The pro bowl wasn't the biggest deal to NFL fans before this year. But now? I'm beginning to think that the NFL is actually trying to see how badly they can screw up the event.
After years of holding the pro bowl the Sunday immediately following the super bowl, the NFL moved the already-unpopular matchup to the Sunday before the super bowl. Other leagues have their all-star games in the middle of the season, giving a weeks rest to the majority of their players and showcasing their talent in an uncompetitive, entertaining manner. But alas, the NFL has to do things differently. But in the powerful yet narrow mind of Roger Goodell, the decision was made to put the game in the only week in which the best players on the two best teams in the league, the ones going to the championship, wouldn't be able to compete.
Making the Pro Bowl competitive and entertaining is a lost cause, but now, the NFL is losing the only value it had in the pro bowl: its honor. Being named to the PB has always been an impressive honor, even if they game isn't the greatest thing to watch. But with 17 players dropping out, most of them to play in the super bowl, the honorable club of pro bowl attendees has fallen to a long list of backups. It was bad enough having injury and family excuses exclude several all star athletes, but having the super bowl as one more exclusion makes the pro bowl list just plain said. David Garrard is going to the pro bowl. Let that marinate for a bit...David Garrard.
He's 17th in league in passer rating and 16th in overall yards. WHAT is he doing in the pro bowl.
Check out the list here, and see how many substitutions are scattered in the roster.
Having the PB before the super bowl is seriously invalidating its elite honor.
Of course, there would be trouble having the game mid-season. The grind of playing in the NFL is already a toll-taking process for players, and taking away a week in the offseason could be damaging. But would a week of rest for most players and we non-competitive game be that bad for the league? The biggest problem I see is that 5-6 games is a short amount of time to decide the league's best players, given that the NFL is much streakier than the NHL, MLB, and NBA. Still, I don't think it's a reason to keep it at its current, and dare I say embarrassing position.
There's no reason the league can't do something to fix their system. The Pro Bowl is a necessary honor and motivating feature to the league, and its integrity needs to be sustained.
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