, there has always been 2 weeks before the SB. There were a couple of times that 1 week was the course....

3rd - 14 players selected to the ProBowl will not be playing because they are in the Big Game.....so you have the "less than ProBowl" selection of players who want to play in the game, but was not selceted originally.... you might be right in the fact that they may actually play hard.... but not likely

k-lo

[HOOP]

Yeah,

The 14 guys dropping out and leaving us with David Garrard at Qb is just wack!!!!!!! I heard Johnny Knox is in it too? Man, i hope that was a joke.

BUT, even with this said, i am warming up to it some more because, like you guys said, maybe they will actually play harder and we will get a pretty good game.

Heres hoping for that!

[Coach Rip]

.............back in the 60's, when they guys actually played to win the bonus money. Now these guys make so much money they scoff at 15 grand.

I really have no interest in the pro bowl what so ever, I don't care when they move it, date wise, or where they play it............ The only way I may watch the game is there is nothing else to watch 7:30 Sunday evening.

By the way, .............why don't they just get rid of the pads and play Flag football? The Defense isn't allowed to play defense, I think goodell's new rule is two hand touch for the QB's.........

[HOOP]

Thats another thing i dont like, the prime time slot. I had a grandmaster plan of inviting my friends over sunday afternoon to watch the pro bowl, yet have EF boards set up all over the room with their favorite teams ready to play. This was my attempt to hook em. But no one is coming over on a sunday night, with work the next day, to watch this "Pro Bowl".

[detroitchild]

...that the Pro Bowl has become a farce. I've not watched one since Barry Sanders last played in it. There is just no incentive to have these guys play hard and let's face it, would you risk an injury for a few grand?

BTW, how many of you remember when the Super Bowl winner use to play a team of college allstars. The college team got beat every year but at least they played hard.

[Coach Rip]

................the college All stars' first win came in 1937 when Sammy Baugh hit a long pass to win the game and beat the Redskins, and they beat the packers one year...20 -17 back in 1963.

[detroitchild]

Great catch George. (I guess one had to be there, eh? )

Wouldn't you like to see the NFL and NCAA go back to that game?

Originally Posted by Coach Rip

................the college All stars' first win came in 1937 when Sammy Baugh hit a long pass to win the game and beat the Redskins, and they beat the packers one year...20 -17 back in 1963.

[Coach Rip]

................and I know it wouldn't get ratings, but I would like to see the college all-stars play the Back-ups, aka 2nd team of the Super Bowl champions...........That is a game I would watch, ............

There is something nauseating about watching a football game being played at "half-speed". I just can't take it ............... It is like watching/playing a game of MF with untweaked bases!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, why am I wasting my time?

But with the big $$$ and possibility of injury, the all stars may not play tough...........if they elect to play at all, .............you know the 2nd teamers would be salivating like crazed dogs to prove themselves..........

[detroitchild]

...a real football Allstar/Pro bowl game may not ever happen again.