This year the National Football League (NFL) Pro Bowl was changed for the better. Instead of dividing up teams by conference, with the National Football Conference (NFC) against the American Football Conference (AFC) each year, teams were chosen in a draft, regardless of conference. The teams were chosen by Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. Team Rice won 22-21.
I don’t know if it was playing for Rice and Sanders, the players that were drafted late feeling disrespected, or just the fact that commissioner Roger Goodell threatened to eliminate the Pro Bowl after the non-competitive toothless play of 2012, but the 2014 version was much better. Those of us who think defense should still be part of the NFL, really like the difference. This game included total 9 sacks and 8 turnovers.
Even though the teams didn’t combine for 100 points, like they have in past Pro Bowls,there was still plenty of offense. While Team Rice committed 5 of the 8 turnovers, they had 405 yards of offense, and scored on a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Smith of the Kansas City Chiefs to running back DeMarco Murray of the Dallas Cowboys, with 41 seconds remaining. Then they took the lead for good on a 2-point conversion run by Mike Tolbert of the Carolina Panthers.
Quarterback Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles was awarded the Offensive Most Valuable Player (MVP), and linebacker Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs was voted the Defensive MVP. Foles, who was on Team Sanders, was 7 of 10 passing for 89 yards, and the touchdown pass to tight end Jordan Cameron of the Cleveland Browns, that gave Team Sanders the 21-14 with 4:41 remaining in the game. Johnson, of Team Rice, had 10 tackles, 9 of them solo, with one for a loss, and also a pass defended.
Interestingly, none of the quarterbacks for the winning Team Rice had a very good game. As a whole, Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints, Phillip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers, and Smith combined to complete just 26 of 54 passes for 291 yards, with 3 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. But overall, they moved the ball better, and came through on the final drive to score the winning touchdown and 2-point conversion to win the game.
I like the changes they made to the Pro Bowl this year. The competitiveness was much improved, and you even had teammates making hits on each other, since for the first time they could be on different teams. The draft idea is good, as well as ignoring conferences for choosing the teams. I know a lot of people claim they don’t like the Pro Bowl, but then why does it get good ratings? Because it’s still football, that’s why. So a big thumbs up to the changes they made this year, and don’t even think of getting rid of the Pro Bowl, commissioner Goodell.
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