2 of these 3 QBs didn't make the team.
This Fiyah 5 is about this season's Pro Bowl in Miami which is being played tonight, the week before the Super Bowl, for the first time ever. The good news is that you can use most of these when referring to any Pro Bowl in the history of Pro Bowls. Let us begin.
5) Football is an actual contact sport.
This is probably the #1 reason why the Pro Bowl can't compare or compete with other league's all-star games like the NBA and MLB. In the NBA you can run around at half speed, do tricks, crazy dunks, and all kinds ill shit. In the MLB, if you're a pitcher you go out, throw 1 or 2 innings, and go chill. If you don't pitch, you go up to bat once or twice and play half-hearted defense for a few innings. In the NFL, you actually have to some work. There's plays to be called, tackles to be made, kickoffs to be covered, you can't half-ass it too much in a football game no matter if its an exhibition or not. And if you do, its really not interesting to at all.
4) Instead of competing with the NBA All-Star Weekend, its competing with the Grammy's.
One of the worst things that could've happened to the NFL's chances of making the Pro Bowl a game people actually want to see, was 9/11. Think about it, before 2001 the Super Bowl was played on the last Sunday of January, which meant the Pro Bowl was played on the first week of February. Significance: That's the week BEFORE NBA All-Star Weekend when ain't shit else on. After 9/11, everything was pushed back a week and now the Pro Bowl is forced to compete against the All-Star Weekend in that 2nd week of February.
Now, by moving the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl, it now gets to compete with the Grammy's. Let me think about it for a second: Hmm, watch the Grammy's, or watch the Pro Bowl? See the most prestigious award show in music, or see an exhibition game that doesn't matter or count. Uhh, give me the Grammy's ANY day. Hell, I'll even go as far as saying I'd rather way the Grammy's pre-show and red carpet events than the Pro Bowl. It just can't win no matter which event it goes up against.
3) About 1/3 of the roster didn't even make the team.
Have you seen the list of replacements?? Its like whole new teams were created. Between the Super Bowl-bound Pro Bowlers not having to play, injuries, and people flat out not wanting to play, both teams were basically re-picked. Definitely not awesome.
Okay, so not only does this game not matter, but most of the player who were picked to play aren't playing?? Nice!
2) The players in the Super Bowl that were selected don't have to play, but they do have to show up anyway.
How pointless is this?? The teams are concentrating on the biggest game of the season, and then their best players have to fly to Miami to WATCH the Pro Bowl. Huh?? And not only that, but the players also have to fly back to their respective cities only to fly to Miami AGAIN with their teams. What part of the game is that?? Oh yeah, its the "NFL is run by old white men who don't know what fun is and finds way to take the fan's joy" part of the game, I forgot.
And what happens if a team like the Bengals made the Super Bowl?? They had 0 Pro Bowlers before Chad Johnson was called in as a replacement player, so if Cincy made the Super Bowl he wouldn't be required to be there. That means the Bengals whole team would be together for 2 whole weeks while 7 or 8 of the Saints best were forced to go be mascots at a meaningless game when they could've been preparing. How is that fair?? Its not.
Why is the NFL punishing players for making the Pro Bowl??
1) No one cares.
Its the truth, we don't. The fans don't care, the media doesn't care, and the players don't care. In fact, I think the only person who actually cares about this game is London Fletcher. He's 34 years-old and this will be the first Pro Bowl appearance of his career. This may turn out to be his last shot at ever having this "Pro Bowler" on his resume.
Other than him, who cares?? The vets don't because they've been there, done that. The young guys don't because they feel like they're gonna be there every year for the rest of their career. No one cares.
Again, the game doesn't matter.
Anyway, the point of this all isn't to say moving the game was a bad idea, its to say it was an irrelevant, pointless idea. But I will be rooting for all the Cowboys to have a good game. That is all.
