The most shocking rumor of all!!

[Philagape]

No more Pro Bowl????!?!???



The idea for getting rid of the Pro Bowl entirely has picked up steam in recent years, and Chris Mortensen reported on ESPN Radio this morning that there’s talk of suspending the Pro Bowl as soon as this year: There might not be a Pro Bowl at all at the end of this season.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/04/26/nfl-may-have-played-its-last-pro-bowl/

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Skooby]

The probowl is a chance to get your stars injured for no reason, sorta like the preseason.

[ddaryl]

No biggie.. Never watch the game myself.

A simple honor for the players would suffice. Risking injury is not worth it.

[Night Train]

That has become a joke and needed to die.

Just have a banquet in Miami or somewhere warm for 3 days for the guys who actually got voted in, rather than watching a game with the 5th alternate playing a skill position and trying not to get hurt.

[THATHURMANATOR]

It is a **** game. Who cares?

[alohabillsfan]

It’s cool; I don’t live in Hawaii anymore. I would never watch that game on TV, I did attend 3 or 4 of them when I lived there.

PS when is the draft?

[MattyNH]

Who cares about the pro bowl? It is so terrible. Just have an awards ceremony/skills tourny or something. Put them on TV but the game isnt even a game, its dumb and should be ended.

[TedMock]

Good.

[mikemac2001]

Make it a skills comp and be done with it

[Jaydog57]

Yeah I think making the Pro Bowl roster is the real honor, and they should leave it at that. Nobody remembers what a player actually did in the Pro Bowl game itself, unless he gets hurt or can't make it because he's in the Super Bowl.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

The probowl is a chance to get your stars injured for no reason, sorta like the preseason.
Oh, come on-- it's at the end of the season and you have several months to heal. If anything, that should mean more liberty to put your body at risk.

[Johnny Bugmenot]

However, there is one problem with eliminating the Pro Bowl:

ESPN already bought the rights to the game through 2022. How would the league compensate for that?

[The King]

Make it a skills comp and be done with it

Bingo.

[Philagape]

Oh, come on-- it's at the end of the season and you have several months to heal. If anything, that should mean more liberty to put your body at risk.

Sure, a torn ACL or Achilles is nothing! :insane:

Why put their bodies at risk at all? What about the Pro Bowl is worth any risk?

[TMu11]

Exactly. Increase the amount of 'skills' competitions, have a few award ceremonies, increase the number of trophies like the NHL has.

The Pro Bowl has been a complete joke

[Oaf]

Just make it flag and make starters play both sides a la NFL Street. I'd watch that, plus less chance for injury.

[Jan Reimers]

I hope the rumor is true. Like the NBA and NHL All-Star games, the Pro Bowl is a total embarrassment which dishonors almost every facet of a great game.

[TigerJ]

I heard Goodell talking about the probowl a while back, and this issue was part of it. Basically he was talking about how players went through the motions this year, mostly just trying not to get hurt. He said that the product was unacceptable and if they needed to figure out how to give fans a better product. If they couldn't do that, they'd have to consider canning the whole thing.

[Mski]

i think a skills competition would be the best way to do it... and an awards ceremony

[Cali512]

The one year that buffalo will possibly have a few pro bowlers, they dont have one. That sucks

[ServoBillieves]

Ok... You look at Hall of Fame players, and what stats are associated with them: All-Pro teams, MVP's, Super Bowl victories, and Pro Bowls.

I would prefer the top 3 factors, but when you look at how ESPN runs the business now, you hear arguments for players saying "BUT HE'S BEEN TO 8 PRO BOWLS?!"

If you're the best player at the position in the eyes of fellow players and rival coaches, give those "Pro Bowl" players a similar title but lose the stupid name and the game. Skills competition seems the most accurate, or as stated before a luncheon where the media can interview the hell out of them and annoy them, but do it after the SB.

Accolades are what makes players these days, not drunk sorority chicks wearing Tebow jerseys voting on NFL.com since "ZOMG WHAT STATISTICS?! HE'S SO GOOD!?"

Something needs to be done.

[PromoTheRobot]

Set up a special EA NFL 2012 game with all the players voted to the pro Bowl and have fans from around the country selected to play a virtual Pro Bowl.

PTR

[Philagape]

Another benefit would be the end of Pro Bowl alternates. No one will ever again be a Pro Bowler because three guys ahead of him didn't play.

[YardRat]

Good riddance. It's a popularity contest anyway.

[Mike13]

The AP All Pro List is more credible anyway.