Pro Bowl Post Mortem

By: Jake

Yes, that title was chosen wisely and reflects the style of play the AFC displayed in this lopsided affair, which had literally no importance, except to give the people of Hawaii a break from 7am NFL starts. And what did these loyal Hawaiians and possibly honeymooners, get for their day in paradise? I could list a myriad of stats to show how awful of a game this was from a purist standpoint; the 9 total turnovers, the 1 total yard in punt returns combined from both teams, or even the 0 rushing attempts from Michael Vick, who despite his off the field issues can be very exciting to watch. Really, the list goes on and on. However, it is also important to remember that this game isn’t about the football purists who want to see hard hits and high intelligence strategy, its about connecting with the fans, and the Pro Bowl players having a little fun after 5 months of grueling work week in and week out.

Throughout the game you would see players signing autographs for the fans and not one of them was seen without a smile from ear to ear. Despite a 42-0 halftime score, the stadium was still filled at the start of the 3^rd quarter and into the final minutes, which shows even more that this was all about the experience and not the actual game. However, the 42 “Game Fan Rating”(on a scale of 1-100) on NFL.com shows that if the NFL wants to make this a more marketable and respectable game, they would be well advised to take a page out of the NHL’s playbook and add some exciting twist to the game. For those who don’t know, the NHL instituted a fantasy draft of the voted all stars by two chosen captains, and the game got hoards of media attention and was a great hit. Given the popularity of fantasy football, especially compared to fantasy hockey, this wouldn’t be the worst idea the NFL could make. I know I’d tune into the draft if Peyton Manning were picking teams with Tom Brady on the other side. And since this game holds no importance like the MLB All Star game, the NFL has free license to do whatever it wants with the game really. This is after all, the NFL. They would have to royally screw up to lose any fans of the game.

To sum up my thoughts on the game and the prospects for its future, keep it in Hawaii, and please mix it up next time. Also, whatever happened to the skills competition?