[Elvis]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutd ... 33830.html

Pro Bowl back to AFC vs. NFC? It would be a start, at least

By Frank Schwab
Shutdown Corner

Two years ago after the Pro Bowl, I wanted to track down a player. I stood between the locker rooms and had no idea where to find him.
Was he on Team Irvin? Team Carter? How would I even know? I had just watched the NFL's all-star game and couldn't figure out who was on which team. Why would anyone watching at home know either? Now that is a poor way to market a game.

The NFL has seemingly figured out that holding a game in which no fan can possibly understand who to root for is a bad idea. Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay said in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio the game is going back to the old AFC vs. NFC format.

Assuming McKay is correct, it's still not the magic answer to all that ails the Pro Bowl. But it's at least better than having old legends pick teams from a mixed pool of teams, creating a situation in which nobody cares which team wins. Picking players like it was a sandlot game was a concept worth trying, and it didn't work.

The NFL is struggling to figure out a way to save the Pro Bowl. The game still does the kind of television ratings that make it an attractive three-hour commitment for a network on a random Sunday evening in January, but those ratings are sinking fast. The game is moving to Orlando, Fla., and McKay talked about making it a week-long event to celebrate football. That's fine, but there's is still the matter of the football game at the end of that week.

It's hard to get around the basic problem: Players don't want to play full speed in a violent game and get injured during a game that means nothing. There's probably no way around that either.

"It has been a game that's bothersome at times," McKay said. "I think it's great we celebrated those players, but I think in the end the game has got to have a competitive aspect to it to make sense long term."

I do know that having a game in which no fan can possibly have a clear rooting interest in either team is dumb. At least when you have the conferences play each other, a Dallas Cowboys fan will naturally understand who is on the NFC's team and have a minor reason to root for it. It's not the magic solution, but it's better than the awful format of the last few years.

The Pro Bowl might be beyond repair at this point. But it won't go away without the NFL trying to figure out a solution.

"I'm concerned about the long-term viability of the game," McKay said. "But we've got to give it every chance."

[Hacksaw]

I liked that and the AFC vs NFC set up they had before

They need to tweak a few of the rules to minimize the injury factor. They also need to play the game after the Superbowl so that all the players from the best 2 teams that given years can participate.

I imagine that players can get out of shape somewhere between the end of week 16 and the week after the Superbowl but the game is like that last fix before the off season after the SB.

If your going to play the game at all, do it right.

[dieterbrock]

The Pro Bowl is still a thing?

[St. Loser Fan]

The Pro Bowl is still a thing?

Someone put it out of it's misery.

Sadly, Orlando will just be a placeholder before Los Angeles gets it.

[majik]

Why does the NFL bother? The Pro Bowl should be put down

[RamsFanSince82]

The NFL bothers because it still probably gets decent ratings (compared to other sports). Also, the players like the free trip (especially if it's in Hawaii) and they like seeing, meeting, and hanging out with the other great players.

[Neil039]

The NFL bothers because it still probably gets decent ratings (compared to other sports). Also, the players like the free trip (especially if it's in Hawaii) and they like seeing, meeting, and hanging out with the other great players.

BINGO