Many players who will be selected during the league's NFL draft are regarded as future Pro Bowlers but the Pro Bowl game itself likely will be suspended this season and beyond, according to league sources. Mike and Mike in the Morning ESPN NFL Insider Chris Mortensen weighs in on Ryan Tannehill, potential trades during the draft, Matt Kalil, the possible elimination of the Pro Bowl and more. The Pro Bowl currently is on the NFL's calendar the week before the Super Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 3 but no game site has been listed because of its precarious status, sources added. Sources say that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who has previously voiced his displeasure with the lack of competitiveness of recent Pro Bowl games, is strongly considering suspending this year's game, sources say. Beyond 2013, another league source believes the Pro Bowl is "DOA (dead on arrival)." If the game is suspended, the league still would have a Pro Bowl balloting process to identify the season's top players and would direct teams to negotiate Pro Bowl clauses into player contracts and to honor Pro Bowl incentive clauses to avoid any serious conflict with the NFL Players Association. Those players also likely would be honored in some fashion during Super Bowl week. Goodell has asked NFL players recently for suggestions to make the game more attractive but has yet to embrace a solution, sources said. Even those within who league support continuance of the game have been unable to persuade Goodell that the game has merit alone on reasonably strong television ratings. However, the diminishing quality of the game has weighed more heavily on the commissioner who believes it reflects poorly on the league and its players. Sources say Goodell does not hold any ill-will toward the players' lackluster effort because of player safety issues. Goodell said in February that eliminating the game was under consideration. In an appearance on ESPN Radio's "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on Super Bowl Sunday, Goodell said the league must address the quality of the game and even said he would consider eliminating the all-star game if it can't be improved upon. The AFC routed the NFC 59-41 in last season's Pro Bowl game that drew boos at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu for its lack of early intensity. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had said that some of his NFC teammates "embarrassed themselves" with the effort they gave in the game. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7857508/nfl-moving-suspend-pro-bowl-sources-say
The only thing about this is that I wonder if anybody has escalators in their contracts for making the pro bowl. I assume they do for making all pro. If they do then without a pro bowl game their will be no pro bowl players elected.
Sorry Don but did you even read the article you posted? LOL "If the game is suspended, the league still would have a Pro Bowl balloting process to identify the season's top players and would direct teams to negotiate Pro Bowl clauses into player contracts and to honor Pro Bowl incentive clauses to avoid any serious conflict with the NFL Players Association. Those players also likely would be honored in some fashion during Super Bowl week." I'm for it, the Pro Bowl is a joke.
No big loss. I think the last time I payed attention to the Pro Bowl was the late 80s, when as a teenager it seemed so impressive seeing all those star players in one place. Then you get to last year, which admittedly I did not watch, but by all accounts was a gigantic farce of a game. All the players wanted was the free week in Hawaii, all expenses paid and then go run around for a few hours in pads.
To me the skills competition that they used to do was always way more fun to watch than the Pro Bowl. They should bring that back and expand it if they're going to do anything. Screw the game, it's worse than a week 4 preseason game.
i remember the first and only time i watched any of the pro bowl. i was 12 turned it on and said this is bullshit.i havent watched a second since
No..I got bored with it after the first couple of sentences...lol At least the question was a legitimate one.
DOn't worry. If Roger Goodell has his fucking way, in a matter of years every game will be like the probowl. No hitting
Biggest effect here is that fewer players will earn their pro bowl bonuses since nobody will opt out forcing other players to be invited to play. Goodell is right. The pro bowl game sucks. The players are scared of injuries and nobody wants to get hurt in a game that doesn't mean anything, So the games are just terrible. Even going to a flag football/skills competition/beach events type scenario would not prevent injuries from occurring. The players are just too big and fast at this point to avoid injury in almost any athletic event they participate in, even ones with minimal contact. The only way to make the game worth something again and match off the injury risk to the players would be to have a meaningful result for them attach to the game. Have all the players on the winning team get their contracts guaranteed for the next couple of seasons. Players would be playing like it was the Super Bowl if you did that.
Agreed on the skills competition. Let the WR try all the catching challenges. Does anyone remember the Disney obstacle course/relay race that teams of atheletes would do against each other? Something like that with the Pro Bowl invites would be cool. Farthest throw competition for QB's, Farthest throw for competition for non QB's, most accurace for QB's, kicking challenges for punter/kickers and kicking challenges for non punter/kickers. A flag football game maybe? Just make it a bunch of wacky, fun stuff. Its the end of the season so nobody is going to go all out in a meaningless game. Oh and of course you have to do 40 yd dash race between players too.
Even further back, do any of you guys remember that horrific "running back challenge" between Walter Payton and an aging Franco Harris, with Phil Simms playing the QB?
wasnt there a show back in the day that was a skills competition? i can remember something along those lines. it was semi interesting.
Glad they are doing away with it. Being selected 1st Team All Pro is better than any BS, non physical, game even the players don't care about.
All I can remember is the Superstars thing on ABC, but that was across all sports and sometimes celebrity versions of it.
