NFL moving the Pro Bowl to the open week before the Super Bowl ...

[Jimbo]

Report: 2010 Pro Bowl to be played in Miami before Super Bowl

Updated: December 29, 2008, 7:29 PM ET

MIAMI -- The Pro Bowl will be played one week before the Super Bowl in 2010 and both games will be staged in Dolphin Stadium, a person directly involved in the decision told The Associated Press on Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the NFL has not announced the move.

It's not a new notion to have the game moved up to take place between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. The NFL has discussed it multiple times in recent years, and commissioner Roger Goodell told the AP last month that having the game precede the Super Bowl would avoid a "somewhat anticlimactic" ending to the season.

The Pro Bowl has been held in Honolulu since 1980, and it's probable that the game will return to Hawaii after 2010, although not on a permanent basis as has been the case over the past three decades.

It won't be South Florida's first Pro Bowl: The 1975 game took place in Miami's Orange Bowl, during a period when the site rotated annually.

Barring a schedule change, next season's Pro Bowl will take place Jan. 31, 2010, with the Super Bowl that year on Feb. 7. The league's plan is for players on the AFC and NFC championship squads not to take part in the Pro Bowl.

Miami was awarded the 2010 Super Bowl three years ago, a record 10th time the game will come to the Dolphins' home city. The notion of adding the Pro Bowl to the lineup in South Florida was first discussed several months ago. It's not clear when the final decision was made to move the game.

Hawaii tourism officials have lobbied in recent months to extend the game's current contract, which expires after this season's Pro Bowl, pointing to the fact that it's been sold out every year since moving to Honolulu and generates about $30.5 million in visitor spending and tax revenues.

And earlier this year, Hawaii's state government released $11 million for lighting and roofing improvements at Aloha Stadium, part of ongoing upgrades designed to refurbish and modernize the aging stadium. State officials have also considered demolishing the facility and building a new stadium.

[ame="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3798734"]Report: 2010 Pro Bowl to precede Super Bowl - ESPN[/ame]

Personally, I think this is a BAD idea .

Jimbo

 

[Rey]

the players that are going to the superbowl that were selected to the probowl will not play. they will not risk getting injured before the biggest games of their careers. this is one of the dumbest moves by the NFL.

 

[Mr Tony]

agreed

keep it in Hawaii

 

[meStevo]

Makes it less irrelevant, and yeah, the players on the super bowl teams will opt out, I suspect they'll be OK with that given they're going to the bowl they really would rather be in.

 

[Mets82]

I like the idea. I think more people will watch and even if they don't, the season ends with the Super Bowl. It was just weird ending it with the Pro Bowl.

As far as having guys who are playing in the Super Bowl not playing in the Pro Bowl, would they play if the Pro Bowl was played AFTER the Super Bowl? I don't think so.

 

[meStevo]

They usually do, they just get to Hawaii late, and it's been a long 'tradition' to be one of the 'late' players to get to Hawaii.

The Super Bowl is just such an exclamation point on the season, anything after it is very irrelevant and means very little/nothing.

 

[dfergie]

That's just Incredible that the NFL would come up with that dumb of an idea this just makes the Pro Bowl an "also ran" players game not letting the championship teams players in it...

 

[SamCdbs]

Insane.

The Super Bowl participants will not play, and probably most of the conference championship losers will opt out due to injuries, real or imagined. The game will still consist of players running through simple plays that can be set up in a few hours of practice.

The game of football, and the nature of the football season, do noes not lend itself to an all-star game as much as the other 3 major sports. Just play the Pro Bowl in Hawaii after the season and accept that it will get a low rating and move on.

 

[Rey]

They usually do, they just get to Hawaii late, and it's been a long 'tradition' to be one of the 'late' players to get to Hawaii.

The Super Bowl is just such an exclamation point on the season, anything after it is very irrelevant and means very little/nothing.

it hasn't meant much for a while now. players don't really care anymore as they used to on which conference wins this game. I say just get rid of it and use the probowl selections as an acknowledgment for the season like what the mvp award is and forget the actual game.

 

[anders5189]

Insane.

The Super Bowl participants will not play, and probably most of the conference championship losers will opt out due to injuries, real or imagined. The game will still consist of players running through simple plays that can be set up in a few hours of practice.

The game of football, and the nature of the football season, do noes not lend itself to an all-star game as much as the other 3 major sports. Just play the Pro Bowl in Hawaii after the season and accept that it will get a low rating and move on.

I sort of agree. Making a Pro Bowl team should be a great honor. This will cause even more players to miss the game and you'll start seeing guys like Rex Grossman playing instead.

 

[Jimbo]

it hasn't meant much for a while now. players don't really care anymore as they used to on which conference wins this game. I say just get rid of it and use the probowl selections as an acknowledgment for the season like what the mvp award is and forget the actual game.

I like this idea ....
Players don't want to play in it anyways.
The players can ALL afford to go over to the island for a vacation if they want to.

Select the Pro Bowl players AFTER the season/ playoffs, like the MLB, shortly after the seasons over.
Skip the game all together.

Jimbo

 

[meStevo]

I do like it in general, but can see a lot of problems with it. You're taking the losers of the AFC/NFC games, all sore and whatnot, and taking them to some less than exotic locale for a game just days after their loss.

This is the first step to it going away IMO. They're doing this to see if they can get more money out of it doing it this way, if they cant it goes away, becomes just a distinction like MVP, Offensive/Defensive players, Rushing titles, etc... maybe issue new Pro Bowl jerseys anyway for some marketing tie ins.

Send Pro Bowlers to Hawaii anyways, do your spiffy games and stuff, but a game really is kind of a joke, like others have noted.

 

[dfergie]

No... Baseball has it's All star game... if need be have a Mid Season Bye for All teams(making the bye week equal to all...) with the Pro Bowl held then...

 

[anders5189]

No... Baseball has it's All star game... if need be have a Mid Season Bye for All teams(making the bye week equal to all...) with the Pro Bowl held then...

Baseball can afford to do that because nobody gets hurt playing baseball. Who wants to send their best players to the Pro Bowl in midseason only to see them tear an ACL? Honestly, they ought to just do away with the game and replace it with an awards show or something like they have in college football. That way you recognize the star players, but don't waste everyone's time with a game no one cares about.

 

[david1314]

Just abolish the game entirely. It's been awash in irrelevancy for years.

 

[dfergie]

The players can have a season ending injury in practice or off the field (or get shot ) let them play...

 

[SabresRule]

Baseball can afford to do that because nobody gets hurt playing baseball.

What if a slugger gets hit by a pitch and breaks his wrist?

 

[Paul Wozniak]

You guys actually watch this game? It's a joke! Players phoning it in, waiting to go to the clubs and the beaches, trying not to hurt anyone.

 

[cybok0]

You guys actually watch this game? It's a joke! Players phoning it in, waiting to go to the clubs and the beaches, trying not to hurt anyone.

The only "All Star Game" I watch is Hockey's. Even though I do watch the Home Run Hitters competition.

 

[Paul Wozniak]

The only "All Star Game" I watch is Hockey's. Even though I do watch the Home Run Hitters competition.

You actually watch that game? It's a joke! Players phoning it in, waiting to go to the clubs and the, ugh, .... clubs, trying not to get hurt. (sorry but I love "call-back" jokes).

C'mon now the MLB all-star game is the only one worth watching. At least they're trying and actually playing for something.