2011 Pro Bowl to be Played Week Before Super Bowl...Again
by Dave Cariello on Mar 2, 2010 3:48 PM CST
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PrintOfficial release from the NFL
2011 PRO BOWL TO BE PLAYED IN HAWAII WEEK BEFORE
NORTH TEXAS HOSTS SUPER BOWL XLV
Decision Follows Success of 2010 Game Before Super Bowl
The 2011 Pro Bowl will be played a week before Super Bowl XLV and return to Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, the NFL announced today. The game will be televised live on Sunday, January 30 on FOX at 7 PM ET. FOX will televise Super Bowl XLV a week later on Sunday, February 6 from Cowboys Stadium in North Texas.
The decision to play the NFL's All-Star Game the week before the Super Bowl for the second consecutive year follows a significant increase in viewership for the 2010 Pro Bowl, the first Pro Bowl to precede the Super Bowl.
The 2010 Pro Bowl on ESPN was watched by an average of 12.3 million viewers, the most for a Pro Bowl since 2000 (13.2 million viewers) and a 40 percent increase from the 2009 game (8.8 million viewers). The 12.3 million viewers also marked the largest viewership for an All-Star game in any sport on cable television. The game at Sun Life Stadium in South Florida also attracted the largest Pro Bowl attendance (70,697) in 50 years.
The Pro Bowl format was discussed last week with the NFL Players Association and a group of players during a meeting with the Competition Committee in Indianapolis.
"Playing the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl generated more excitement and interest in the event and also kicked off Super Bowl week in an innovative new way," said FRANK SUPOVITZ, the NFL's senior vice president of events. "We are pleased to return to the State of Hawaii, which has embraced the Pro Bowl for 30 years."
The Pro Bowl's return to Hawaii, where it had been held consecutively from 1980 to 2009, is part of a two-year agreement between the NFL and the state of Hawaii to play the 2011 and 2012 games there.
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That's like changing the name of an All Star Game to a Some Stars Game. Dumb.
Third and fourth choice quarterbacks will be starting again.
Fat, dumb, and happy. Hell, two out of three ain't bad!
I Want To Die In My Sleep Like My Grandpa – Not Screaming and Yelling Like His Passengers.
by Just 'Nother Day on Mar 2, 2010 3:55 PM CST reply actions 1 recs
The fans who buy the tickets deserve to see the actual Pro Bowl selectees play.
Other than that, nope.
Fat, dumb, and happy. Hell, two out of three ain't bad!
I Want To Die In My Sleep Like My Grandpa – Not Screaming and Yelling Like His Passengers.
by Just 'Nother Day on Mar 2, 2010 4:02 PM CST up reply actions 2 recs
so basically Hawaiians?
I think the NFL use sound reasoning in making their decision, though. You can’t argue with the numbers.
That is going to lead to a lot of jet lag
I know the Super Bowl players don’t play in the Pro Bowl, but they are still required to make an appearance. Imagine if that had been the case this year. Drew Brees would have been flying from New Orleans, to Honolulu, and then to Miami in a matter of about 72 hours. That’s gotta suck, I don’t care who you are. Granted, North Texas isn’t as far as Miami, but this still just seems like a baaaad idea.
"I want to hand this trophy to the MVP of the Super Bowl -- and the MVP of the entire league.''
-- Saints coach Sean Payton, handing the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Drew Brees after Super Bowl 44.
holy crud...
if they make the SB teams’ players fly to HI for a damn photo shoot, that’s going to be a cluster %$^!
I was against it this year, but that is HORRIBLE!
Pigs have flown! Hell has frozen over! The Saints HAVE WON the Superbowl!!
They might change that rule
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by Dave Cariello on Mar 2, 2010 5:14 PM CST up reply actions
For that matter, I suspect the team would pay them to NOT go.
Remember that the only penalty for not showing up (and/or going out clubbing because your feet hurt and you don’t feel like playing anymore) was to lose your game check. For most players that’s not a big enough incentive to go in the first place.
And I wouldn’t be at all surprised to find Benson say “look we need you fresh for the important game, don’t tell anybody and I’ll pay you whatever you would have made to show up if you will NOT go instead”.
For those who can't remember the uncapped FA rules, this link's for you.
I would hope the rule would change
But I kind of doubt Roger Goodell would be the one to make the change unless there is a minor revolt forcing him to. With as many big names as the Pro Bowl had sitting out because of “injury” this year (Tom Brady, Phillip RIvers, half the Vikings) I have to believe Goodell will be doing anything in his power to make sure the star talent is at the game, whether they are playing or not.
"I want to hand this trophy to the MVP of the Super Bowl -- and the MVP of the entire league.''
-- Saints coach Sean Payton, handing the Vince Lombardi Trophy to Drew Brees after Super Bowl 44.
They already said that wouldn’t be the case next year. Heard that on ESPN Radio, on the week leading up to this year’s Pro Bowl.
"I was not on the boat in question." -Darren Sharper
Another rule change after the Saints win the Superbowl !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Holy Jesus 1000 ! Another Superbowl win for the Saints, and the NFL will have to rewrite the record books. The only good thing to come out of this is Jerry Moans is probably having a $H1T fit about it.He wants Americas team back, but he can’t have em’. they’re ours.
I'll be your huckleberry- Doc Holliday to Ringo
Good point
They’ll have to change that rule. They can’t expect SB players to do that when the SB will be played half way around the world from where the PB is played. It’s just a publicity thing anyway.
I voted yes as long as the PB is played in Hawaii again. I think that will motivate more players (not lucky enough to be in the SB) to make the trip and play. It seemed like more players than usual said “Eff it!” to this past PB. One reason is that it may hurt to travel to the SB site only to play a meaningless non-Championship game and risk possible injury for nothing. Isn’t it cool that our Saints were the first winners of the new Super Bowl format? Drew Brees kneeling down in a victory formation was the very last NFL play of the 2009 season. Gotta love it!
"As soon as Tony (Dungy) said we had no chance, I knew we had 'em right where we wanted 'em"--Coach Sean Payton right after Super Bowl XLIV with the Lombardi Trophy firmly in hand. WHO DAT!!
by David "Satch" Kelly on Mar 2, 2010 5:49 PM CST up reply actions
Looks like...
Brees and a few other saints won’t be playing in the pro bowl AGAIN!!
PSN: greenwald2004
Hit me up on the sticks! NBA2K10 is my game now.
Keep in mind.....
This decision is from the same brain trust that initially thought banning Who Dat? shirts the week before the Super Bowl was a good idea.
From a business standpoint, I’m beginning to think the only reason the NFL’s executive team is successful is because their product is so incredibly popular….it gives them a lot of latitude for bad decision making. But, the same used to be said of General Motors’ executive team and look what happened to them.
It's all about ratings
Ratings for the Pro Bowl were significantly higher under the new format, so of course the NFL would stick with it. The game itself is a farce, but it was also a farce before; now it is just a farce being played with a greater number of alternate players. Not much you can do about this, though, as players don’t want to be injured during a meaningless game. And after Drew’s shoulder scare a few years back, it’s hard to blame them.
by TheBobLoblawBlog on Mar 2, 2010 11:34 PM CST reply actions
I wouldn't take the Pro Bowl that seriously, anyway.
Like most other all-star games, it’s a means for the NFL to get their alleged “best talent” together in a less-than-serious setting. It’s never going to be all-balls-to-the-wall, because of the nature of avoiding injury to the stars.
My main objection is that they shouldn’t have taken the game out of Hawaii to begin with, and every star elected should actually play….which is also why I despise with a passion the move to the week before the Super Bowl.
Why not do like every other major sport and play the Pro Bowl during the middle of the season, and simply have a combination of a fan vote for the starters and a coaches vote for the rest of the team? At the very least, you could simply keep the existing 17-week schedule and simply have every team have their off week during the Pro Bowl “weekend”.
Oh, I forgot….this the National Football League. They do things different, and better. Yeah. Right.
Anthony
OOPS...that last sentence should have added the sarcasm font. Sorry.
If I only knew what it was….LOL
Anthony
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