With the Pro Bowl upon us, the final rosters have been revealed. A recent rule in the NFL states that teams who make the Super Bowl, will not have players in the Pro Bowl, due to the Pro Bowl being played a week before the Super Bowl.
This season, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will play in the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Arizona, therefore they will not have any players in the Pro Bowl, after each having five players make the rosters.
In addition to those ten players not attending, the Pro Bowl has also lost a few “star” players to injuries. With a list of less than stellar replacements for stars, many people are wondering if the Pro Bowl should still be played since they don’t get to see their favorite players in the game.
Personally, I believe the Pro Bowl is an honor for players. Most players get a chance to play with other great players they may never get to play with. With the large amount of snubs players get each year, adding replacements is a great way to send more players to the game that didn’t get the chance before.
With the new format, it also gives AFC and NFC players a chance to play on the same teams with each other, as opposed to only playing with players in their respective conference. This year, the alumni coaches for the fantasy draft style Pro Bowl will be receivers Cris Carter and Michael Irving. A live draft will occur Wed. January 21 at 8pm on the NFL Network.
The list of replacements are listed below:
Quarterback
Drew Brees (Saints) replaces Ben Roethlisberger (injury)
Matthew Stafford (Lions) replaces Peyton Manning (injury)
Matt Ryan (Falcons) replaces Tom Brady (Super Bowl)
Andy Dalton (Bengals) replaces Aaron Rodgers (injury)
Running back
Alfred Morris (Redskins) replaces LeSean McCoy (injury)
Justin Forsett (Ravens) replaces Arian Foster (injury)
Mark Ingram (Saints) replaces Marshawn Lynch (Super Bowl)
Wide receivers
Odell Beckham Jr. (Giants) replaces Calvin Johnson (injury)
Emmanuel Sanders (Broncos) replaces Julio Jones (injury)
Golden Tate (Lions) replaces Jeremy Maclin (declined), who replaced DeMaryius Thomas (injury)
Randall Cobb (Packers) replaces Dez Bryant (declined)
Guard
Evan Mathis (Eagles) replaces Jahri Evans (injury)
Mike Pouncey (Dolphins) replaces Mike Iupati (injury)
Tight end
Martellus Bennett (Bears) replaces Rob Gronkowski (Super Bowl)
Jason Witten (Cowboys) replaces Julius Thomas (injury)
Defensive tackle
Sheldon Richardson (Jets) replaces Gerald McCoy (injury)
Linebacker
D’Qwell Jackson (Colts) replaces Bobby Wagner (Super Bowl)
Cornerback
Antonio Cromartie (Cardinals) replaces Richard Sherman (Super Bowl)
Sam Shields (Packers) replaces Darrelle Revis (Super Bowl)
Safety
Donte Whitner (Browns) replaces Tashaun Gipson
Antoine Bethea (49ers) replaces Kam Chancellor (Super Bowl)
Mike Adams (Colts) replaces Earl Thomas (Super Bowl)
Kickers
Cody Parkey (Eagles) replaces Stephen Gostkowski (Super Bowl)
Utility
Darrell Stuckey (Chargers) replaces Matthew Slater (Super Bowl)
Looking at the numerous amounts of players that will be playing in the Pro Bowl as replacements, do you think the game will still be worth watching? Sound off in the comments section and let us know what you think.
Source: NFL