Pro Bowl 2012 Final Score: AFC Beats NFC In Shootout, 59-41

by Sean Yuille on Jan 30, 2012 1:40 AM EST in NFL News

Admittedly, I watched all of about two seconds of the 2012 NFL Pro Bowl. With not much else on Sunday night, I really did try to tune in, but I quickly turned the channel after witnessing the awful pre-game musical act. That was all I could take before realizing that it just wasn't worth the time. Instead, I spent the night watching some U.S. women's soccer against Canada and the Royal Rumble, as well as writing about the latest recruiting news for Michigan and Michigan State.

Based on all of the anti-Pro Bowl tweets that rolled into my Twitter feed on Sunday night, I think I made a good decision to skip watching the game. From what I've gathered, the general consensus seems to be that the Pro Bowl either needs to be drastically overhauled or simply eliminated, because players just don't try hard, and I don't blame them. Nothing is on the line except a small difference in bonus money, and it would be stupid to risk an injury in what really is nothing more than a glorified walkthrough.

Proof of the lack of effort can be found in the score. The AFC won 59-41 thanks in part to four touchdown receptions by Brandon Marshall. I know some football games where the players are actually trying can have scores similar to this, but in the Pro Bowl I think it had more to do with the defense not trying hard than anything else. After all, the two teams racked up more than 1,100 yards during the game. I know this season was all about the offense, but if the players were actually trying, the score would not have been quite so ridiculous.

In any case, I guess the ridiculousness of the Pro Bowl just shows that we fans probably shouldn't lose too much sleep over somebody like Matthew Stafford not making the game. I know it is a great honor on paper to be named to the Pro Bowl, but at the end of the day it's really nothing more than a free trip to Hawaii and a contract bonus for some of the players. And with the way the Pro Bowl has gone in recent years, I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

(With all of that said, I do want to point out that Cam Newton managed to go an awful 9-of-27 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions in a game where playing defense was basically optional. I still don't understand how he was selected to the game over Stafford.)

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Turned the game on for about 10 seconds during a commercial just to check the score...

…only to see Newton throw an 80-yard pick-six with five minutes left in the 4th.

Honestly though, am I the only one here that’s glad Stafford didn’t go? Or any Lion for that matter? This game is such a joke, and how much would it suck if someone important to us actually went down with a season-ending injury from this? I mean, it’s bad enough when these things happen in training camp (see Leshoure, Mikel), let alone the absolute worst AND most meaningless All-Star game in professional sports.

I’d like to see Stafford chosen one of these days just for the honor’s sake of it, but ultimately I’d prefer that, if we’re not still playing by that point, he just turn them down every time (use the “nursing an injury” bit, ala CJ, if he has to). It’s such a meaningless thing to take part in, and although the injury risk is much lower due to defense being a total afterthought, things can still happen.

by Kiddington on Jan 30, 2012 3:48 AM EST reply actions

i didnt watch the game

But did anyone actually get injured?

by yamahawarrior89 on Jan 30, 2012 5:58 AM EST via mobile reply actions

State of Origin

I lived in Australia for 3 years and filled my football fix by getting into Rugby League (Rugby Union is the international version everyone knows, League is a lot more like football). Their All-Star game is a best-of-three called State of Origin, which pits players selected from all over the league against each other based on the state they grew up in: Queensland vs New South Wales. It was the most intense rivalry I’d ever seen in sports, never mind an All-Star game. I saw a guy break his jaw making a tackle, and he didn’t take himself out for 3 more plays because he wanted to win so badly. Now I watch some overpaid millionaires complaining about a horse-collar tackle? Please…

Lions, Huskers, & Wings

by Dr J on Jan 30, 2012 8:34 AM EST reply actions

My guess is that the difference is because the stakes are so much higher in the NFL.

How much do Aussie rugby players make? I bet it’s a lot less than NFL players.
Second, because of the tackling rules rugby players don’t sustain the kind of bone-jarring hits that NFL players experience. I’d bet the average lifetime of a rugby player is quite a bit longer than a NFL player’s. No NFL player can afford to stake his career on the outcome of a meaningless All-Star game. Pro Bowl selection is all about status, while the Super Bowl is the real goal.

No slogans. Just win!!!

by drgarnett on Jan 30, 2012 10:48 PM EST up reply actions

I didn't watch it either

but heard that Brandon Marshall had a nice game. 6 TDs on the year vs. 4 in the ProBowl. If that or the final score don’t convince you this game is a joke, I don’t know what will.

Dr J – State of Origin sounds pretty cool. Maybe they could do something like that in the NFL, if not for the agents, teams, and insurers freaking out. Anybody see the NHL All-Star game this weekend? I just wondered how their captains-pick-the-teams played out in terms of making it an interesting game.

Sean, you said you were watching Hope Solo and Abby Wambach crush the Canadians in soccer (ok, you didn’t put it that way but that’s how it went down.) Here’s what our national paper north of border had to say in its recap:

Solo didn’t allow a goal in five games as the Americans overpowered their opponents 38-0.

The Canadian women have a record of three wins, 42 losses and five draws against the U.S. They haven’t beaten the Americans since March, 2001.

Ouch! At least Canada qualified for the Olympics, one of only 12 teams to do so.

by SuhSuhSuhdio on Jan 30, 2012 10:06 AM EST reply actions

Wow. 38-0!

That’s a pretty decisive win in soccer…

"Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid."
- John Wayne

by UndaDawg on Jan 30, 2012 11:40 AM EST up reply actions

Lol I do believe

38-0 was the cumulative score for the five games the U.S played in the tournament

by CMUWR12 on Jan 30, 2012 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Haha. Yeah.

Still that’s over 7 goals a game.

My theory:
Hope Solo has the force.
She is the daughter of Princess Leia and Han Solo. She doesn’t even need her hands to play goal keeper- she can do it with her MIND!

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

"Life's hard. It's even harder when you're stupid."
- John Wayne

by UndaDawg on Jan 30, 2012 12:23 PM EST up reply actions

I really think people are too hard on the pro bowl

Its not about the players not playing hard its about them having fun and celebrating the year that they had. I had a ball watching it (but hey I’m just a guy who loves him some football). I really think if people stepped back and took the game for what it is there would be less complaining about it. If you want a hard hitting defensive struggle watch Alabama-LSU.

I love watching good QB play. The pro bowl lends itself to that. So what if they don’t run the ball this isn’t the real season and no ones job is on the line. Plus its not like the DB’s don’t play. The QB’s WR’s DB’s and LB’s all play (most of the time). Which is all you really need because its like a game of 7-7 with the best in the league.

Side Note. Newton was off but that had a lot to do with the fact that they AFC started rushing the passer and punts and doing stunts on the line because they were pissed that the NFC kept pulling onside kicks and things.

We are taught from an early age how to deal with failure not success. (If at first you don't succeed try try again, if at first you succeed then what....) -Charlie Sheen

I come ready, when I came out the womb I was ready, tell them mama that's why you had me, you knew I was ready. -Moss

Dominating your opposition physically is great and all, but confounding them mentally is sooo much more fun.

2-15-DEN 44(14:36) (Shotgun) K.Moreno up the middle to DEN 47 for 3 yards (N.Suh). FUMBLES (N.Suh), RECOVERED by DET-N.Suh at DEN 47. N.Suh to DEN 47 for no gain (K.Moreno). FUMBLES (K.Moreno), recovered by DET-C.Houston at DEN 47. C.Houston to DEN 47 for no gain (O.Franklin). Denver challenged the fumble ruling, and the play was REVERSED. (Shotgun) K.Moreno up the middle to DEN 49 for 5 yards (S.Tulloch).

Follow @josephgray23

by Redwolf333 on Jan 30, 2012 10:41 AM EST reply actions

I disagree

I really think people are too hard on the pro bowl

They should be harder on the Pro Bowl.

Its not about the players not playing hard its about them having fun and celebrating the year that they had.

That’s fine, but none of that has a thing to do with playing a football game.

It’s not football. It’s just not. That’s why it’s so unwatchable. Have an awards ceremony, hand out plaques, heck, even have a skills competition. It would be cool to see who can run fastest, throw farthest/most accurately, get through a course quickest, etc. I’d watch that before I’d watch the Pro Bowl.

by Big Z in Orlando on Jan 31, 2012 11:49 AM EST up reply actions

The problem with Stafford not being named to the Pro Bowl....

is the fact that, unfairly, it’s kind of a huge indicator for Hall of Fame status. That’s what the voters look at. For a quarterback, it’s how many wins, how many championships and how many Pro Bowls made. It’s quite ridiculous, but it’s the truth.

Matt will have a limited number of years to put his stamp on the league. When he has a season like this, those accolades that mean something to the historic significance of who he is in this league need to be correctly assigned. Watching Cam Newton throw a bunch of picks and passes that regularly sailed two yards over the heads of his receivers just pissed me off.

As a fan, I put zero stock into the Pro Bowl and seldom watch it. I caught about a half hour total last night… but I guess I would have watched the whole thing had a Lion been playing. Either way, the thing needs to be dismantled. There should be an all-pro team selected by a special panel and be stats-based with players named AFTER the season ends. This all-pro team should be a title only and no game needs to be played. There need to be no alternates or any of that BS. Just a title based on a really good season of football……

by DrewsLions on Jan 30, 2012 1:31 PM EST reply actions

Heck was watching the Dan Patrick show earlier

he didn’t even bother watching the ‘glorified flag football’ game. Royal Rumble was something else though

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by MuleRules on Jan 30, 2012 3:13 PM EST reply actions