Pro Bowl changes Rules

[MikeO]

Adam Schefter reporting.....starting this year the Pro Bowl will have NO Kickoffs and teams will automatically "change possession" at the end of each quarter. And it will no longer be AFC vs NFC. Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders will hold a "fantasy draft" each as a "team captain" of all the players who will play in the pro bowl and split the teams up that way.

Just get rid of this friggin game and stop making it a bigger joke than it already is! Now you can have guys on the same team tackling each other. If one lets say SF defensive guy is drafted to one team and another SF offensive guy is drafted on another. Hey Patrick Willis go tackle Vernon Davis! Have fun. First time that happens and there is an injury watch all hell break lose!

[Brian Fein]

This is stupid and unnecessary.  They're making it farther from a real football game and more into a side show joke.

There was significance when fans got to vote on the best players in each conference.  It meant something for a player to get selected to a Pro Bowl.  But now, its a total joke.

[Dave Gray]

I'm actually kinda OK with this.  The game is a joke, so make it a joke.  If you're going to have it, make it a glorified FF mockery.  It damn sure didn't work to pretend that it was a real game.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Zero impact on me.  I didn't watch it b4.  And I won't be watching the new format. 

[Sunstroke]

Just go ahead and give them little belts with brightly colored flags dangling. In five years, the Pro Bowl will be Jerry and Deion playing Madden '18 with the voted all star rosters.

[Landshark]

Pussification of the game has taken another step

[Brian Fein]

The NHL did this fantasy draft thing last year for their all star game.  I thought it was unique but also didn't like the format much.  I can't see this going over well in the NFL.

[Dave Gray]

It will go over like a turd, but at least they're going for spectacle and not pretending that it's a real game.

[MikeO]

Reports are the "NO Kickoffs" and "change of possession" thing at the end of each quarter are being used as a "trial run" in the pro bowl and if it works well in the Pro Bowl then it could possibly be added to real games

[MikeO]

There was significance when fans got to vote on the best players in each conference.  It meant something for a player to get selected to a Pro Bowl.  But now, its a total joke.

Also, since its no longer AFC vs NFC...you could have all 6 QB's in the game be from the same conference lets say. They are just counting votes now.  People with the most votes go.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Reports are the "NO Kickoffs" and "change of possession" thing at the end of each quarter are being used as a "trial run" in the pro bowl and if it works well in the Pro Bowl then it could possibly be added to real games

Are these "reports" or "rumors"  Reports as in sources within in the NFL or rumors as in your drinking buddies or bleacher reports?

I like the idea of change of possession every quarter instead of every half.  The 4 best mins of the game are the last 2 min of the first half, and the last 2 mins of the game (assuming the game is close).  This will double that. 

As for ending kick off.  They are pretty much pointless as many teams have a kicker who can boot it out of the end zone.   

[Brian Fein]

Reports are the "NO Kickoffs" and "change of possession" thing at the end of each quarter are being used as a "trial run" in the pro bowl and if it works well in the Pro Bowl then it could possibly be added to real games

This is the worst possible outcome.

I don't understand the need to change possession at the end of the quarter.  What's the point of that?

[Dolphster]

This is probably just one more step towards the Pro Bowl game eventually just going away.  Won't really make much difference to me since I don't watch it or care about it anyway.  Although I like the concept of a game played by the "best of the best", I can understand the players not wanting to suffer a career ending injury and either not playing at all or half assing it in the game which essentially nullifies the whole "best of the best" concept anyway.  When I was a kid, I would get pretty jazzed up for the "all star" games in all of the sports.  But as a middle aged adult, I don't really make an effort to watch any of the all star games anymore, regardless of the sport.

[Spider-Dan]

This is the worst possible outcome.

I don't understand the need to change possession at the end of the quarter.  What's the point of that?

Teams frequently only decide to play real offense at the end of each half.  IMO, if they want to increase those scenarios and reduce the occurrence of Field Position Battling Via Punters, it helps the game.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I don't understand the need to change possession at the end of the quarter.  What's the point of that?

Do you find the two min drill at the end of the half to be more exciting than other parts of the game?

If yes, that is the point.

If you don't find it any more exciting -- well then there wouldn't be a point.