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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 15th February, 2006 - 4:33 am
 This debate has been on the table for quite some time ? Should the NFL do away with its annual Pro Bowl?
It?s the equivalent of the NBA and MLB all-star game, but it?s the only one that is played after the regular season and playoffs have been completed. Although the Pro Bowl is played the week following the Super Bowl for good reason, to avoid serious injury to any of the players selected to compete, having the game played after the season has ended takes away some of the drama.
During the NBA all-star game all the in-season drama is still relevant, and several of the players involved in the game will be competing for the league title. During the MLB all-star game the players are still in mid-season form, and they are actually playing for something of value, home-field advantage in the World Series.
Although the same is true in both the NBA and MLB, each season several marquee players opt not to compete in the Pro Bowl due to injury or fear of injury. The NFL itself even makes the Pro Bowl seem less important than either the NBA or MLB portrays their all-star game. The coaches wear Hawaiian shirts for God?s sake.
In defense of the annual game, they recorded their 27th straight sellout at Aloha Stadium in Hawaii. It?s also a great opportunity to see many of the NFL?s top stars on the field at one time, but the quality of play is often much lower than a typical professional football game.
During Sunday?s Pro Bowl Indianapolis Colts? quarterback Peyton Manning threw three interceptions on 26 pass attempts. Manning didn?t throw more than two interceptions in a game this season, and that?s when he?s throwing the ball as many as 45 times.
The NFL needs to do away with this game. Electing players to a Pro Bowl squad is fine. It can become something along the lines of the NBA?s First, Second, and Third teams. It would still be a prestigious honor to be selected, but we would be spared the unimpressive spectacle that the game has become.
In case you didn?t know the NFC beat the AFC Sunday night 23-17, on two Neil Rackers fourth quarter field goals. Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks was named the MVP of the game, after returning an interception 59 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Too bad his Buccaneers lost to the Redskins in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. No one will remember he was the MVP of the Pro Bowl, but instead that Tampa Bay failed to successfully return to the Super Bowl.
Every Sunday since August I?ve been glued to my couch watching NFL exhibition, regular-season, and playoff games till I couldn?t see straight. Where was I this Sunday? I stayed busy watching the NBA on ABC and catching some of the Olympic competition, but guess what I chose not to watch?
NHL Hockey.
Oh, and the Pro Bowl as well.
Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
