Fixing the Pro Bowl

[LoserSlick]

- Move the Pro Bowl back to after the season is over because having it during the season where players on Super Bowl teams don't even attend makes people care even less about watching it. The only real reason people watched it was out of frustration that football season is over.

- Stop playing it in Hawii; play the game in a normal venue. a) Football players make big money, they go to more exotic places than Hawaii multiple times a year. b) Watching people having fun on sandy beaches is not entertaining - especially when they're football players. We watch football players because we enjoy the game of football.

- There needs to be a competitive incentive so we can actually watch players competing, e.g., winning conference gets one more home game against the opposing conference during next year's regular season schedule (just an idea).

Thoughts? Ideas?

[InsaneBlaze23]

I think it's a terrible idea. I like that the pro bowl is in Hawaii and from my understanding players like it too. An extra pay check and few time to take their family to Hawaii.

The only thing I agree with you on is that it needs to be more competitive and it needs to be after the season.
Only for competitive, it needs to be played like an actually game. The play schemes for the Pro Bowl make it not fun to watch. It's always both teams scoring 40 points, never any defense.

In then have the winner's conference host the Super Bowl. Kinda like in MLB, where the winning team's conference gets home field advantage in the World Series.

[berlownacyo7s]

I don't really care that the players don't try very hard in the game. It's still better entertainment than a lot of the other things on TV IMO. What I do miss however is the Skills Challenge deal they used to do; I always enjoyed watching those for some reason.

[bronx_2003]

I heard that Goodell is looking into making it a competitive college all star game which I think is a great idea. These players would have something on the line with the draft coming up.

[LoserSlick]

I think it's a terrible idea. I like that the pro bowl is in Hawaii and from my understanding players like it too. An extra pay check and few time to take their family to Hawaii.

Bro, asking for a competitive game in Hawaii would be like asking your accountant to do your taxes at a strip club with an open bar... or telling your kid to go study at a video game store.

We pay them to entertain us; not so we can watch them go on vacation. - and they are paid extremely well.

In then have the winner's conference host the Super Bowl. Kinda like in MLB, where the winning team's conference gets home field advantage in the World Series.

Thought about that. It would be problematic for multiple reasons. Relative to lack of competition, though, what incentive do Pro Bowlers from horrible teams have to play well - you think Cameron Wake is going to play lights out for the Patriots to play at home in February? Football is just a tad more physically taxing than baseball. Wouldn't work.

Really, I think an extra home game against the opposing conference would be our best bet. It isn't completely over-kill and players, coaches, ticket holders, and owners would all be engaged.

[Broncos-R-Great]

- Move the Pro Bowl back to after the season is over

Then even less people would watch it than the few that currently do. I never liked the Pro Bowl after the Super Bowl, after a grand finale with the biggest game of the year you follow it up next week with the worst. Then again, I don't like it the week before either because half the players don't show up. The fact is that there isn't a "good" time to play the worthless game lol.

Maybe instead of the goofy Half of Fame Game, play the Pro Bowl then instead to kick off the new season, not a great idea but its an idea. At least most of the players would show up (maybe), it would be a good way to warm up for the preseason, and with it being the first football in 6 months people would actually watch it.

- Stop playing it in Hawii

Then the players REALLY wouldn't show up for it, a free trip to Hawaii is their only motivation to play in it.

- There needs to be a competitive incentive so we can actually watch players competing, e.g., winning conference gets one more home game against the opposing conference during next year's regular season schedule (just an idea).

There's really no good way to implement it, except having the Super Bowl played in the winning conferences stadium, which of course takes away the "neutral" field. That means a meaningless game from the prior year would have a huge outcome on who wins the Super Bowl, an awful idea.

[LoserSlick]

Then even less people would watch it than the few that currently do. I never liked the Pro Bowl after the Super Bowl, after a grand finale with the biggest game of the year you follow it up next week with the worst. Then again, I don't like it the week before either because half the players don't show up. The fact is that there isn't a "good" time to play the worthless game lol.

Though it's too early to say definitively because the date change is still new, Pro Bowl ratings are on the decline since the change.

Maybe instead of the goofy Half of Fame Game, play the Pro Bowl then instead to kick off the new season, not a great idea but its an idea. At least most of the players would show up (maybe), it would be a good way to warm up for the preseason, and with it being the first football in 6 months people would actually watch it.

Wouldn't work. No coaches would risk injury to their players a month before the regular season. Not only that but implementing any schedule reward in that time frame is impractical from a business standpoint.

Then the players REALLY wouldn't show up for it, a free trip to Hawaii is their only motivation to play in it.

The 'free trip' is a symptom of: the problem. This threads about fixing the Pro Bowl.

There's really no good way to implement it, except having the Super Bowl played in the winning conferences stadium, which of course takes away the "neutral" field. That means a meaningless game from the prior year would have a huge outcome on who wins the Super Bowl, an awful idea.

No good way to implement what? We're talking about two completely different things here. If you read the post I wrote just before yours, I said doing so would be problematic for multiple reasons. But--even though I never said that--you're correct. Home field advantage in football is much more significant than home field advantage in baseball. Not only that but cities take years to prepare to host a Super Bowl.

[EddieMac]

I really like the idea of it replacing the HOF game....

[// / yardo]

It'll be hard to up the competitive value of the game. It's an exhibition with guys that make a lot of money and don't want to get hurt and jeopardize their careers for a meaningless game. I don't blame 'em either.

Personally, I enjoy the game for what it is. The key is to lower your standards and get one last glimpse of some of your favorite players until training camp.

[bronx_2003]

The pro bowl HAS to go, and soon. They would still list the pro bowl players so they would get recognition, but who honestly enjoys watching a game where no one cares and its meaningless.

The Goodell college all star game was a great idea.

There's no way to fix the pro bowl. Ratings are declining because its meaningless.

[Broncos-R-Great]

I really like the idea of it replacing the HOF game....

Its about the only way of truly "fixing" the Pro Bowl, people would actually watch it, players would be healthy and might try a little harder, or at least show up to it, and it would be a great way to start the season.

Another option would be right before or right after the draft, when we're all hungry for live football but still have to wait 3 months to see it. An even crazier idea would be to then make the game rookies vs. pro bowl players, imagine rookies who are looking to raise their draft position against the NFL's best, wouldn't that be a fun game to watch...