Is it still an honor to play in the Pro Bowl?

Following Sunday’s AFC Championship game, and the end result (the Steelers are not going to the Super Bowl) I started to go through withdrawal. Now that my plans to go to Houston have been changed, what could I do?

Football isn’t over. That’s what I was thinking. There’s little chance I’d be able to spend the money to go to the big game, even if the Steelers had made it, but what about that other game being played this Sunday? Several Steelers are playing in that!

Maybe I could get an up-close look at the Killer B’s for one last time.

Or give one of two Pittsburgh offensive linemen a shout out.

I had honestly thought about traveling to Orlando: the flights are cheap, and the NFL is great at setting up fan interaction heading into any of their major events.

Let’s go to the Pro Bowl!

And then it hit me: the game isn’t good. Not even passable.

No matter. Those Steelers are still in it, and the experience might be fun!

Days removed from the NFL’s version of an all-star game, there are only two Steelers left, and only one of the original five: David DeCastro, who was initially selected, and Ryan Shazier, who was chosen as an alternate.

Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and Maurkice Pouncey all withdrew from playing in the game this weekend, so it looks like I’m staying home.

And I bet a lot of other fans are feeling the same way… but what about the players?

Jokes were always cracked about how the Pro Bowl isn’t that good. The league is aware, and every attempt has been made to spice it up: from making it a fantasy football style game, to moving the date into the gap which existed between the conference championships and the Super Bowl.

Yet, last year’s Pro Bowl saw the largest number of rejections by players ever.

Ever.

The words “rejection” and “ever” echo down a long, abandoned alley where no one is left to play in what should be a sacred game.

This year’s iteration is only 10 invites behind the 2016 game, for players declining to play; and consider that last year’s game was played in Hawaii.

The 2017 Pro Bowl was moved from Honolulu to Orlando, reminding me of Clark Griswold’s disappointment in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, when he discovers his Christmas envelope includes a “jelly of the month club” subscription, instead of a big bonus check.

That made me wonder if it was still an honor to be an “all star” if a large number of the 88 spots had been vacated and replaced (123 invites were sent out for those positions).

I suppose it’s all relative.

The 44-man Pro Bowl teams are comprised of 21 offensive and 18 defensive players plus five specialists, including a long snapper. Of those 88 players selected, 10 players from the two Super Bowl teams will not participate. Several other players had to forfeit their spot due to injury.

For example, Chiefs QB Alex Smith will replace injured Raiders QB Derek Carr. That’s not so bad. (At least Smith lead his team to the playoffs, and a first round bye.)

If you play a position that’s not deep, and were one of the first alternates called upon, I’m sure it’s a relief to finally get recognized for your performance. Falcons K Matt Bryant is one of two kickers chosen: Bryant will not play Sunday, since the Falcons are making a trip for the “bigger” game in Houston.

However, if you play a position such as quarterback, especially in the AFC, the distinction is getting stretched fairly thin.

All three of the quarterbacks chosen to play in the Pro Bowl for the AFC will not make an appearance. Tom Brady is head to the Super Bowl, the aforementioned Carr is hurt, and Big Ben declined going earlier this week. Joining Smith as an alternate for the AFC is Bengals QB Andy Dalton.

The third replacement QB was harder to find. The Broncos’ Trevor Siemian and Bills’ QB Tyrod Taylor both declined invites due to postseason injuries and/or surgery. Marcus Mariota, Ryan Tannehill, and Andrew Luck all fall into the same injury scenario as well.

Including the original three, plus the five injured players mentioned, and the two replacements, that leaves exactly six more quarterbacks who were eligible to play in the game.

The “honor” eventually fell to Philip Rivers, who’s likely deserving on his star power, but not much else. Just to get an idea of how bad Rivers’ season was in 2016, he threw the most interceptions of any season in his entire career.

Still, he’s probably more deserving than any of the remaining options, such as the six men who rotated at the position in Cleveland.

This phenomena isn’t restricted to only the quarterback position, but it was easy to pick on quarterbacks since three make each conference team (for six total) but only one plays on the field (as opposed to wide receivers, which have 2-3 starters on each team but only

Therefore, is it still an honor to play in the Pro Bowl? Let’s review:

  • If you were an original selection, yes.
  • If you were an original alternate, replacing a player who is injured or playing in the Super Bowl, yes.
  • If you are an alternate at a position with few players selected, i.e. specialists, yes.

If you are playing because half of your conference declined and/or is unavailable, probably not…


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