The Pro Bowl Still Stinks! Bring Back The NFL Quarterback Challenge!
Not gonna lie. Watching the NFL Pro Bowl this afternoon has been a real low point for me. There are things called "lazy Sundays" and then there is being so lazy and uninspired to do anything productive on a Sunday that you subject yourself to watching the 2024 Pro Bowl.
Obviously, you don't want these guys hurting themselves in an exhibition game, especially something that could derail a career like what happened to Robert Edwards two decades ago.
But this isn't even enjoyable.
Somehow, the defense is rendered even more helpless than they are in real NFL games.
And as fun as some of these intermission competitions sounded on paper- like Tug of War - they've fallen pretty flat.
Plus, I can't shake the feeling that we are being conditioned and indoctrinated by the NFL with this because this is what the game is going to look like in 10 - 15 years from now.
So what's the solution?
Bring back the one thing that never needed to be fixed because it was never broken: The NFL Quarterback Challenge.
If you're old enough to remember, there's no doubt you instantly recall how fucking awesome an event this was.
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If you're too young to know, let me frame this for you.
The NFL Quarterback Challenge was a skills competition featuring the league's top quarterbacks. The event, which started in the late 1980s and continued through the early 2000s, showcased the abilities of participating quarterbacks through a series of tests. These tests were designed to measure quarterbacks' accuracy, distance, mobility, and speed in various drills.
One of the notable events within the challenge was the "Accuracy Competition," where quarterbacks would attempt to hit moving and stationary targets at different distances.
Look how fucking awesome this was.
Another event was the "Read and Recognition" drill, where quarterbacks had to quickly identify the correct target among several options and make an accurate throw. The "Long Distance Throw" competition measured who could throw the football the farthest.
This thing was so fun, and such a (semi) big deal that it had its own video game.
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Yah, I know they do this "Precision Passing Challenge" thing now earlier in the week, but nobody gives a shit about it and it gets no coverage.
I don't even think the NFL QB Challenge took place during the Pro Bowl. I think they were just able to get all the best QBs in the league together every off-season by offering a free trip to Hawaii for them and their families, and some bragging rights for taking home the crown.
And no offense to Bakey Mayfield and Tua, but they're no Dan Marino, Brett Favre, or Steve Young.
Or the baby GOAT
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Check out some of this gold.
Here's what I could dig up on youtube.
1998 - Favre, McNair, Harbaugh, Dilfer, & More
2000 - Peyton, McNabb, Jake the Snake, & More!
2001- Manning, McNabb, Dilfer & More.
2002 - Manning, Brady, Flutie & More
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2003- Brady, Bulger, Brunell, and more!
2004- Hasselbeck, Leftwich, Palmer, & More!
2005- Hasselbeck, Leftwich, Palmer, & More!
p.s.-
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p.p.s. - why the fuck did they get rid of the strongest man competition too?