How many NFL and football fans can honestly say that they "religiously" or even regularly watch the NFL Pro Bowl Game? I am guessing it is very few. In my honest opinion, the Pro Bowl is one of the worst all-star games in professional sports. There are a variety of reasons on why the event leaves a lackluster feeling. The first major one is a lack of effort. This is understandable because football is obviously a very physical game and what player wants to get injured during a game that truly means nothing? The effort is something fans can sense and any casual fan would notice the lack of effort during the game. The effort aspect is something that can't just magically be fixed. The competitiveness is an aspect that needs to be at a high if this game is to get more interest and essentially turned around. The NFL has tried a few different things to try and help boost the competitiveness level and give the players something more to play for. They had a Pro Bowl draft (before the NBA did it) for three consecutive years with former, retired players being the ones who selected the teams. When the NBA adopted the drafting method in 2018 for their All-Star game they had the top two vote-getting players be the ones who selected their teams. Could you imagine Patrick Mahomes and Drew Brees being the ones that selected all of their teammates for the Pro Bowl? That would be so much fun. The NFL had a great idea with their initial pro bowl draft but it still needed a few tweaks. The NBA saw this and made the necessary changes and it seems like it is working out perfectly for their all-star game. Having the NFL go back to the draft style, but instead have the top two vote-getters draft their team, would add another dimension and allow for that unique fun aspect before the actual game.
Now to the actual game part of the Pro Bowl. The NFL could make some significant changes to add some more flavor and avoid us fans just watching players trying to avoid getting hurt out there. One potential change that could be unique and a blast to watch is to make the Pro Bowl a 7 on 7 game with potentially just playing flag football. I know what some of you are thinking. Well, that takes some of the fun out of football, the physicality, and a huge part of the game that we have all grown to love. Let's be honest though, anymore there is not a ton of contact in the pro bowl anyways which stems back to players not wanting to get hurt. For those that do not know, 7 on 7 is a passing style of game which on offense features a quarterback, center, and then five skilled players out there running routes. The object is the same as padded football just fewer players and less equipment on the players. On defense, there could be four defensive backs, two linebackers, and then one defensive lineman (or another defensive player) rushing after the quarterback Players can and could essentially lineup all over the field and play any position. When rushing after the quarterback the rule could be just like playing in the backyard the defensive player could "count" to a certain number and then get after the quarterback. In my backyard, we always used to count using Mississippi. So, in this case, they could count to "two Mississippi" and then get after the quarterback with the center essentially blocking him. For those that don't know it would be said like this, "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi" and then a player is free to rush the quarterback. The center could rotate all offensive lineman and the defensive player rushing the quarterback could also rotate every play. Another rule for this hypothetical Pro Bowl could be absoutely no punts and making teams go for it on 4th down. Let's be honest, nobody is watching the Pro Bowl to watch punters punt(sorry Pat McAfee and For the Brand). Instead of kickoffs, this game could also just give the team that just gave up points the ball on the 25-yard line since a good chunk of kickoffs is touchbacks anyways. Adopting this method of play could essentially give the players less of a concern of getting injured and potentially that drive for competitiveness. Overall, it has the potential to be a ton of fun to watch and a ton of fun for the players. What do you guys think? Is there anything that you could envision that could help "fix" the Pro Bowl? Leave your comments below on your ideas!
As always, thank you for checking us out and the support! Follow us on the following platforms:
- Eric
Now to the actual game part of the Pro Bowl. The NFL could make some significant changes to add some more flavor and avoid us fans just watching players trying to avoid getting hurt out there. One potential change that could be unique and a blast to watch is to make the Pro Bowl a 7 on 7 game with potentially just playing flag football. I know what some of you are thinking. Well, that takes some of the fun out of football, the physicality, and a huge part of the game that we have all grown to love. Let's be honest though, anymore there is not a ton of contact in the pro bowl anyways which stems back to players not wanting to get hurt. For those that do not know, 7 on 7 is a passing style of game which on offense features a quarterback, center, and then five skilled players out there running routes. The object is the same as padded football just fewer players and less equipment on the players. On defense, there could be four defensive backs, two linebackers, and then one defensive lineman (or another defensive player) rushing after the quarterback Players can and could essentially lineup all over the field and play any position. When rushing after the quarterback the rule could be just like playing in the backyard the defensive player could "count" to a certain number and then get after the quarterback. In my backyard, we always used to count using Mississippi. So, in this case, they could count to "two Mississippi" and then get after the quarterback with the center essentially blocking him. For those that don't know it would be said like this, "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi" and then a player is free to rush the quarterback. The center could rotate all offensive lineman and the defensive player rushing the quarterback could also rotate every play. Another rule for this hypothetical Pro Bowl could be absoutely no punts and making teams go for it on 4th down. Let's be honest, nobody is watching the Pro Bowl to watch punters punt(sorry Pat McAfee and For the Brand). Instead of kickoffs, this game could also just give the team that just gave up points the ball on the 25-yard line since a good chunk of kickoffs is touchbacks anyways. Adopting this method of play could essentially give the players less of a concern of getting injured and potentially that drive for competitiveness. Overall, it has the potential to be a ton of fun to watch and a ton of fun for the players. What do you guys think? Is there anything that you could envision that could help "fix" the Pro Bowl? Leave your comments below on your ideas!
As always, thank you for checking us out and the support! Follow us on the following platforms:
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/cornfedsports1
- Instagram: cornfedsports1
- Twitter: @cornsports
- Podcast: https://anchor.fm/cornfedsports
- Eric
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