by EDWARD PINTO Section Editor
One week before the Super Bowl starts, the NFL All Star game or the Pro Bowl, took place on Sunday, January 26 in Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii with Team Rice taking the win 22-21.
This year, the rules completely changed and the traditional AFC vs NFC was abandoned. There were two teams, led by Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice, two NFL superstars back in the day. Each team drafted one player at a time, which made the game more competitive and more fan interactive. Both Sanders and Rice chose their team earlier in the week.
Team Rice ended up stealing the show as quarterback Alex Smith lead the final drive of the game to win it 22-21. The game from beginning to end was a dog fight with five fumbles and six interceptions combined.
With terrible conditions throughout the game, it was obviously expected that the game would be a little sloppy. The game went down to be the lowest scoring Pro Bowl in eight years.
“The Pro Bowl was actually really fun to watch this year. During all the past Pro Bowls, there would be barely any defense played and the game was always really high scoring. This year, though, it was different,” said sophomore Ryan Brusick.
The offensive MVP was awarded to quarterback Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles, and the defensive MVP was given to linebacker Derrick Johnson of the Kansas City Chiefs. Other stars in the game included Drew Brees, DeSean Jackson, Andrew Luck, and Darrelle Revis.
“I was excited for Alfred Morris because it was his first ever Pro Bowl selection and I think he performed well for the Redskins this year. Hopefully I’ll see him and a couple other Redskin players in the next few years,” said sophomore Tyler Gambone.
During the second quarter, Cleveland Browns star wide receiver Josh Gordon was flipped in the air by safety T.J. Ward. A tackle like that could have put his season away in surgery and rehab.
New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suffered from a knee injury with a tackle similar to Gordon’s.
Many people consider the Pro Bowl as a practice game that should be taken lightly so players do not injure themselves and possibly put their career or season in jeopardy.
The game, however, will go down in history as the first ever Pro Bowl with a fantasy football-like draft style and different rules and regulations. Next year, the Pro Bowl may not be taking place in Hawaii and might be in either Florida or California.
Did you watch the Pro Bowl? If so, who did you cheer for, Team Rice or Team Sanders?
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