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How would you fix the NFL Pro Bowl?

How would you change the Pro Bowl?

  • Keep it the same as it is now (one week before the Super Bowl)

  • Keep it the same, but move it to a different time of the year

  • Add individual competitions to make it more interesting

  • Turn the game into flag football or something to prevent injuries

  • Abolish the game and just have an event

  • Other

Results are only viewable after voting.
AstroManLuca

AstroManLuca

Lifer
There has been a lot of debate over the Pro Bowl for years. For this year, the NFL decided to try to pull up its sagging ratings by putting it in the week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, a move hailed by many as extremely stupid since the players from the Super Bowl teams wouldn't attend.

I contend that the Pro Bowl is a flawed concept to begin with and it was just as thoroughly criticized before this year's change. The way I see it, the NFL decided that the Pro Bowl is pretty much fucked no matter what they do, so why not put it before the Super Bowl and thus get at least slightly better ratings.

But there are other things they could do! Instead of trying to find the best time and place for a meaningless game in a high-risk sport, why not change the format? They could have competitions like in the NBA all-star game, change the rules to reduce the risk of injury, or scrap the game entirely and just have an event honoring the players that were voted to the Pro Bowl team. Everyone seems to pay more attention to the Pro Bowl voting than the game itself anyway.

If you were the commish, what would YOU do?
 
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3rd place playoff game between AFC and NFC championship losers. You'd get much more ratings.

-edit-
But I could see the players not playing nearly as hard and it being more of an exhibition, which is what the pro-bowl is anyway. Maybe if draft choices played something in it so the game meant something.
 
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If they're scared of injury might as well use flag football rules. NFL wanted to join in on the all-star bandwagon like other sports but it doesn't really work in football.
 
These ideas can be stand-alone or combined:

  1. Scrap it. The Pro Bowl (and football in general) is much more likely to get players injured than MLB/NBA/NHL All-Star games. With that in mind, you'll never be able to get big-name players interested in jeopardizing their careers for an exhibition.
  2. Move the Super Bowl back up a week and play the Pro Bowl right after the SB.
  3. Only pay Pro Bowl players their Pro Bowl bonuses if they actually suit up and play in the game. This way the big names can't fake an injury and collect their $200,000 checks.
  4. Make the Pro Bowl less about a football game and more about football skill. Have Pro Bowlers compete in various contests like the old NFL Quarterback Challenge and Running Back Challenge stuff they used to have in the offseason. Cap all the various contests off with a lower-contact game like 11-on-11 flag football. Other than the occasional knee or ankle from a bad plant, injuries will be much lower than a full-contact game.
 
the move before the super bowl makes sense. once the super bowl has been played, everyone quits paying attention until next year. sucks that it wont have super bowl players (who are probably some of the most deserving), but at least fans expecting football on sundays will still get some

skills competitions would be good also
 
IAteYourMother said:
No game. Just individual competitions, sort of like a skills challenge.
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I like this. Hate to see someone get injured in the game, but its a great weekend for the pro-bowlers (not pba 😉 ) to get deserved recognition as well as build relationships and hang out with their fellow elite peers.

As for being before the superbowl...it's stupid because it dishonors some players who are still playing their hearts out and can't be there but deserve as much as the others to participate.
 
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jjsole said:
I like this. Hate to see someone get injured in the game, but its a great weekend for the pro-bowlers (not pba 😉 ) to get deserved recognition as well as build relationships and hang out with their fellow elite peers.

As for being before the superbowl...it's stupid because it dishonors some players who are still playing their hearts out and can't be there but deserve as much as the others to participate.
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Ask any player going to the superbowl which they would rather have and the answer would be unanimous.
 
spidey07 said:
See my edit. You would have to do something to make it worthwhile to win, to make it count. Otherwise it means nothing.
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It's a good idea but I really don't think there's a way to do that. There isn't exactly a ton of prestige in losing a Super Bowl (i.e. getting 2nd place), and it follows that there would be even less for whoever gets 3rd place.

The other motivating factor is money but players already get paid to go to the Pro Bowl and even then a lot of them skip out.

Personally I'd go for a skills challenge with no game. Have distance and accuracy challenges for QBs and kickers, like the home run derby. Maybe roll some ceremonies in there like pro football hall of fame inductions.
 
AstroManLuca said:
It's a good idea but I really don't think there's a way to do that. There isn't exactly a ton of prestige in losing a Super Bowl (i.e. getting 2nd place), and it follows that there would be even less for whoever gets 3rd place.

The other motivating factor is money but players already get paid to go to the Pro Bowl and even then a lot of them skip out.

Personally I'd go for a skills challenge with no game. Have distance and accuracy challenges for QBs and kickers, like the home run derby. Maybe roll some ceremonies in there like pro football hall of fame inductions.
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I was watching a skills challenge the other day. Only die hard fans would be interested. The players don't take it too seriously.

So put some money on it - 250K+ for the winner of each event, graduated.
 
scrap it.

Unlike NBA where you can choose to not play defense at all. Or MLB and NHL where you can half ass it. football would be boring if QBs did try to bomb things or players trying to make that big play. which exposes them to unnecessary injury.

Look at what happen to Robert Edwards. tore up his knee and pretty much any NFL career playing a flag football game in hawaii that the NFL had promoted.
 
The pro-bowl should be used to decide who gets home-field advantage in the Superbowl. I think it's stupid that teams have to both be "away" anyway.
 
IAteYourMother said:
No game. Just individual competitions, sort of like a skills challenge.
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Yes, yes yes. I've always thought they should make more about mini-games. Maybe include one game of flag football or something, too. I also want them to have a TD celebration contest ala the NBA dunk contest. How awesome would that be?
 
amdhunter said:
The pro-bowl should be used to decide who gets home-field advantage in the Superbowl. I think it's stupid that teams have to both be "away" anyway.
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Then they'd only have two weeks to plan for the super bowl at that stadium, it'd never work.
 
Give each player on the winning team a badge. If you collect 10 badges, you can place yourself on a superbowl team of your choice for that week and possibly get a ring if you win.
 
JD50 said:
Then they'd only have two weeks to plan for the super bowl at that stadium, it'd never work.
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Do it midway between the season. This way, every team should still be in the running, and would encourage their players to actually play.
 
amdhunter said:
Do it midway between the season. This way, every team should still be in the running, and would encourage their players to actually play.
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That doesn't address my point. You would have to wait until after the conference championship to plan the superbowl if the location depended on the participants.
 
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