Major reasons why fans do not like the game are the rules. The game has many limitations from a traditional football game there is no blitzing, no blocking punts or field goals, no more than two wideouts lined up on one side, no offensive shifts or movements on the offensive line prior to the snap, no defensive alignments besides the basic 4-3.To make the game even more like a scrimmage, Intentional Grounding is legal. The problem the NFL has with this game is that no one cares about it. Even with the change of date to before the Super Bowl, the Pro Bowl is the most meaningless all star game in sports. Television ratings aren't the problem the quality of the game is.
The NFL is taking steps to bring quality back to this game. They have changed the rules to try to bring back excitement and make the game competitive again. Kickoffs will be eliminated from the game as a safety measure, one of several changes to the game. A coin toss will determine which squad gets the game's opening possession. The ball will be placed at the 25-yard line at the start of the game and after scoring plays. Since there will be no kickoffs, the kick-return specialist Pro Bowl roster spot will be replaced with an additional defensive back spot. Voting for the game also will be changed, as conference affiliation no longer will be considered in determining the All-Star selections. The two leading vote-getters will be named captains and will be assisted by Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders and two NFL.com fantasy football champions in picking the two teams. A two-minute warning will be added to the first and third quarters in addition to the traditional rule in the second and fourth quarters. Possession also will change hands after each quarter.
• Defenses will be allowed to play Cover 2 and press coverage. In the past, only man coverage had been allowed, except for goal-line situations.
• Changes will be made to the game clock during the two-minute warning, with the clock stopping if the offense doesn't gain at least 1 yard, in order to encourage offenses to try to gain yardage at the end of each quarter.
• In addition, the clock will start after an incomplete pass on the signal of the game referee except during the two-minute warnings and the final five minutes of the game.
• The game will use a 35-second/25-second play clock instead of the traditional 40-second/25-second clock.
• Also, the game clock will not stop on sacks of the quarterback, outside of the game's final two minutes.
The NFL is taking a huge gamble by changing up the set up of the Pro Bowl. A major change like this could put the Pro Bowl on the path to doom. Changing to a draft system instead of having conference ties would make it tough to go back to the conference concept if the fans don't buy into it. Impressions are everything and if the fans get the impression that this game is not headed in the right direction then the NFL will have a major problem on their hands. It is good that the NFL has recognized that the Pro Bowl is not what it once was; however, other options such as moving the game closer to the fans could have provided the same kind of excitement for the game without taking away the power of the fans to vote in their favorite players.
The Pro Bowl draft will be held Jan. 22 next year, and the game will be played Jan. 26 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu.
Written By Thomas Breslin
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