Pro Bowl
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In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League (NFL). It is played at the end of the season after the Super Bowl, the league championship game. Since the merger with the rival American Football League (AFL) in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, matching players in the American Football Conference (AFC) against those in the National Football Conference (NFC). The game has been played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, since January 1980.
The NFL was exploring the possibility of moving the Pro Bowl to the host site of the Super Bowl, and holding it the weekend before the Super Bowl starting in 2009.[1] However, the league decided to retain the 2009 game in Honolulu.[2]
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[edit] History
A post season all-star game between the new league champion and a team of professional all-stars was added to the NFL schedule at the end of the 1938 season. On January 15, 1939, at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, California, the New York Giants won the first "Pro All-Star Game," 13-10, defeating a team of players from NFL teams and two future Pacific Coast Professional Football League clubs, the Los Angeles Bulldogs and the Hollywood Stars.
This format continued for the next four seasons, except that the all-star team now consisted solely of NFL players. In January 1942, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, the game was moved from Los Angeles to the Polo Grounds in New York City. The last "Pro All-Star Game" was held in December 1942. With the wartime NFL playing a reduced schedule starting in 1943, the series was abandoned.
The NFL revived the game (now dubbed the "Pro Bowl") in January 1951, after the 1950 season. The game was now a contest between conference all-star teams: American vs. National (1951-53) and Eastern vs. Western (1954-70). The rival AFL, meanwhile, staged its own All-Star Game from 1962-70, using the same East vs. West format. The AFL departed from this format once, in the January 1966 game, when the league champion Buffalo Bills played all-stars from the rest of the league.
After the AFL-NFL Merger of 1970, the name of the NFL's all-star game was changed to the "AFC-NFC Pro Bowl". Since the merger, the head coaches of the teams that lost in the AFC and NFC championship games have been selected as the coaches for the respective Pro Bowl squads — a compromise that arose from the decision to discontinue the Playoff Bowl, which had it been retained, would have matched up the two teams that lost the conference title games.
Currently, players are voted into the Pro Bowl by the coaches, the players themselves, and the fans. Each group's ballots count for one third of the votes. The fans vote online at the NFL's official site. There are also replacements that go to the game should any selected player be unable to play due to injuries. Prior to 1995, only the coaches and the players made Pro Bowl selections.
In order to be considered a Pro Bowler for a given year, a player must either have been one of the initial players selected to the team, or a player who accepts an invitation to Hawaii as an alternate; invited alternates who decline to attend are not considered Pro Bowlers. Being a Pro Bowler is considered to be a mark of honor, and players who are accepted into the Pro Bowl are considered to be elite.
[edit] Pro Bowl MVP
The first Most Valuable Player award (or Most Outstanding Player) in the Pro Bowl was presented in 1951. From 1957 to 1971, two awards were presented to an offensive back and a defensive lineman. In 1972, there were awards for both an offensive player and a defensive player. Since 1973, only one MVP award has been presented (though three times this award has been presented to multiple players).
[edit] Rule changes
A few extra rules are implemented during the Pro Bowl so that players will not get hurt.[3] Offenses are prohibited from shifting, sending a receiver in motion, or lining up with three receivers on one side, and must have a tight end on the field for every play.[4] Defenses cannot press coverage (except inside the 5-yard line) or blitz, and must use the "4-3" defensive formation.[5] Special teams cannot rush kickers.[6] Additionally, intentional grounding penalties are not called.
[edit] Pro Bowl attitude
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Since the Pro Bowl has no effect upon players' or teams' statistics and records, and is played at the very end of the season, the players generally take the contest much less seriously than the average regular season games. Conventional wisdom holds that they tend to "play soft" to avoid serious injuries which could impede or end their football careers, although there have been some notable exceptions (see below). Players commonly make weak blocks and tackles. Defensive linemen will usually simply stand up when the ball is snapped during field goal attempts and punts instead of trying to block them. This injury minimalizing attitude generally manifests in a strongly offensively weighted game, along with the willingness of players and coaches to go for big offensive plays.
With a large portion of the competitive nature of the game removed, players and the media tend to treat the game as more of a fun get-together than a hard-fought battle. The rotation of players into and out of the game also presents an opportunity for TV interviews of personalities who are only ever seen during the game from afar, or afterwards in press conferences.
However, contrary to popular opinion this "soft" Pro Bowl attitude is a recent change. The vast majority of early Pro Bowls beginning with the merger were relatively low scoring, 20 of 26 games from the 1970 season through 1995 featuring less than 45 points. During the decade of NFC dominance of the Super Bowl from the mid-'80s through mid-'90s, the Pro Bowl became a type of grudge match for the AFC and produced some of the most brutally physical games of the entire season, with scores like 10-6, 15-6 and 17-3. Once the AFC re-established conference parity the Pro Bowl became much looser and offensive-minded, with eight of the nine games between the 1996 and 2004 seasons producing at least 49 points, and an average of 64.1. To demonstrate how dramatic the change has been, in the late '80s through mid '90s the Pro Bowl over/under betting line was always in the 39-41 range, and generally bet toward the under by Las Vegas wise guys. The 2007 Pro Bowl had an over/under of 65.
Even now there are certain players who treat it just like a regular game and will go for big hits and go the length of the field to make a play. These tend to be younger players but even some veterans are known. Examples from the 2004 Pro Bowl are Roy Williams' hit on Todd Heap and Ed Reed blocking a punt and returning it for a touchdown, the only blocked punt returned in Pro Bowl history. Also in the 2007 Pro Bowl Sean Taylor laid a crushing blow on Brian Moorman during an attempted fake punt. Drew Brees dislocated his left (non-throwing) elbow in the 2007 game, after being tripped up by Terrell Suggs.
[edit] Pro Bowl uniforms
Because the teams are made of players from different NFL teams, using their own uniforms would be too confusing. The players all wear the helmet of their team, but the home jerseys and pants are either a solid blue for the NFC or solid red for the AFC, while white jerseys with blue or red accents, respectively, for the away team. While it has been speculated that the color of Pro Bowl jerseys is determined by the winner of the Super Bowl, this is untrue. The design of Pro Bowl uniforms is changed every two years, and the color and white jerseys are rotated along with the design change. This has been Pro Bowl tradition since the switch to team specific helmets in the early '90s. The two-year switch was originally created as a marketing ploy by Nike, and has been continued by Reebok, who won the merchandising contract in 2002.
In the earliest years of the AFC-NFC Pro Bowl, the players did not wear their unique helmets, as they do now. The AFC All-Stars wore a solid red helmet with a white "A" on it, while the NFC players wore a solid white helmet with a blue "N" on it. The AFC's red helmets were paired with white jerseys and red pants, while the NFC's white helmets were paired with blue jerseys and white pants.
Two players with the same number who are elected to the Pro Bowl can wear the same number for that game. Prior to a few years ago, all players were required to wear different numbers, regardless of what jersey number they wore on their regular team. This changed a few years ago, when players wore the jersey number on their regular team jersey, thus initially resulting in virtually every wide receiver on the field being numbered 80 or 81, a situation that, predictably, created significant confusion. Thus, it is recommended—although not required—that players use different jersey numbers, and generally when two players share a number, the less experienced one will wear a different number for the game. The 2008 Pro Bowl included a unique example of several players from the same team wearing the same number in a Pro Bowl. For the game, Washington Redskins players T Chris Samuels, TE Chris Cooley, and LS Ethan Albright all wore the number 21 (a number normally inappropriate for their positions) in memory of Sean Taylor who had been murdered during the 2007 season.
[edit] NFL All-Star Games (1939-1942)
- No Most Valuable Player awards were presented during these games
| Season | Date | Score | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | January 15, 1939 | New York Giants 13, Pro All-Stars 10 | Wrigley Field, Los Angeles |
| 1939 | January 14, 1940 | Green Bay Packers 16, NFL All-Stars 7 | Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 1940 | December 29, 1940 | Chicago Bears 28, NFL All-Stars 14 | Gilmore Stadium, Los Angeles |
| 1941 | January 4, 1942 | Chicago Bears 35, NFL All-Stars 24 | Polo Grounds, New York City |
| 1942 | December 27, 1942 | NFL All-Stars 17, Washington Redskins 14 | Shibe Park, Philadelphia |
- 1943-50 - No games
[edit] NFL Pro Bowls (1951-70)
[edit] AFC-NFC Pro Bowls (1971-present)
*filled in for then-Jets head coach Bill Parcells
**Saturday game
- Overall AFC/NFC Series: Tied 19-19
[edit] Records
- Merlin Olsen (Rams) and Bruce Matthews (Oilers/Titans) each were in 14 pro-bowls. Olsen played in 14 consecutive pro-bowls beginning his rookie year.
- The most pro-bowl invitations for a current player is 13 for Junior Seau.
- In the 20 seasons prior to the AFL-NFL merger, the Western/National Conference won both the Pro Bowl and the NFL Championship game nine times, while the Eastern/American won both two times. In the years they have split, the East won the Pro Bowl and West won the NFL title five times, while the reverse has occurred four times. Also, in this era, the National/Western Conference won 13 of 20 games played against the American/Eastern Conference.
- In the 37 seasons since the AFL-NFL Merger, both conferences have swept the Super Bowl and Pro Bowl 9 times. In the 19 years they have split, the NFC has won the Super Bowl 10 times.
- Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns players have won four MVP awards, more than any other teams. The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams have each won three, while 10 teams have won two, and 13 teams have won one each. The Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and Houston Texans have never had a player win an MVP award. Neither the Browns nor the Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona Cardinals (who had two between 1951 and 1970) have had a player win an MVP award since the 1951-70 Pro Bowl era.
- Quarterbacks have won 13 MVP awards; wide receivers are second with seven.
- Only two AFC-NFC Pro Bowls have gone to overtime. Both have been won by the AFC in overtime with field goals.
- Due to the rescheduling of Super Bowl XXXVI in the wake of 9/11, the 2002 game was moved from Sunday to the following Saturday, one week later.
- Sean Taylor was voted to the 2007 NFC Roster as a starter at free safety, shortly after he was fatally shot in his home by armed intruders. This was the first time in Pro Bowl history that a player was named as a Pro Bowler posthumously. He was later replaced by Roy Williams.
- John Madden and Tom Landry have coached in the most Pro Bowls (5 each).
- Pittsburgh head coaches Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll are #1 and #2 in Pro Bowls won (Cowher 4, Noll 3).
- Dallas Cowboys have the most selections in one season with 13.
- The most points in a single game was 55 by the NFC in the 2004 Pro Bowl
[edit] Television
- See also: List of Pro Bowl broadcasters
- Under the current NFL television contract, the network which airs the Super Bowl will air the Pro Bowl. The 2007 game on CBS was held on the Saturday after Super Bowl XLI because of the 2007 Grammy Awards. The 2008 game was on FOX, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLII. Likewise, the 2009 game will be on NBC, broadcaster of Super Bowl XLIII, before CBS's next turn in 2010.
- The Pro Bowl was previously broadcast as part of the Monday Night Football package on ABC. In 2004-2006, ABC sold its rights to the Pro Bowl to sister network ESPN. In those years, the ESPN Sunday Night Football crew covered the game.
- In the early 2000s, after suffering through several years of dismal ratings ABC considered moving the game to Monday night. The idea was scrapped, however, when the game was successfully moved to ESPN.
- In February 2003, John Madden declined to be part of the announcing crew due to his aviatophobia and claustrophobia (a joke referencing both is made in the Madden NFL '97 before the beginning of the Pro Bowl in season mode, where Madden quips that he drove his "Madden Bus" to Hawaii, rather than flying). Former San Diego Chargers quarterback and MNF personality Dan Fouts, whom Madden had replaced, took his place.
[edit] References
- ^ "Pro Bowl: More moving talk", StarBulletin.com, 2007-10-14. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
- ^ Associated Press. "Pro Bowl to be played in Hawaii another year", Foxsports.com, 2007-12-29. Retrieved on 2007-12-29.
- ^ Jones, Tom. "Pro Bowl moments (yes, they exist)", St. Petersburg Times, 2007-02-10. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
- ^ Official Review - Feb. 6. NFL.com (2008-02-06). Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
- ^ "Gannon grabs Pro Bowl MVP", CBC.ca, 2001-02-05. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
- ^ "Brunell better late than never for AFC", Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 1997-02-03. Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
[edit] See also
- American Football League All-Star games
- All-America Football Conference All-Star Game
- NFL Pro Bowl Cheerleaders
- List of Pro Bowl broadcasters
[edit] External links
- The Complete History of the Pro Bowl
- Pro Bowl info, pictures and news
- The NFL's official website
- Online Fan Voting Ballot
- Pro Bowl Ticketing Site
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