Watching Pro Bowlers such as Russell Wilson compete in a flag-football tournament would arguably be more interesting than what passes for event these days. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Why the Pro Bowl should switch to a flag-football tournament

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 2/6/22

The Pro Bowl is notoriously one of the most boring sporting events of the calendar year, and the NFL has explored a number of ways to make it more interesting. Here’s an idea — flag football.

If you watched the 2022 Pro Bowl on Sunday, you know there was almost no contact. Players wore full pads, but there were times when they didn’t lay a finger on one another. The offensive and defensive lines were essentially pointless. All of that makes sense, as the last thing anyone wants is a player getting hurt in a meaningless game. So why not just change the game entirely?

The biggest issue with the Pro Bowl is that everything looks like a regular NFL game until the ball is snapped. The formations are the same, and the players are dressed the same. But there is barely any effort when the ball is snapped. As J.J. Watt described it, there are practice walk-throughs that look more intense.

I’ve seen walk-thrus more intense than this #ProBowl

— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) February 6, 2022

Here’s a sampling of how the game looked:

JUICE CHECK!

The defense was coming with force there #ProBowl | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/Fji37jvmfE

— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) February 6, 2022

Since the Pro Bowl is about as physical as a flag football game, why not just play flag football? In fact, why not hold a 7-on-7 flag football tournament? That is probably something that would interest fans way more than fully padded players who don’t want to hit. Again, we understand why. No one should get hurt because of a tackle in the Pro Bowl. That’s why an entirely different game might deliver more intrigue.

Even ESPN’s Louis Riddick seemed surprised by the lack of effort at one point, as he noted that he doesn’t remember players shying away from contact quite as blatantly as they did this year.

There are 88 players in the Pro Bowl. The NFL could have something like a 7-on-7 flag football tournament with several teams. It may sound lame, but there’s nothing lamer than players in full pads for a non-contact sport. The skills competition is more entertaining than the actual Pro Bowl. A mini-tournament with no pads would probably draw more interest.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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