Pro Bowl BEFORE The Super Bowl This Year: Like It?

[goreds2]

I think it will be a good change of pace. I wish it was on a Saturday night though.

" For the first time since 1980, the Pro Bowl will be played somewhere other than Honolulu. The annual contest between the AFC's and NFC's best will take place Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010 (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN), at Dolphin Stadium in South Florida. "

http://www.nfl.com/probowl

[Donder]

It certainly can't hurt. I can never bring myself to watch the game as it has been, maybe this will make it more watchable. People will still be in "football mode".

Of course the downside is we won't see players from the Super Bowl team. But overall I think it will be a change for the positive.

[KronoRed]

I like it, and taking place in the same town is a nice touch as well

[nate]

How about having it in the middle of the season instead of multiple bye weeks?

Oh, and winner gets homefield advantage in the Super Bowl!

:cool:

[Joseph]

Love it.

[macro]

How about having it in the middle of the season instead of multiple bye weeks?

Oh, and winner gets homefield advantage in the Super Bowl!

:cool:

"This time, it counts."

[RedFanAlways1966]

Before or after the Super Bowl.... I have no use for it. It is like watching grass grow or paint dry. Don't get me wrong, I love football. But that game is boring IMO. I feel the same about the All-Star Games for NHL, NBA and (god forbid) MLB.

[reds1869]

Before or after the Super Bowl.... I have no use for it. It is like watching grass grow or paint dry. Don't get me wrong, I love football. But that game is boring IMO. I feel the same about the All-Star Games for NHL, NBA and (god forbid) MLB.

I agree, I'm not a fan of any of the all-star games. They are never played like an actual representation of their sport. And honestly, I'm not sure if we'd like it to be in football. Can you imagine, God forbid, Peyton Manning breaking his leg the week before the Super Bowl?

[Redhook]

Before or after the Super Bowl.... I have no use for it. It is like watching grass grow or paint dry. Don't get me wrong, I love football. But that game is boring IMO. I feel the same about the All-Star Games for NHL, NBA and (god forbid) MLB.

Yep. They're all a waste of time.

[Roy Tucker]

Are guys on Super Bowl teams even going to suit up? I can't imagine they take that chance.

We'll see how it goes. The old Honolulu after-the-season one seemed like a vestigial organ. This one fits into the flow of the season better. But the game is usually a non-entity. I can't remember any of the games since forever.

I'd say play touch football but some guy got his knee totally wiped out playing touch on the beach a few years back. So they'll play at 80%, dial back the blitzes and defense, and just cruise.

[macro]

I agree, I'm not a fan of any of the all-star games. They are never played like an actual representation of their sport. And honestly, I'm not sure if we'd like it to be in football. Can you imagine, God forbid, Peyton Manning breaking his leg the week before the Super Bowl?

Players on the Super Bowl teams won't play in the Pro Bowl.

[reds1869]

Players on the Super Bowl teams won't play in the Pro Bowl.

That's good for their teams, but also a bit unfair for them, don't you say? I'd honestly just rather have a named All-Pro team and leave it at that.

[Eric_the_Red]

I like it. There is nothing else on, and it may break up the awful 2 week break before the Super Bowl and give the media something to talk about besides the back-up center of a Super Bowl team.

[Kingspoint]

Sure. Get it over with.

I love the Bengals, and don't care about any other football games once the Bengals' season is over, anyway.

[yab1112]

I like it. There is nothing else on, and it may break up the awful 2 week break before the Super Bowl and give the media something to talk about besides the back-up center of a Super Bowl team.

That's the key for me. That break is brutal. The media picks a few talking points and beats them to death. While the game itself isn't the most entertaining thing, it will be a welcome distraction from the talking heads blathering on.

In years past, there was probably an atmosphere among pro-bowlers that the off-season had begun with the SB already having been played. This way the game is more connected to the season and we might see a more intense game.

[Redsfan320]

I don't like this, mainly because some of the leagues very best players won't be there.

It'll be 2 backup all-star teams.

320

[joshnky]

I don't like this, mainly because some of the leagues very best players won't be there.

It'll be 2 backup all-star teams.

320

They wouldn't anyway. Most of the "star" players off the super bowl teams usually don't play in the game for injury, fatigue, or whatever reason they can come up with.

And I'll add that I hate all star games anyway so I won't be watching regardless of when they have it.

[Degenerate39]

How about having it in the middle of the season instead of multiple bye weeks?

Oh, and winner gets homefield advantage in the Super Bowl!

:cool:

What if it ends in a tie?

[goreds2]

What if it ends in a tie?


http://www.theoutsourcingcompany.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/tug-of-war-web.jpg

[nate]

What if it ends in a tie?

Duh. No Super Bowl!

:cool:

[Kingspoint]

I could do without any All-Star game in any sport.

I think they're all stupid, pointless, and a waste of time.

[RedsBaron]

While I am no longer a very big fan of all star games in any professional sport, the injury risk in the Pro Bowl is so great that it is in particular a game that I would just as soon see eliminated. Go ahead and pick all pro teams without playing the game.

[George Anderson]

I could do without any All-Star game in any sport.

I think they're all stupid, pointless, and a waste of time.

yep

[durl]

I like the MLB All-Star game. It's a long tradition and the guys are used to playing every night.

Other sports, I really don't see a point. Whether they're afraid of injury or they don't care, the players give little effort. Come up with an "All-American" equivalent for the NFL.

[Roy Tucker]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/27/ochocinco-says-hell-punt-kick-field-goals-in-pro-bowl/



Ochocinco says he'll punt, kick field goals in Pro Bowl
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on January 27, 2010 8:22 PM ET

When Chad Ochocinco kicked an extra point during the preseason, he promised our own Tom Curran that an entertaining season was on the way. Ochocinco didn't lie.

Now with the season set to come to a close, the Bengals receiver is ready to kick again in a meaningless game. (Although they are playing for cash this weekend.)

Ochocinco hit punts during the AFC's Pro Bowl practice Wednesday, and says he will punt and kick field goals at some point in the game. He says he's good on field goals to 48 yards. This being OCNN, it's probably best to get confirmation of the news from Norv Turner.

When Ochocinco wasn't interviewing players for NFL Network or searching for Tony Romo, he took grief from Deion Sanders for his effort against Darrelle Revis in his final two games.

"Child please on that first game," Ochocinco said. "Okay, he had a good game. I've done what I've done over a long time. . . . Nobody talks about the front line putting on the pressure within two seconds so the ball gotta get out of there."

[Donder]

I could do without any All-Star game in any sport.

I think they're all stupid, pointless, and a waste of time.

I'm a sucker for the NBA All-Star game. The whole weekend has a party feel to it. And basketball games lend themselves better to highlight reel moments.

[Slyder]

I'm a sucker for the NBA All-Star game. The whole weekend has a party feel to it. And basketball games lend themselves better to highlight reel moments...

As even Kobe Bryant forgets how to play defense and score 250 points combined.

[Donder]

As even Kobe Bryant forgets how to play defense and score 250 points combined.

I can't decide if you're mocking me or not, but yes, I like that. :D

[goreds2]

Colts president Bill Polian on Pro Bowl requirements: 'It's stupid'

Polian said he's unhappy with NFL demands that the Colts' seven Pro Bowl players appear at the all-star game in Miami on Sunday (even though they are not playing). The rest of the Colts will not travel to Miami until Monday, ahead of their Super Bowl XLIV date with the Saints.

"It's stupid," Polian said of the Pro Bowl to an Indianapolis radio station. "It's a disruption, but we'll deal with it."

The all-star game is being held outside of Hawaii for the first time since 1979. It had traditionally been held the week after the Super Bowl.

Polian said the requirement to send Pro Bowlers such as Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne to Miami early will interrupt the schedule for the Colts:

More here:

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2010/01/colts-president-bill-polian-on-pro-bowl-requirements-its-stupid/1

[Donder]

I wonder how the Colts and Saints would be penalized if they didn't send their players. A fine? Polian might decide it's worth it.

[Newport Red]

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/01/27/ochocinco-says-hell-punt-kick-field-goals-in-pro-bowl/

That last sentence pretty much sums up the Bengals' passing attack this year.

[Kingspoint]

I like the MLB All-Star game. It's a long tradition and the guys are used to playing every night.

Other sports, I really don't see a point. Whether they're afraid of injury or they don't care, the players give little effort. Come up with an "All-American" equivalent for the NFL.

I was going to use that as an exception, but it's such a popularity contest anyway, that it's a joke, too.

How many Cardinals will be starting this year,.....4....5?

[redsfandan]

I'd say play touch football but some guy got his knee totally wiped out playing touch on the beach a few years back. So they'll play at 80%, dial back the blitzes and defense, and just cruise.
That was Robert Edwards. After the rookie New England rb rushed for more than 1,100 yards in '98 he was invited to participate in a four on four flag football game exhibition composed of rookies the same weekend as the Pro Bowl (Peyton Manning also played). During the game Edwards suffered a knee injury that was so bad that doctors were initially concerned that they might have to amputate the leg. He didn't play in the NFL again until 2002 and that season he was only a backup for Miami. '98 and '02 were the only two years that he played in the NFL.

While I am no longer a very big fan of all star games in any professional sport, the injury risk in the Pro Bowl is so great that it is in particular a game that I would just as soon see eliminated. Go ahead and pick all pro teams without playing the game.
That might happen someday if someone like Peyton Manning suffers a similar type injury, as Edwards did, while playing in the Pro Bowl.