actually subby I decided I'm not watching, so 8

aka "Helmet Variety Show".

I wouldn't watch the Pro Bowl if they played it in my living room. Besides, there are no Giants playing in it this year for some reason.

Twitter actually will make the game more interesting.

But the whole thing would be a LOT more interesting if they played games other than full pads contact football.

Like Drew Brees vs Aaron Rodgers in Ping Pong.

I dunno, it'd be nice to just see the guys being normal guys. Extra insight and whatnot.

The last guy who made the Pro Bowl fun to watch got shot to death.

:(

RIP Mr. Taylor

Meh. The game is unwatchable. I submit to scrap the game altogether and just have various skills competitions (i.e. QB accuracy, fastest/strongest man, etc.). Make it the week after the SB and we'd probably get all who are selected to show up as well.

The linemen now have something to do when they stand up as soon as the ball is snapped.

Unfortunately, the pro bowl gets ratings. I'm not sure how or why. Last year it had a 7.7 share.

Wadded Beef: Meh. The game is unwatchable. I submit to scrap the game altogether and just have various skills competitions (i.e. QB accuracy, fastest/strongest man, etc.). Make it the week after the SB and we'd probably get all who are selected to show up as well.

Been saying this for years. Make it quantifiable, with scores or points being tallied for various positions over the course of the day and have a "best at x position" at the end, and tailor events to the positions; you could even do it like track/field Olympics: what DB can do the best long jump? Which OL/DL guy can exert the most force against a vertical plane? What QB can throw a football through a tire/at a target from the farthest away? What RB can do a cone weave over 50 yds the fastest? etc etc

It wouldn't interest the casual fan as much, but the people who are into football would adore it- man v man competition within their chosen balliwick.

/happy i got to use balliwick

lajotu: Twitter actually will make the game more interesting.

But the whole thing would be a LOT more interesting if they played games other than full pads contact football.

Like Drew Brees vs Aaron Rodgers in Ping Pong.

I dunno, it'd be nice to just see the guys being normal guys. Extra insight and whatnot.

I haven't seen it in some time, but there used to be a skills competition in a variety of techniques made for whatever position that player was in: accuracy throws, races, coffin kicks, field goal distance, and so on. It would feature a lot of players in each category, not just the Pro Bowlers. Those were somewhat interesting to watch, to see just how great some of these players are when they aren't getting hit by a 350lb nose tackle

Get the two teams that lost the Championship games to play paintball against each other in a huge war.

The only medium where a Pro Bowl is worthwhile is, frankly, a video game. With no risk of injury and the ability for the audience to individually pick whatever players they want, you'll ironically get a far more realistic result* than some meaningless exhibition where everyone's suddenly playing touch-but-not-that-Sandusky-way football out of fear of getting injured in a no-stakes game. Putting the actual meat bodies out there is less realistic because actual effort is so implausible.

*Assuming the intent is to have the game's most popular players try their hardest on the field.

So the league is confirming what we all knew already that the Pro-Bowl is not a real game and doesn't need to abide by real rules. Might as well turn it into a big game of 100 yard beer pong or something. That'd be neat.

It's okay, look at the linked article... Scoop Jackson knows how to fix the Pro Bowl, so that means everything is going to be okay.

I'm watching because I put money on NFC -4

whizbangthedirtfarmer: I haven't seen it in some time, but there used to be a skills competition in a variety of techniques made for whatever position that player was in: accuracy throws, races, coffin kicks, field goal distance, and so on. It would feature a lot of players in each category, not just the Pro Bowlers. Those were somewhat interesting to watch, to see just how great some of these players are when they aren't getting hit by a 350lb nose tackle

David Carr is intrigued by your comments and wishes to know more.

this game is HUGE for Hawaiians. I was surprised that it was that big of a deal. I told some folks out there that NOBODY watches back on the mainland.

litespeed74: this game is HUGE for Hawaiians. I was surprised that it was that big of a deal. I told some folks out there that NOBODY watches back on the mainland.

It would be so cool to see Honolulu get a sports team of some kind. Probably never happen, but it would be awesome.

It's a waste of time, I'd rather have a 5th pre-season game, another regular season game or another playoff round instead of the abomination that is the Pro-Bowl

I might watch to see how Andy Dalton (no real twitter acct) and @ajgreen_18 do. Maybe. If I catch a cold and get stuck on the couch for a day.

IAmRight: The Pro Bowl is mediocre but it's better than all preseason games and many regular season games, simply because there are pretty good players on both teams.

Do you like the Harlem Globetrotters and trick shot pool contests, too?

kukukupo: Unfortunately, the pro bowl gets ratings. I'm not sure how or why. Last year it had a 7.7 share.

Excellent ammo against the basketball/hockey turds amongst us.

HaywoodJablonski: Do you like the Harlem Globetrotters and trick shot pool contests, too?

I know you're not asking me, but I like the idea -- not the execution. As long as players aren't going for effort, I think they ought to have more fun with exhibitions. For example, you could modify the rules such that the ball carrier is down as soon as forward momentum stops for any reason (so you can't cut or even do a three-step drop), use of hands is illegal except to carry, pitch or pass the ball. . . and everyone wears sumo suits (but keep the helmets). You want to tackle the ball carrier, you basically have to stop him with a chest bump in a fat suit. Also, the teams are not given these rules until they're announced just before the game, to the audience. I think it'd be hilarious to watch, at least once.

Of course, what people really want to see are the best players in the world doing their best against each other, but that just isn't going to happen in an exhibition game.

Might as well play flag football on the beach

groppet: Might as well play flag football on the beach

Not so safe for some players. (new window)

The only way the Pro Bowl could be more retarded is if the outcome of the game determined which team got home field advantage in the Super Bowl.

There's gotta be a way to make a good drinking game out of it...

Incog_Neeto: It's a waste of time, I'd rather have a 5th pre-season game, another regular season game or another playoff round instead of the abomination that is the Pro-Bowl

Behold:

The Playoff Bowl (new window)

/cue choir of angels . . .

Twitter or the pro bowl... which is more useless?

Discuss.

I used to watch the Pro Bowl out of principle. It was a game where nothing was at stake so the players and coaches could have fun with it. It still is that same game, but now it doesn't include people that rightfully should be there just because they are playing in the Super Bowl. What kind of an "All-Star" game excludes some of its "stars" just because their team is playing in the championship? I don't watch any portion of it anymore, and I will continue my boycott until the game is moved so that everyone who is a member of the teams can play in the game.

To make it more exciting, the winning conference should get HFA in the Superbowl.

litespeed74: this game is HUGE for Hawaiians. I was surprised that it was that big of a deal. I told some folks out there that NOBODY watches back on the mainland.

I still have my ticket stubs from the 1989 and 1990 Pro Bowl. The ones that took place after the Super Bowl so I could legitimatly watch Joe Montana play in earnest rather than have him skip, like most Patriots and Giants are doing right now.

Hope you farkers in the PR department like your trendy marketing decision to take the Bowl out of Hawaii that one year, kos that was the last straw for me.

rjakobi: rather than have him skip, like most Patriots and Giants are doing right now.

Not most, all. The members of the teams that make the Super Bowl and are voted into the Pro Bowl don't get to play in the Pro Bowl. Instead, they vote (or coaches/players choice, don't recall the process) new players to fill the vacated positions. Tom Brady and Eli Manning have to skip the Pro Bowl. They don't get a choice, same as every other player who is in the SB.

The Pro Bowl should be open to everyone who is voted onto the teams, not just the ones who were on teams that didn't make it all the way. It's a punishment for people being on a successful team. There's something wrong with the system when 9 players who were voted in can't play because their team is still in the hunt.

Al!: The Pro Bowl should be open to everyone who is voted onto the teams, not just the ones who were on teams that didn't make it all the way. It's a punishment for people being on a successful team. There's something wrong with the system when 9 players who were voted in can't play because their team is still in the hunt.

I'm sure the neglected players don't feel quite this level of butthurt over it.

lajotu: I'm sure the neglected players don't feel quite this level of butthurt over it.

Really? It's butthurt to feel that the game designed to highlight the best of the best in the NFL should include the best? Or maybe that the game is less than it could be because they disallow certain people from playing simply because their team is still in the hunt? You were dropped on your head as a baby, and maybe yesterday, too.

It's a game specifically for the fans. The fans vote on who plays. If they didn't want to see Tom Brady play, they wouldn't vote for him. It's a slight on the fans for the league to say that Tom Brady can't play simply because his team is still in the hunt. The game should be optional, and should take place after the season is over. If the player doesn't want to play, he's the D-bag. If the league is preventing the player from playing, the league is the D-bag.

/For sure, the players get their money either way, and those in the SB get more. Your statement is loaded, because people that don't care a lick for money don't play professional sports.

Al!: It's butthurt to feel that the game designed to highlight the best of the best in the NFL should include the best?

Wait, are you talking about the Super Bowl??

lajotu: Al!: It's butthurt to feel that the game designed to highlight the best of the best in the NFL should include the best?

Wait, are you talking about the Super Bowl??

Not at all. The Pro Bowl is for the best players, the Super Bowl is for the best teams. I didn't think I needed to distinguish that in a thread about the Pro Bowl, since we are not talking about the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl is not the Super Bowl. The fans don't get to decide who is in the Super Bowl. So I guess I did distinguish between them when I said "It's a game specifically for the fans. The fans vote on who plays." I can understand if you didn't want to read my entire post, it is somewhere around 200 words long and that can make for difficult reading when you have a serious mental handicap.

You might want to warm up with Fun with Dick and Jane before moving on to complex threads filled with inane arguments. You can find it at your local library. Ask your parents for help.