Goodell likes new Pro Bowl date, could keep it

[HEAV]

The Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii next year, but it still might be held the week before the Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Miami Herald on Saturday.

“We have the option when we go back to Hawaii, we can do it before or after (the Super Bowl),” Goodell said. “Here’s where I like it: I think you should stop or end your season when you reach the pinnacle. The pinnacle is the Super Bowl. I think it’s anticlimactic when you come back with the Pro Bowl the week after the Super Bowl.”

Traditionally, the Pro Bowl has been held the week after the Super Bowl, allowing players from those teams to participate. Goodell acknowledged that not having the Super Bowl players in the Pro Bowl is a “negative,” but overall, he likes the new date for the league’s all-star game.

“It’s been great,” he told the Herald. “We’ve had a terrific reaction from it. As you know, we have a sold-out crowd, so more people will be in the stadium. I think being here on the mainland has had some significant advantages. But we also love our relationship in Hawaii. The idea here is we’re trying to find every way to improve the game. We’ve got some things that are working here.”
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Sorry Roger,

The Pro-Bowl should be after the SuperBowl.

[Dagmar]

Originally Posted by HEAV

The Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii next year, but it still might be held the week before the Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Miami Herald on Saturday.

“We have the option when we go back to Hawaii, we can do it before or after (the Super Bowl),” Goodell said. “Here’s where I like it: I think you should stop or end your season when you reach the pinnacle. The pinnacle is the Super Bowl. I think it’s anticlimactic when you come back with the Pro Bowl the week after the Super Bowl.”

Traditionally, the Pro Bowl has been held the week after the Super Bowl, allowing players from those teams to participate. Goodell acknowledged that not having the Super Bowl players in the Pro Bowl is a “negative,” but overall, he likes the new date for the league’s all-star game.

“It’s been great,” he told the Herald. “We’ve had a terrific reaction from it. As you know, we have a sold-out crowd, so more people will be in the stadium. I think being here on the mainland has had some significant advantages. But we also love our relationship in Hawaii. The idea here is we’re trying to find every way to improve the game. We’ve got some things that are working here.”
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Sorry Roger,

The Pro-Bowl should be after the SuperBowl.

It is a very anticlimatic event though.

[Schism]

I think it works better during the bye week.

[WolfpackGuy]

Has the Pro Bowl ever meant anything to the players other than a free trip to Hawaii?

They didn't even get that this year.

If he wants to do something with the extra week between the championship games and Super Bowl, move the Super Bowl up a week.

Two of the best games (Giants-Bills, Pats-Rams) were played without the extra week in between.

[titan]

I don't think the Pro Bowl will ever be as interesting an all star game as baseball's or basketball's. What makes baseball and basketball's all star games better:

1. It's in the middle of the season

2. It's moved around to all the league cities, so when a city hosts the all star game it's a big deal

3. Each of those sports has so many games that the risk of injury in the all star game is not a major factor.

The Pro Bowl is pretty boring whether they play it the week before the Super Bowl or the week after. At least when it's in Hawaii played after the Super Bowl it's more of a reward for the players, and there are always some interesting interviews on the beach with the Super Bowl players on what happened the weekend before.

[Blueflame]

We used to make a pretty big deal of the Pro Bowl... invited friends over to party and watch the game. Maybe not quite on the scale of the Super Bowl, but it was a "last chance to watch football for a few months" thing. This year, with the new scheduling, I probably won't even watch. Just can't get excited about watching "superstars" like Vince Young and David Garrard play. Meh. There has to be something more fun to do than that.

[Crushaholic]

The Pro Bowl is meaningless, no matter when it is played. They should cancel the whole concept, but the players' union will never go for it...

[Blueflame]

Originally Posted by Crushaholic

The Pro Bowl is meaningless, no matter when it is played. They should cancel the whole concept, but the players' union will never go for it...

It's meaningless (just an exhibition game) but the whole concept is flawed when all the players from the two best teams are... by necessity... excluded from the game. When you have to dig down to mediocre players (due to better ones bowing out) just to fill the rosters, there is no point whatsoever.

[Broncos4tw]

I rarely even watch the game, unless more of our own players are in it. But I still think it being this week is not a very good idea, it hardly seems fair to the players who are going to the SB who can't go. Almost certainly, some of them are in the SB.

But then again, these dudes can afford to go to Hawaii at any time. So.. meh, I don't care. : p

[SoCalBronco]

Outstanding. Having the Pro Bowl in town for the last recruiting weekend of the year is awesome!

[Atwater His Ass]

Meaningless game no matter how you slice it. When the players are picked based on how they played for only half the season and 14 players now won't be able to compete from the 2 SB teams, what's the point?

I think it'd be a better idea to delay the selection of the players until the bye week prior to the SB, then move the actual game back to February in Hawaii again. Do like some kind of cool selection show on NFL network or something.

[UberBroncoMan]

I wonder if Roger realizes the stadium is sold out because not only is it in the continental US... it's IN THE SAME ****ING CITY AS THE SUPER BOWL.

No **** it's sold out.

It would be sold out even if it was the week after the Super Bowl.

[gyldenlove]

Why the hell do they play that game? the players clearly don't care, the fans don't care, the media doesn't care. I swear it is just an excuse for the NFL execs to go somewhere warm for 2 weeks and hit the links and beaches.

[ColoradoDarin]

Between this and the "NFL Draft in PRIMETIME!!11!1oneone!!" I think I will be watching less football-like programs this year.

No Roger, this is not a good move. They should do away completely with the Pro Bowl game, just name the players, hand them a check and a free trip to Hawaii.

Or better, just hold a "Skills Competition" instead. That would be more fun to watch anymore.

[hades]

I hope it draws the lowest viewers/ratings every and Goodell freaks out

[missingnumber7]

Mike and Mike were talking about a suggestion that someone made this past week that they play the Pro bowl at Canton before the season starts with the induction ceremony.

[Atwater His Ass]

Originally Posted by missingnumber7

Mike and Mike were talking about a suggestion that someone made this past week that they play the Pro bowl at Canton before the season starts with the induction ceremony.

would make it worse in my mind. you'd be taking away valuable pre-season time from both coaches and players to prepare for this game at the start of the new season.

[RhymesayersDU]

This is going to be debated for years, I can tell you that much. You'll never get agreement from everybody.

On the one hand, I completely agree with Goodell that the last image of a season should be a player or team holding up the Lombardi trophy. The last game, what you're building to all year long, should be the Championship. So for me personally, I like the move. Plus it gives you a little something during the 2-week break between Conference Championships and the Super Bowl.

Now for me personally, it doesn't bother me that no Colts or Saints get to play. There are so many other great players. BUT, with that said, I do understand why some people dislike the fact that the best players from the best 2 teams can't play. It doesn't bother me, but I get it.

With that said, I agree with this:

Originally Posted by ColoradoDarin

Or better, just hold a "Skills Competition" instead. That would be more fun to watch anymore.

If I ran the NFL, here would be my idea:

You eliminate bye weeks. After 8 games, every team takes a Sunday off and you hold a Skills Competition by invitation. This would also make the league a little fairer for those teams that get stuck with early byes. Everybody would have the same rest time.

It would be pretty light. QBs would be highlighted, obviously, because it's easy to have moving targets, far away targets, etc. You have maybe some foot races between RBs and WRs. Maybe some strength tests for linemen. (Who can bench the most, etc) Maybe you have a light 7 on 7 flag football game or something.

The problem is, I don't know if that'd be interesting or play well on TV. Obviously, you can't have a mid-year Pro Bowl game in the NFL. You simply can't. With that said, since this would probably never happen, I hope they keep it as it is this year. The week before the Super Bowl.

[SouthStndJunkie]

Originally Posted by missingnumber7

Mike and Mike were talking about a suggestion that someone made this past week that they play the Pro bowl at Canton before the season starts with the induction ceremony.

Don't see that happening for many reasons....one being if a player got hurt, they would not have all offseason to rehab the injury....the season would be right around the corner.

[Bronco CB40]

Originally Posted by hades

I hope it draws the lowest viewers/ratings every and Goodell freaks out

Not going to happen. Last year the Pro Bowl drew over a 7 rating, which was still more than twice as many viewers that tuned into NBA basketball, college basketball, golf, etc. over the weekend.

[Taco John]

I like it this way better, even though I still don't care. But the logic about the last thing being the Championship sounds good to me.

[SnowGoose77]

Couldn't really care less about the Pro Bowl. Maybe they should play it in London and other foreign countries and leave the regular season games in the US where they belong. At least this way teams don't lose valuable home games and Roger can do still do his "promoting the game world wide" without messing up the integrity of the schedule.

[BigPlayShay]

Originally Posted by SouthStndJunkie

Don't see that happening for many reasons....one being if a player got hurt, they would not have all offseason to rehab the injury....the season would be right around the corner.

Not only that, but what about players that are Free Agents that move teams or are traded? Do they represent their old or new team?

[HILife]

Originally Posted by HEAV

The Pro Bowl will return to Hawaii next year, but it still might be held the week before the Super Bowl, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Miami Herald on Saturday.

“We have the option when we go back to Hawaii, we can do it before or after (the Super Bowl),” Goodell said. “Here’s where I like it: I think you should stop or end your season when you reach the pinnacle. The pinnacle is the Super Bowl. I think it’s anticlimactic when you come back with the Pro Bowl the week after the Super Bowl.”

Traditionally, the Pro Bowl has been held the week after the Super Bowl, allowing players from those teams to participate. Goodell acknowledged that not having the Super Bowl players in the Pro Bowl is a “negative,” but overall, he likes the new date for the league’s all-star game.

“It’s been great,” he told the Herald. “We’ve had a terrific reaction from it. As you know, we have a sold-out crowd, so more people will be in the stadium. I think being here on the mainland has had some significant advantages. But we also love our relationship in Hawaii. The idea here is we’re trying to find every way to improve the game. We’ve got some things that are working here.”
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Sorry Roger,

The Pro-Bowl should be after the SuperBowl.

I agree 100%

[Arkie]

Originally Posted by titan

I don't think the Pro Bowl will ever be as interesting an all star game as baseball's or basketball's. What makes baseball and basketball's all star games better:

1. It's in the middle of the season

2. It's moved around to all the league cities, so when a city hosts the all star game it's a big deal

3. Each of those sports has so many games that the risk of injury in the all star game is not a major factor.

The Pro Bowl is pretty boring whether they play it the week before the Super Bowl or the week after. At least when it's in Hawaii played after the Super Bowl it's more of a reward for the players, and there are always some interesting interviews on the beach with the Super Bowl players on what happened the weekend before.

All-star games in the middle of the season only measure the first half of the season. That could be good for us. The Broncos would have 10 pro bowlers every year.