(Editor's Note: Time to check the mail! The DallasCowboys.com staff writers answer your questions here in 'Mailbag' presented by Miller Lite.)
Hasn't the achievement of making the Pro Bowl been cheapened? Shouldn't how many Pro Bowls a player has been named to be eliminated from contract talks or used to enhance their argument for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame? Agree, or am I missing something? – Mark Briggs/Liverpool, NY
Nick: I think you're talking about two different things. The honor really hasn't changed from what it was in the past. I don't know what the difference is from years ago when they actually played a game and at times, it was rather competitive.
But back then, three quarterbacks and about four receivers and three running backs would make it. That's really no different than what it is now. So, the actual honor of the achievement really hasn't changed and I don't think it will in the future.
I think what you're really talking about is what it's turned into. Now, it's just a flag football game and they go out and play dodgeball or whatever. It's just a fun skills contest where no one can really get hurt. But if the Pro Bowl was ever used for contract talks or Hall of Fame argument, I don't know how it's really changed from that standpoint.
I always think it's funny when people talk bad about the Pro Bowl and say things like "who cares" or "this is a joke." But in a few years, we're going to be arguing whether Zack Martin and/or Tyron Smith should be first-ballot Hall of Famers or why they were passed over, and the Pro Bowls will be one of the first things mentioned. The Pro Bowl itself isn't the same, but I don't know if the honor has changed much.
Kurt: There's no doubt that the Pro Bowl isn't what it once was. The event has essentially evolved from a full-pads, two-hands touch matchup into what is now a flag football game with some skills competitions throw in. It wasn't exactly must-see TV for me before and is even less so these days.
But you can't really blame the players for the current state of affairs. Asking these guys to actually play real hard-hitting football after a 17-game schedule and up to a month off just doesn't make sense. At least back in the day they got a free weeklong stay in Hawaii and were the lone attraction on the Sunday before the Super Bowl. That was definitely more incentive for them to make the trip. Now, this year's showcase is being held on a Tuesday night in a San Francisco convention center. Good times.
So yes, the Pro Bowl has been cheapened, but that doesn't mean players and their agents won't use that tag at the negotiating table. Which makes you wonder why anyone would decline a Pro Bowl invite. One would think that, without a whole lot of exertion, a guy can only add to his coffers as a known Pro Bowler, be it working out a new deal or making future appearances.
Regardless, I'm on board with naming a Pro Bowl team, giving those deserving players their recognition, and calling it a day. The actual game or competitions or whatever they may think of next can go away. Missing out on the Joe Flaccos of the NFL world play dodgeball? We'll be just fine, thanks.
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