It's Official 2010 Pro Bowl

2010 PRO BOWL TO BE PLAYED IN SOUTH FLORIDA

The National Football League announced today that the Pro Bowl following the 2009 season will be played on Sunday, January 31, 2010 and televised live on ESPN at 8 PM ET from Dolphin Stadium in South Florida, also the site of Super Bowl XLIV a week later on Sunday, February 7.

The 2010 Pro Bowl will be the first played prior to the Super Bowl and only the second Pro Bowl played in the same city as the Super Bowl. The Los Angeles Coliseum hosted the first Super Bowl on January 15, 1967 and the Pro Bowl the following week.

The site and date of Pro Bowl games after 2010 will be determined at a later date and will include playing the game on a rotating basis in Honolulu, Hawaii, host of the NFL’s All-Star game since 1980.

The initiative to experiment with the Pro Bowl schedule and location was discussed over the past two years with NFL club owners, the NFL Players Association, the NFL Player Advisory Council, and other players, and it received wide player and club support.

“We are looking at alternatives to strengthen the Pro Bowl,” said NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL. “We will continue to work with the players to make it a great event and will evaluate this concept after the 2010 Pro Bowl.”

“Moving the Pro Bowl to the Sunday prior to the Super Bowl can add even more excitement to Super Bowl week, one of the most anticipated weeks of the year,” said FRANK SUPOVITZ, the NFL’s senior vice president of events. “Taking the Pro Bowl to new locations can showcase our top players to more fans around the country. We are also in discussions with key leaders in Hawaii to continue our partnership with the State of Hawaii, which has embraced the Pro Bowl for 30 years.”

“ESPN presents year-round coverage of the NFL and will work together with the league to promote the 2010 Pro Bowl as one of the kickoff events to Super Bowl XLIV week in South Florida,” added JOHN WILDHACK, ESPN executive vice president, program acquisitions and strategy.

In addition to the Pro Bowl's annual ticket subscribers, tickets to the 2010 Pro Bowl at Dolphin Stadium will be made available to Dolphins season ticket holders, as well as to fans across the nation. Pro Bowl annual ticket subscribers in Hawaii will maintain their account status for any future games at Aloha Stadium.

The 2009 NFL Pro Bowl will be played at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii on Sunday, February 8 and will be televised on NBC at 4:30 PM ET.

Courtesy NFL

Ronnie Brown...Really?

It's that time of year again! Yes, it's time to pick apart the NFL Pro Bowl selections. Many players, who seemed to be deserving ONCE AGAIN got snubbed. I understand that it's difficult to select everyone who is deserving, but some just see mind numbing. Where is Dallas Clark? How about Philip Rivers? Matt Cassel anyone?

The list goes on and on...and on...but today I will be concentrating on one individual, who got the royal screw job. I'm talking about my boy Steve Slaton.

It seemed to be a choice of Ronnie Brown or Slaton, with Brown getting the nod. This decision is embarrassing, and I'll prove it to you all. Let's analyze the numbers...


Rushing yards:

Brown: 827 NFL Rank-23rd AFC Rank-10th Slaton: 1,124 NFL Rank-8th AFC Rank-3rd

Advantage: Slaton

Average Yards Per-Rush:

Brown: 4.2 Slaton: 4.9

Advantage: Slaton

Rushing Touchdowns:

Brown: 10 Slaton: 8

Advantage: Brown

Receiving Stats:

Brown: 24 receptions for 218 yards Slaton: 40 receptions for 305 with a touchdown

Advantage: Slaton

Lost Fumbles:

Brown: 1 Slaton: 1

Advantage: Push

Intangibles:

Brown: Runs Wildcat offense...has considerable backfield help with Ricky Williams...2-2 passing 1 TD...Team has a 9-5 record

Slaton: Rookie-of-the-Year Candidate...has NO help in the backfield...has rushed for over 100 yards in four of the last five games on "tired legs"...team has a 7-7 record

Advantage: Push

Final Score: 3.5--1.5 Slaton

Let's be honest...this decision was made for two reasons: Brown runs that Gimmick offense and Miami has a better record. If you go solely on stats, there is NO DOUBT Slaton had the better year.

I'm glad we honor players by team records, and how many times you line up behind a Fat Guy's ass.