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Is this the end for the Pro Bowl?

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This year appears likely to be the final Pro Bowl unless some miracle happens and it actually becomes competitive and fun to watch. Since that is extremely doubtful to happen this could be the end unless the NFL finds a way to fix the lack of effort amongst the players.

Kent Nishimura

Roger Goodell has made it very clear that he does not want to continue to have the Pro Bowl due to the product on the field not being NFL worthy. The Pro Bowl was almost extinct already this year but the players requested that the commissioner allow them one more year to make amends.

Roger Goodell will not give another chance after this to the players to make the All-Star game competitive and interesting to watch. The players were lucky to get an extra chance after the abomination that has been the Pro Bowl over the last few years. If they fail this year to create an NFL quality product this game will be labeled in the history books as the final Pro Bowl game.

Honestly most fans of the NFL have already had enough of the boring game and couldn't care much less about the game. It seems like it is a game that the players are just going through the motions in and they are not even trying. Is there something that can fix the Pro Bowl to make it more entertaining for the fans? Not without seriously increasing the effort from the players and thus increasing the chances for injuries in a meaningless game.

So does that mean the NFL shouldn't have anything for their All-Stars besides a bonus check for being voted in? It doesn't have to be. Instead of having an actual game that nobody is really trying in the NFL should focus on bringing back individual drill challenges.

It was always far more interesting to watch the Pro Bowl contestants take on the drill challenges like seeing Brett Favre, Steve Young, and Troy Aikman battling to see who could throw the ball the farthest or most accurately. The NFL should bring these drills back and have each conference compete against each other for a sizable donation to be made to the charity of their choice.

They would have to come up with new drills too and not just the same ones they used back in the days of the video game QB's Club but it is something the NFL could definitely get creative in. It would be far more fun to watch these players compete with each other for pride within their own positions on who can do what challenge the best.

The game itself is probably doomed but that does not mean that the All-Star weekend has to be doomed with it. Bring back these challenges and make that the main focus. The players still get their free trip to Hawaii and the chance to socialize with the other top talents in the NFL, and the fans get the chance to watch the players show off their vast talents in an environment that they might sincerely care about.