PRO BOWL: To Keep or Not to Keep?

Will the sun set on the Pro Bowl next year?  It will be up to Commissioner Goodell to decide....
(photo courtesy of Josh Chiaratti)

                                       

Johnny J

The Pro Bowl is the "All-Star" game of the NFL. It's there to showcase the best players of the league. But what happens when its not taken seriously? The NFL loses money, fans stop caring, and the Commissioner gets mad.  Roger Goodell noted earlier that "the league must address the quality of the game," and he even mentioned he would consider eliminating the exhibition event if improvements aren't made. "I really didn't think that was the kind of football we should be demonstrating for our fans," said the Commissioner who was referring to past efforts in the Pro Bowl.

The players responded this year, with greater determination not to disappoint the fans or the Commissioner. In an all-out effort, the NFC blew out the AFC, 62-35. It actually was worth watching this year. Players like Peyton Manning  headlined the rally of getting the players to play hard and calling the last 2 years of the Pro Bowl unacceptable.  "Peyton said some things and guys took it personal," said Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson, who finished with 13 yards on 5 carries and a fumble.  J.J. Watt after getting his finger cut after a play, went to the sidelines, and during an interview, as the cameras got a good look of his bloodied finger, and lightheartedly barbed, "Hey, Commish!  We're playing hard."  Even Goodell announced yesterday that the players' play in the Pro Bowl improved greatly this year compared to years past.

Hawaii.  Very likely that NFL Pro Bowlers wake up to this
sight every morning.
(photo courtesy of Josh Chiaratti)

For example, first-year Pro Bowler and Minnesota Vikings' tight-end, Kyle Rudolph, who was named MVP after catching 5 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.  Rudolph not only made a statement with his game, but also pleaded with the Commish to "keep [the Pro Bowl] here and keep it here for a long time." Rudolph, was not initially voted into the Pro Bowl. He made it after Tony Gonzalez decided not to attend because of injury. In the end Rudolph definitely showed why he deserved to be there: he was Eli Manning's and Drew Brees' top receiver and walked out the stadium with the MVP.

As a fan, the Pro Bowl was just known as a trip to Hawaii and an extra paycheck. I understand that no one wants to get hurt in a game that doesn't mean anything. Some players are still probably still upset about not being in the Super Bowl and so the effort was just not there. Especially if you're a player who has been known as a Pro Bowler throughout your career, but for someone who is new to Hawaii, you're just soaking it all in.

But Going back to Gonzalez, not being there, I feel like if you were healthy enough to play in your last game, then you're healthy enough to play in this game. If I paid for tickets to go to the Pro Bowl, I would like to see players that I voted for playing. The fans deserve that much.  I didn't pay for someone to be called upon because my favorite players were too busy--err, hurt--to come.  Players like: 

• Aaron Rodgers 
• Calvin Johnson
• Matt Ryan
• Clay Matthews

They all could have played because they all played in their last games. They may have tweaked something during the game, but they played. So if you play for your team, then you should play for the fans. This is something the Commissioner needs to address as well.

Hawaii.  You can't get these views in Miami.
(photo courtesy of Josh Chiaratti)

In 2010 the NFL moved the Pro Bowl in front of the Super Bowl, in an effort to get fans to watch. They threw more money toward the winning team and that didn't work: $60,000 to the winner and $45,000 to the loser before, now $50,000 to $25,000 split to the winner and loser, respectively. They even moved the Pro Bowl to Miami for one year and nobody cared.

Finally, the Commissioner said he would cancel the All Star event if players didn't play hard and that may have gotten the players' attention. Proving that being a Pro Bowler still means something; it means you're an elite member of this game, at least for the season your number is summoned upon by the fans and coaches. It also means you're responsible in providing your services for the overall good of the game and most especially for the fans.  Even if the game is just an exhibition event--just come out and exhibit your skills!

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SUPER BOWL CAN'T COME QUICK ENOUGH: Deaths, Bounties, and Soft Play

From a noted champion, I just want the Super Bowl
to begin all ready!

Felipe M

We asked our panel to weigh-in on the rough week the NFL experienced last week.

Sean Payton has been reinstated by the NFL.  Did Roger Goodell make his point to the rest of the NFL as far as bounties go?

Never a dull moment in the NFL as it appeared another ho-hum week that led its way to the annual Pro Bowl turned ugly.  First, Payton was once again, allowed to join the New Orleans Saints and immediately went to work at the Senior Bowl where he could be seen scouting the fresh talent and rubbing elbows with all of the coaches and front office personnel, sharing notes and thoughts on players and perhaps chronicled the events of his life in the past year or so during his suspension.  That wasn't so bad.  That’s actually a good thing to see a coach do his job.

It got worse when it was announced that Junior Seau’s family would sue the NFL after posthumous tests showed that the former player was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). 

Concurrently, a new study last week showed chronic brain damage among living, retired NFL players.  The players' brains seemed to "deteriorate" faster than a human being who did not participate in football.  

Then NFL hitman, Bernard Pollard stated that not only will the NFL die out in about 30 years, but he expects there to be a death of a player on the field. The player who is getting a reputation for being the Patriot Killer, also stated that fellow players are getting tired of being fined for hits and tackles that have become illegal in today’s NFL.  Many fans and pundits are all ready viewing a world where America’s most talented athletes will think twice about the prospects of playing football for a living and participate in other, safer sports.

Finally, putting on the final blow on the NFL this week, President Barack Obama also made a statement about not having his hypothetical son play the sport and would like the league to “reduce some of the violence.”

So what was the subject about again?  Oh yeah: so did Goodell make his point about the bounties?  Our panel doesn't think so:

• “No he did not.  Payton should have been kicked out of Football along with Greg Williams.”—Johnny J (A bit extreme, but definitely would have gotten every head coach’s attention to the matter—Ed).
• “Goodell wasted his/our time.  Bounties are nothing new and are here to stay. They simply got caught.”—Dan P (Remember, every old, crusty, former player came out of the cornfields to tell the whole world how they use to set up bounties all of the time back in the medieval days of the NFL and that Goodell was just making the game too soft.  And then those same players continued to go after the NFL vicariously through their lawyers—Ed).
• “No, because just like the NCAA, all Roger Goodell does is punish problems instead of getting at the core issue of the violations.  Rather than creating a fair shake for everyone (i.e. alter the extreme violent nature of the game), Goodell wants to look as if he cares about the players safety.  Similar to any two-bit, prison warden who follows the old prison mantra--"rule, not rehabilitate.”—Donny R

These are some harsh, critical words for the NFL’s commissioner.  But to his credit “some” progress, could be said, was made with these unprecedented punishments handed to the Saints’ organization.  There has to be some optimism that some of the dark, ugly habits of professional players and their equally disgusting coaches’ behaviors were somewhat eradicated.  It’s hard to believe that most of the locker rooms will revert back to implementing a bounty system after they saw what happened to the Saints. 

Or it could be argued that a lot of locker rooms will lay low for a while and come back with modifications and even more subtlety than before.  I believe, however, that C. McLain sums it up best:

“I’d put money on it that Goodell definitely did make his point.”

Special emphasis on the word, money.

More on the NFL can be retrieved, here.