As the NFL season comes to a close and more players fall victim to injury, scheduling another game before the Super Bowl is an unwise decision, especially considering that several players from the Super Bowl teams will fill the rosters. As in recent years, the Pro Bowl should follow the Super Bowl in order to allow players from Super Bowl teams to play and ensure a higher level of competition.
At the end of the season, key players whose teams have advanced to the playoffs will choose not to play in an insignificant game to remain healthy for when their team needs them the most—the postseason. Already this year, many players who made it to conference championships have dropped out of the Pro Bowl, which defeats its goal to showcase the best talent in the league.
Players such as Brett Favre, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers have decided to sit out, and the top ranked quarterback Drew Brees and MVP Peyton Manning are prohibited from playing because their teams are playing in the Super Bowl. So many players have dropped out, in fact, that David Garrard, the NFL’s 17th ranked passer, who was not scheduled to play in the Pro Bowl, filled openings on the AFC roster. If the game was after the Super Bowl, the champion would have already been determined and every player would feel free to go all out and put on a show for fans.
Because the Pro Bowl selects the best players in the NFL, and the best players in the NFL are the most likely to lead their team to the Super Bowl, it is likely that year after year, a sizeable number of the Pro Bowl selections will drop out. Holding the Pro Bowl a week before the Super Bowl is illogical and yields no benefits. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that having the Pro Bowl precede the Super Bowl would avoid “a somewhat anticlimactic ending to the season;” however, the Pro Bowl is meant to be an exhibition of talent, and nobody forgets the season that preceded it.
The best players should be given the chance to play in the Pro Bowl by having the NFL revert back to its old practices and plan the game after the Super Bowl. All players should be given the opportunity to showcase their talent.