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Pro Bowl makes damp return to mainland
By Daniel Dullum January 31, 2010 |
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The National Football League thought it would be a good idea to make its annual all-star game, a.k.a. the Pro Bowl, at least seem like a worthwhile endeavor. So, in a one-season experiment, the game was moved from its popular base in Honolulu to Miami, with the intention of serving as an appetizer for Super Bowl XLIV next Sunday. Because of the change in scheduling this season, the players selected from the Super Bowl participants – Indianapolis and New Orleans – were excused with the blessing of the league. In spite of this, 70,697 filed into what is now known as Sun Life Stadium to watch the AFC defeat the NFC 41-34. That was the largest crowd for a Pro Bowl since 1959, when the game was strictly an Eastern Conference vs. Western Conference affair played at the Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles. The NFL and AFL had separate all-star games until the 1970 merger. By moving the game from Hawaii, no-shows again became a factor. Nearly 40 percent of the players originally selected for the game didn’t show up. They can’t admit it publicly, but in the pre-Honolulu history of the Pro Bowl, players would come up with all kinds of excuses not to participate in all-star debacles like Seattle and Kansas City. That’s why, in 1980, the NFL moved the game to Honolulu in the first place. This year’s game was played amidst light showers and temperatures in the mid-60s. At the same time, it was 82 degrees and sunny in Honolulu. In this year’s contest, AFC quarterback Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans threw for 189 yards and two touchdowns, and was chosen as the game’s most valuable player. Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay also threw two scoring passes for the NFC, and DeSean Jackson of Philadelphia hauled in two touchdown receptions – one for 7 yards from Rodgers and a 58-yard bomb from Eagles teammate Donovan McNabb. On the AFC side, Vincent Jackson of San Diego caught seven passes for 122 yards, and Chad Ochocinco of Cincinnati had a 40-yard reception. The AFC won the total offense battle, 517 yards to the NFC’s 470. Both teams threw for over 400 yards. The Pro Bowl is slated to return to Honolulu in 2011 and 2012, but the site beyond those dates has yet to be determined. Neither has a decision to play the game in between the conference championships and the Super Bowl. But Aloha Stadium is undergoing a major facelift in an attempt to convince the NFL powers that returning the Pro Bowl there, and, maybe hosting a Super Bowl in Honolulu, would both be good ideas. |
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