Pro Bowl to be held before Super Bowl

[Harlan Huckleby]

Why do we even have a pro-bowl? I'm not aware of anybody who really cares about it. How about we just vote for an all-conference team, and then we don't bother will the silly all-star game with goofy rules.

I agree with you, the best thing is to just scrap the damn game. It is a big bore.

But that probably is not in the cards soon. I like the idea of trying a new twist - play it before the superbowl. Interest in football is at a peak that week, I suspect a LOT more people will tune into the pro-bowl just because they are thinking football, and want to hear Super Bowl talk.

I don't understand the people who are effectively arguing "the Pro Bowl is garbage, and don't change a thing."

Hell, roll the dice. IF I was in charge, I'd have them play Australian Rules Football for the pro bowl. The world-wide viewership would go through the roof! Might cost some coin to get health and life insurance for all those players, but details, details.

[texaspackerbacker]

If it is played in the interim week, the players from the two Super Bowl teams would be left out, I would think.

I like the game. A better idea yet might be to play it at the beginning of the preseason when everybody is starving for football--kinda like the old College All Star game. I suppose they wouldn't do that, though, because it would be an even bigger disaster if somebody got hurt that way.

[Gunakor]

Why do we even have a pro-bowl? I'm not aware of anybody who really cares about it. How about we just vote for an all-conference team, and then we don't bother will the silly all-star game with goofy rules.

I agree with you, the best thing is to just scrap the damn game. It is a big bore.

But that probably is not in the cards soon. I like the idea of trying a new twist - play it before the superbowl. Interest in football is at a peak that week, I suspect a LOT more people will tune into the pro-bowl just because they are thinking football, and want to hear Super Bowl talk.

I don't understand the people who are effectively arguing "the Pro Bowl is garbage, and don't change a thing."

Hell, roll the dice. IF I was in charge, I'd have them play Australian Rules Football for the pro bowl. The world-wide viewership would go through the roof! Might cost some coin to get health and life insurance for all those players, but details, details.

What if, say, one of the players selected to participate in the Pro Bowl for the very first time is a part of a Super Bowl participant? For example, suppose for a second that Green Bay were playing in this year's Super Bowl. Of course Nick Collins is going to want to go, because he's never experienced this yet. But his team would tell him not to, because they don't want to risk injury in an exhibition game the week before the biggest meaningful game in all of sports. It wouldn't be Collins choosing not to go, it would be the Packers preventing him from going even though he was selected to be the starter. And that just doesn't seem fair to me. So, no, I'd never support the idea of moving the game to the week before the Super Bowl.

And I'd never be in support of scrapping the game altogether. Fans might not enjoy it, but players do. The regulars who have experienced the PB many times before might decline an invitation, but first time PB'ers aren't likely to. It's an experience everyone would like to have at least once. So before clammoring for the game to be scrapped because a handful of regular participants decide they don't want to be there yet again, consider the guys who have never been there before and may never have the chance at this experience again. To some, the game might be meaningless. To others, it could be a wonderful experience. It's for those people that we keep playing the game.

[channtheman]

If they are so dead set on moving the game out of Hawaii and before the Super Bowl, they should just scrap it. I say leave it alone in Hawaii, because that's really the point of the Pro Bowl. (Players and their families get to vacation in Hawaii for a week or two). I don't really like Goodell and how he is trying to expand the NFL so much.

[]{ilr]3]

I like the idea because I am SOOOOO BORED! the bye week before the SB

I think it should stay in Hawaii though

[digitaldean]

I think they should play it, but it shouldn't include the Super Bowl team participants.

Play it week before Super Bowl.

If they did do away with it, I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but the present format stinks even worse. I know the players won't like it because they don't get the all-expense paid trip to Hawaii.

[DonHutson]

Re: Pro Bowl to be held before Super Bowl

That's exactly what I was trying to add. I'm not sure why it didn't show up, but now I can't seem to edit it.

Good work to whoever fixed my poll.



No, not pole. Smartasses.

[Harlan Huckleby]

What if, say, one of the players selected to participate in the Pro Bowl for the very first time is a part of a Super Bowl participant?

Sure, that's the downside. But I think players care much more about the honor of being named to the pro bowl than they care about actually playing in it. And that is borne-out by the spotty attendance.

A player who is going to the Super Bowl has their fill of post-season excitement. I REALLY don't think those guys in particular care about playing another meaningless game.

I agree it is undesirable that a few SB players won't get to play in PB game, but its just a tiny deal.

To some, the game might be meaningless. To others, it could be a wonderful experience. It's for those people that we keep playing the game.

OK, but you are ignoring the fact that the Pro-bowl is a flop for the fans. The NFL is in the entertainment business. If you are so committed to keeping the pro bowl alive, why are you so unwilling to try some changes to make it more appealling?

[Guiness]

I think this is as good a try as anything.

The Pro Bowl holds little or no interest for fans, other than watching some of the players do goofy things outside of the game. But the NFL doesn't have a 'home run' like the All-Star game home run contest.

Holding it during the off-weak (spelling intentional) I think would give them a much bigger audience. I never understood the reason for the break - but the NFL seems intent on keeping it. Meanwhile, everyone's in full blown football mode, so the game should draw a sizeable audience.

Obviously, the SB players would get a pass on attending...but I'd like to see how many of them go anyways? I'm guessing less than the average for other teams. What no one's mentioned though is that it's likely a lot of players off the conference championship teams might not show as well.

Regardless, I think viewership will still go up - it wouldn't matter if it was a game involving all 7th round draft choices, an NFL game during that gap will draw a viewership.

[DonHutson]

One of the only reasons that some players seem excited to go is for the free trip to Hawaii. Miami might have the same alure, but if it starts rotating to places like Phoenix or Jacksonville... eh, big deal. Nobody's going to bend over backwards to go there.

Then again, the idea of multi-millionaires getting off over free airfare and accomodations is pretty ridiculous in it's own right.

[Pugger]

If they have the pro-bowl the weekend before the Super Bowl I seriously doubt any of the players on the 2 conference champions would participate because of fear of injury. I say scrap the off week between the conference championship games and the SB and keep the pro-bowl in Hawaii as it is.