Comments on: Canceling Pro Bowl has been discussed

By: indyspeedo

indyspeedo — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 01:31:08 +0000

Putting the Pro Bowl anywhere but Hawaii would be a huge mistake. They tried that in Miami. You get the fifth or sixth player to play. These guys don’t want to play in the mainland. Heck some don’t even want the vacation time they get in Hawaii. Being from Indy I noticed during the SB that the home team gets the bigger and supposed better locker room. The visitor on the other hand had the nicer hotel. Seems the NFL could learn something from baseball here. The winning conference not only could be the home team but they could also have hotel and practice facility choice. That with the combination of the payout might make it a more competitive game. I’ve been to the Pro Bowl every year for the last 4-5 Pro Bowls and not only is it a non competitive game but the players are not very accessible. This seems to be a time that not only would they want to show their skills but maybe take the time to thank the fans with a few autographs. Not while out dining with family members but after practice. If it weren’t for the fans these guys wouldn’t be making multi millions of dollars. Don’t take the game away just figure out how to make it a little more competitive. Making $50,000 for most of us would make it enough incentive to play to win.

By: slateken

slateken — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:24:14 +0000

I have the answer we’ve all been waiting for:
1. Keep the Pro Bowl week in Hawaii
2. Invite the players and their families, as always.
3. The NFL picks 2 divisional opponents and flies those teams and coaches to Hawaii. Those two opponents play a REAL game that counts towards the next season.
The 2 teams that play then get an extra bye that next year.
The NFL would make sure that the Pro-Bowlers who aren’t playing in the game are in TVcamera-friendly V.I.P. seating. Involve them in the coin toss… Make a few of them sideline reporters. Interview some of them in the booth. Add some humor (James Harrison up in the stands selling popcorn for 15 minutes or so… Aaron Rogers working the T-Shirt cannon…, etc.) Sure, some of the players would be playing a game that counts even though they might not be with the team during the next season. Is that a big deal? I don’t think it is. And I’ll bet the players would enjoy getting that extra bye week…

By: mrznyc

mrznyc — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:36:25 +0000

If bad football is the criteria for getting rid of the game why stop with the Pro Bowl – There are a whole bunch of teams who pass the stinko test. Let’s get rid of them as well. We can eventually boil it down to two teams of supremely talented players who never make any mistakes and they can play every week to the purists delight.

By: cowboycjn

cowboycjn — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:43:56 +0000

Best news reported so far. Heck the fans knew it was a waste of time – glad Goodell came around to his senses.
Same process name all the pro-stars, wait until after the Superbowl maybe a Valentine thing and fly all of them to Hawaii for a honors presentation as recognition for their effort during the season. end of that.

By: onewinningpick

onewinningpick — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:11:52 +0000

I think we can all agree that a skills competition event would be a much better idea than a BS game that nobody tries in. They can couple that with an actual flag football game instead of the semi-full contact game they have now. I think a really competitive flag football game would be a much better product than a full contact game that nobody tries in.

Plus that would eliminate the grey area where some players are tryin really hard while others are just messing around. It would be safer and all the players would be able go to 100% which would vastly improve the quality of the game

By: sbaltimore

sbaltimore — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 22:59:05 +0000

Pull the plug. It’s an embarrassment.

By: goforthanddie

goforthanddie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:16:02 +0000

The Pro Bowl is nothing but glorified offensive practice. Why anyone who calls themselves a football fan would buy a ticket or watch it on TV is beyond me, the local peewee game would be more exciting.

By: ransom1971

ransom1971 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:32:44 +0000

Elect players all-pro but scrap the game it makes defendive players look like a joke because they can not go all out and play like they should.

By: halo81

halo81 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:22:18 +0000

Ratings are good? I can honestly say I have never watched a Pro Bowl. Not one minute of one.

By: tommyf15

tommyf15 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:02:42 +0000

Can I break the news to everyone?

Seriously?

The Pro Bowl didn’t just start sucking a few days ago. It’s ALWAYS been a joke. I accepted it for what it is a long time ago.

The difference is that the players used to want to go since it was a free trip to Hawaii. Now they make enough money to finance their own trips.

By: thetooloftools

thetooloftools — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:57:56 +0000

I think they should have a “Future Stars” game where players with under 4 years of NFL service are eligible to play in a game. The winner gets more money then the losers. The real “studs” are usually older players and the game just doesn’t mean anything because they don’t want to get hurt.

By: doomsdayZen

doomsdayZen — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:54:34 +0000

They might as well just call it flag football and play it the same way. Shirts vs Skins in Hawaii. That might even get more women to watch.

Personally, it’s so boring that I think they should scrap the game and instead have a Survivor like reality competition.

Make the running backs navigate an obstacle course over water. Have the QB’s try to hit targets from 40 yards away. Have the fattest linemen wrestle each other. That sort of thing.

At least that would be entertaining.

By: The Prophet

The Prophet — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:49:07 +0000

Move Pro Bowl back to after Super Bowl. The weekend before the Super Bowl they should play a “Pride Bowl”, where the two teams with the worst records play. Winner gets #1 pick in the draft, loser drops to #4 or #5.

It’d be a mega competitive game, plus one of these teams gets to go out with a win, a little momentum, and gets to earn their #1 by playing well, not by sucking for Luck for instance. The loser will be that much more motivated to improve for next year.

By: tramonisland

tramonisland — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:40:50 +0000

$100k for the winner. $0 for the loser.

By: purplepride4ever

purplepride4ever — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:31:44 +0000

Pro Bowl ? What’s that? Last pro bowl I watched is when the fan kicked the field goal to win the Hersheys 1 million dollars.

By: whodeydaytonchapter

whodeydaytonchapter — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:31:43 +0000

OK, they need to think outside the box on this one. We all want a Pro Bowl, but no one wants to see the same limp wrist effort. We change the PB uniform to include a built in taser. Anyone playing patti cake gets 50,000 volts. Game fixed.

By: badmojo148

badmojo148 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:30:22 +0000

Change it to where the losing team has to pay the winning team $$$$.

By: tmb333

tmb333 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:29:28 +0000

Play the game the night before the super bowl in the host stadium. Change the game to each team getting 6 offensive possessions. Make it flag football. Take off the pads and helmets. Only touchdown counts. At ‘half time’ have a skills competition.

By: macker1283

macker1283 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:19:21 +0000

An exhibition game between two teams thrown together practicing for two days just doesn’t work in the NFL. You can’t just play a game with no gameplan, no real plays, etc. They would be better off just doing a skills competition after the season. They used to the QB skills but I never see that on tv anymore.

By: Vegas Guy

Vegas Guy — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:16:37 +0000

Never happen.. TV ratings are too good for it.

The problem is (justifiably) that in Football (unlikely p-ass sports like baseball and basketball) the players are more likely to get hurt. Star RB out there and gets an ACL? That would really be the end of it.

By: edgeofepic

edgeofepic — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:15:24 +0000

Under the old ProBowl-comes-after-the-SuperBowl arrangement, I think the NFL believes that after the SuperBowl people basically tune out football except for a handful of football fanatics who would tune into the ProBowl for 1o minutes before turning off the tv and taking a nap.

I just attended the ProBowl for the 1st time last week. The Hawaii fans love this game (not joking) – they flat out love football here which explains why they support the ProBowl and Univ of Hawaii football. They want more football, better football!!

I think one of the other commenters got it right… scrap the ProBowl and give Hawaii a real football game. Frankly, wouldn’t this be easier if everyone agreed to a 17 game season with each team getting one game at a neutral site location? The Bills could play a game in Toronto without Buffalo fans having to missing out on a home game. The 49ers or any of the west coast teams could play a game in Hawaii every year. New England could play a game in London, England. The Packers could go back to playing a game in Milwaukee like they used to in the old days. The Raiders could play a game on the grounds of San Quentin prison. The Lions could play a game in Detroit’s sister-city Newark, NJ.

I also agree with the other comments who called for the reinstatement of the qb challenge, kicker competition and other “skills competitions”. Heck, you could still do this in Hawaii to get better buy-in from the players.

Or how about some other humorous propositions…. what about the NCAA’s best team plays the NFL’s worst team (Alabama v. Indianapolis)? Or one of the conference championship game losers against the best CFL team? Or how about (exempting the Super Bowl teams) taking the entire squad from the NFC’s best offense and defense and match that NFL “All Star” team versus the best AFC offense and defense?

By: latenightroach

latenightroach — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 18:10:52 +0000

Wow…didn’t realize that booing Cam Newton would get the NFL upset enough to want to cancel the whole thing.

Perhaps if he had tucked his shirt in and at least looked like pro, he would have only gotten half the boos for his horrible performance.

Or maybe it should have been this way…Stafford should have been there instead.

By: purpleronin

purpleronin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:58:44 +0000

Rather than cancel it, i’d like to see it become a ‘futures’ game. Play young up-and-coming players and potential stars from around the league. Those type players are more likely to play hard for the game to make a name for themselves. I would definetly look forward to watching that type game. The younger and less established the players are, the better they’re likely to play. As it is I can’t remember the last Pro Bowl I watched and I am practically a football addict.

By: tbbuttsjr

tbbuttsjr — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:55:05 +0000

Why cancel it? Why don’t you all (Commissioner and the owners) do something to modify the game that would make it worth viewing again? One thing comes to mind is to go back to the original schedule format that the Pro Bowl game was played, prior to the changing of it, two years ago. The rules need to be changed so that the game won’t be a two hand touch/flag football game and in this way, most of us might really believe that we’re actually watching a professional football game taking place. What a joke to even have the Pro Bowl game prior to the Super Bowl game. What pro bowl player who’s participating in the Super Bowl is going to play in the Pro Bowl game. Or what head coach of a Super Bowl game the current year is going to even consider to allow one of his players to participate in a meaningless game such as the Pro Bowl? I sure wish I knew what the commissioner’s objective was when he made such an illogical revision but I hope that he makes a logical decision to revamp it so that the game would mimic the yesteryears……..

By: Derty Ernie

Derty Ernie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:50:27 +0000

Actually what the league should consider that the fans may enjoy is have a set of contests instead of a game, have games. The QB’s all compete for prize money by throwing at targets and get points for their team. Running backs run relays and get prize money and score points for their teams and basically have a lot of fun.

By: tommyf15

tommyf15 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:48:52 +0000

gmsalpha says:
Feb 5, 2012 12:34 PM
I’m curious. How is it that we choose All-Stars in the other sports at the halfway point, but not for football? Can you imagine if the Pro Bowl were held in an off-week after week 8? It’d be ridiculous. In basketball, they’ve played what, 20 games? And we decide we’ve seen enough to vote for the All-Star teams? Lol. Insane!

I cannot emphasize this enough: the NFL is the only major sports league where their All-Star team is based on that specific season.

When baseball’s All-Star Game was created, it was announced as an event where the fans got to vote to see two dream teams matched up against each other. That criteria has not changed.

Bill James put it best: it’s an All-Star Game, not an All-Mediocrities-That-Had-A-Good-First-Half Game.

By: Derty Ernie

Derty Ernie — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:48:07 +0000

To me the whole idea of a pro bowl is silly. People should be name pro bowlers and get a stipend for that honor by the league but forget the game.
It is as bad as watching a scrimmage with the third stringers playing. I cannot blame the players, I wouldn’t want to get hurt in a meaningless game and possible toss my career. Its happened a few times already and its not worth it.

The NBA allstar game is just men running down the court scoring and zero defense at all. Its just the NFL players finally figured that out. Get hurt get screwed.

By: realitypolice

realitypolice — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:45:18 +0000

I am sure that all of the middle class working people who make money locally on the game appreciate all spoiled geniuses on here who want to get rid of a harmless exhibition that helps their economy because it doesn’t measure up to your expectations of a “true” football game.

Keep the game in Hawaii, put it back to after the Super Bowl so that SB players have the option to go, and leave it alone.

If you don’t want to watch it, DON’T WATCH IT.

By: gmsalpha

gmsalpha — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:34:37 +0000

I’m curious. How is it that we choose All-Stars in the other sports at the halfway point, but not for football? Can you imagine if the Pro Bowl were held in an off-week after week 8? It’d be ridiculous. In basketball, they’ve played what, 20 games? And we decide we’ve seen enough to vote for the All-Star teams? Lol. Insane!

Why can’t they have double elimination once it’s down to 4 teams?

That would give us a lot more GOOD football.

By: packattack1967

packattack1967 — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 17:31:39 +0000

Replace it with a charity event. Changing the charities every year. Give up the TV time on this one and create a little give-back.