The Pro Bowl is a joke

I give NFL commissioner Roger Goodell some credit. He tried to make this year's Pro Bowl relevant.

Mission: Impossible.

Bring the Pro Bowl to the sight of the Super Bowl is a decent idea. Moving it to the week before the Super Bowl, is a bad idea.

First, 31 of the 87 Pro Bowlers selected have been replaced. Names like Tom Brady, Philip Rivers, Steven Jackson, Brett Favre and Sidney Rice aren't playing (of the non Super Bowl players). Aaron Rodgers is the only quarterback selected to the team that will actually play. The AFC quarterbacks were Peyton Manning, Rivers and Brady. Now they are Matt Schaub (worthy of being a Pro Bowler), Vince Young and David Gerrard. Young only played a half a season. Yes, that half was good, but was not Pro Bowl worthy. Even a kicker, Nate Kaeding backed out of the game.

And, no Colts or Saints will be playing in the game. I'm not saying they would have one week after the Super Bowl, but they would have the option. Now they have to travel to Miami and stand and watch them game, besides be with their team.

No matter what the NFL does, the Pro Bowl will always be a joke. Most All-Stars games are. The MLB's is the best, but no pitchers want to participate. The Home Run Derby holds that All-Star weekend together. However, even some of the best long ball hitter don't participate because it ruins their swing. The NBA All-Star game is terrible too. There is no defense in the game and there are no big names that participate in the slam dunk competition any more (besides Dwight Howard).

Keep the Pro Bowl at the site of the Super Bowl, but keep it after the Super Bowl. That's the best the NFL can do. The Pro Bowl heads back to Hawaii in 2011 and 2012, then everything is up in the air again.