While the future of the Pro Bowl is a matter of debate, the game’s present status as a showcase for quarterbacks and receivers should remain unthreatened.
Unless the weather dictates otherwise, the passing games are expected to reign again at Aloha Stadium between today’s 2 p.m. kickoff and the final whistle.
"It’s an aerial attack," Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "It’s what the fans want to see, so it’s a good time."
Fitzgerald has had a better time than most in his six previous Pro Bowl appearances. He was named the game’s MVP in 2009 and caught six passes for 111 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s game. Yet that wasn’t enough to take home another trophy, which instead went to Brandon Marshall for his 176-yard, four-touchdown performance.
Marshall pulled out of this year’s game, but there’s no shortage of big-play targets for the six quarterbacks who made the trip, a mix of four Pro Bowl veterans and two rookies.
Peyton Manning is slated to start for the AFC in his 12th Pro Bowl appearance and first representing the Denver Broncos. He’ll be backed up by Houston’s Matt Schaub and Indianapolis rookie Andrew Luck. The first three quarterbacks selected to the NFC roster pulled out of the game due to injuries and were replaced by New Orleans’ Drew Brees, New York’s Eli Manning and Seattle’s Russell Wilson.
With line play generally benign and the rules tilted in the favor of offense, the NFL all-stars produced 196 points over the past two years. Last year, the teams combined for 98 pass attempts, 943 yards and 12 touchdowns (13 including an interception return) through the air in the AFC’s 59-41 win.
"These guys are extremely talented and you feel like you’re just playing in the back yard with them," said Brees, who threw for two scores last year and is back for his seventh Pro Bowl.
Although the offenses have just a few light practices to work on their timing, "guys know what they’re doing," Schaub said. "The defenses are limited in what they can do, so offensively you just try to find open guys and make a play."
That’s not to say defense can’t have its day.
"The fans want to see a lot of points and big plays from the quarterbacks and receivers, but as a (defensive back) you have to have the mind-set that this is a great opportunity," Seattle safety Earl Thomas said.
Some have likened the game’s pass-and-catch emphasis to a seven-on-seven duel. Not exactly, according to Fitzgerald.
"Not when you have (running backs) Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch in the backfield, you know you’re going to run the ball," Fitzgerald said. "Those guys have to get their touches. You’ve gotta ride the horses."
On the flip side of last year’s game, the often tackling-optional vibe that helped produce the second-highest point total in Pro Bowl history also drew derision from fans.
"You have to set that tone," New York Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie said, "especially when they’re talking about getting rid of something that’s been part of the NFL tradition for a while now. The biggest thing is we have to do what we need to do and make sure we keep the Pro Bowl in Hawaii."
