Daily Madden: Is It Time To End The Pro Bowl?
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - Nine 49ers were named to the NFL Pro Bowl, more than any other team. No Raiders players were selected.
"It's always a big story," John Madden told the KCBS morning crew. "Who made it, and then who didn't, and who should have made it that didn't, and who did make it that shouldn't have. And there's a lot of interest in it, and no interest in the game. What I think they ought to do, seriously, is just announce the Pro Bowl, and then get all the excitement and all the argument and all that stuff, and then don't play the game. Forget about it. And the fans wouldn't know."
After the 2011 season, the AFC defeated the NFC 59-41 in a Pro Bowl notable for little defense and a general lack of effort.
"Last year was an embarrassment; what they were doing wasn't playing football," the former coach said. "The guys want to get chosen, but they don't want to play. Then the guys who do play, they don't want to play... I like the story of the announcement of the Pro Bowl (players). So I really think we could keep that, and maybe even send the guys to Hawaii -- they like that -- and don't play any game."
The 2013 Pro Bowl will be played the week before the Super Bowl. John said there will be little fan interest. "They'll (talk about) who was in the Pro Bowl, who were the Pro Bowl quarterbacks, who had the most players in the Pro Bowl. But they don't worry about the game." (8:15)
Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM. And catch John's extra report at 9:15 a.m. Mondays and Fridays during the NFL season.
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