The NFL Pro Bowl: Now With More Bountygate!

Making the Pro Bowl more watchable has long been a goal of the NFL, which is why it was a topic of discussion at the league's spring meeting in Boston this week. As it stands now the game is boring, the players give minimal effort and nobody watches it.

But Albert Breer reports that the league has some ideas to make things a little more interesting.

Albert Breer of NFL Network reported that the league is considering elements that would make the game more like a game show, such as having incentives paid out during the game.

Oh hey, great idea! But something feels familiar about all of this. Rewarding players with cash incentives for particular plays on the field? Seriously I swear I've heard this before. Damn I just can't put my finger ---

HOLY $#!+ IT'S F***ING BOUNTYGATE!

Those bastards have stolen our scandal and now they're using it to fix their crappy all-star game!

Yeah okay, I know I said just last week that we need to start putting the past behind us but c'mon this is ridiculous. Let's be honest. The whole game show concept is just a pay for performance program in a more respectable package (Heeeeeere's your host, Gregg Williams!) and incentive is just another word for bounty.

Isn't it more than a bit hypocritical that Roger Goodell and the league spent an entire year making sure the world knew that pay for performance systems would not be tolerated but are now willing to incorporate it heavily into the Pro Bowl?

Isn't it laughable that Roger Goodell once said, "The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity. It is our responsibility to protect ... the integrity of our game" yet the league is okay with throwing it away, y'now just this one time.

Breer added that the NFL doesn't "feel the need to keep the integrity of what a normal football game is."

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. It's like they think we're freakin' morons.

The NFL needs to get its act together and figure out once and for all exactly what message they're trying to send their fans regarding incentive payments because the NFL is currently sending this particular Saints fan mixed signals. You could imagine why I might have a serious problem with that.