Pro Bowl format no longer AFC vs. NFC; kickoffs removed

In attempt to attract more television viewers to the Pro Bowl and also make the game more appealing its players, the NFL and the players union on Wednesday announced major changes to spice up the game's format.
The NFL has eliminated the traditional AFC-NFC format in favor of one in which two fantasy football champions from NFL.com and two captains will each pick 43 players, regardless of which conference those players play in, out the pool of players voted into the game. Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders will be the captains for this season's Pro Bowl, which will be played in Honolulu on Jan. 26. The Pro Bowl draft will be held four days earlier.
"It sounds interesting. It sounds like a lot of fun," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "I would just say that if you're a coach out there, you have to cross your fingers and hope your guy picks the best players."


Pro Bowl voting has also been changed, as conference affiliation will no longer be considered in the selection process. For example, that means four or more of the six quarterbacks selected could be from the AFC.
The changes were proposed by NFL Players Association president and former Ravens cornerback Domonique Foxworth (Maryland).
Fullback Vonta Leach was one of six Ravens selected to last season's Pro Bowl but didn't participate because the team advanced to the Super Bowl. He found out about the changes to the Pro Bowl on Wednesday evening when a reporter asked him about the possibility of having to block a teammate such as outside linebacker Terrell Suggs in the all-star game.
"I guess when the time comes we'll see about that," Leach said. "I guess they're trying to make it more entertaining and get more fans to watch and be excited about it. We'll see."
Another noteworthy tweak to the game was the elimination of kickoffs as a safety measure. Harbaugh, who was once the special teams coach for the NFC in the Pro Bowl, said some of the marquee players he coached weren't exactly thrilled about being asked to cover kicks.
Now, "the special teams coach is going to bring his family out there and have a nice vacation," he said.
With kickoffs scrapped, the NFL also eliminated the return specialist Pro Bowl roster spot and replaced it with an additional roster spot at defensive back.
Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones was selected to the game in that capacity a season ago, but he didn't seem to be too bummed out when he heard about that change.
"I'd rather go to the Super Bowl, anyway," Jones said, shrugging his shoulders.
Other changes included adding a two-minute warning to the first and third quarters and possession changes at the end of each quarter.


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