Earlier this year the NFL announced a change to the Pro Bowl format in hopes of rescuing the all-star game that has become an afterthought to players and fans alike.
Here's how the new format will work.
Pro Bowl players will still be determined by the consensus of votes from fans, players and coaches. Each of the three counts as one-third of the vote to determine the 88 players that will be eligible for the Pro Bowl. That's about the only thing that's consistent with the new format.
The Pro Bowl will no longer be "conferenced" meaning no more AFC vs NFC. Instead, the four leading vote getters – comprised of two offensive and two defensive player captains – will be joined by two NFL.com fantasy football champions to draft players. Each team will have help from a Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders will serve as alumni team captains and help the player captains and fantasy winners draft their teams from the players that are voted in.
I was talking with dallascowboys.com writer Nick Eatman the other day about the format and he brought up a very interesting point. There is now a possibility that two or more players from a team could be on the opposite side of the ball during a competitive football game. How would Cowboys fans feel if DeMarcus Ware sacks Tony Romo or Brandon Carr has to lay a big hit on Jason Witten to stop a first down? Not that there is much hitting in these games, but it does create an interesting twist.
With the change in format comes a change in the uniform. The uniforms will go away from the red, white and blue color scheme that we're all familiar with. This is definitely the most radical uniform change that Nike has made since becoming the NFL's official uniform provider in 2012.
The NFL is the only sports league that combines voting by fans, coaches and players to determine its all-star teams. It was the first professional sports league to offer online all-star voting in 1995. NFL players and coaches will vote December 23-26. Voting is now open for fans until December 26th. Go here to cast your vote /fans/official-2014-pro-bowl.html
The following is a breakdown of positions and the corresponding numbers of players who will be selected (88 total):
|
OFFENSE |
DEFENSE |
SPECIAL TEAMS |
|
Wide Receivers (8) |
Defensive Ends (6) |
Punter (2) |
|
Tight Ends (4) |
Interior Linemen (6) |
Placekicker (2) |
|
Tackles (6) |
Outside Linebackers (6) |
Punt-Return Specialists (2) |
|
Guards (6) |
Inside/Middle Linebackers (4) |
Special Teamer (2) |
|
Centers (4) |
Cornerbacks (8) |
Need Player (2-Coach's Choice) |
|
Quarterbacks (6) |
Safeties (6) |
|
|
Running Backs (6) |
|
|
|
Fullback (2) |
|
|
