Pro Bowl all-stars came to play, despite the one-sided affair

That first play from scrimmage on Sunday didn’t do much to inspire confidence in the future of the Pro Bowl, which NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has had on double-not-so-secret probation since last year’s comedy of pretend football.

A bungled quarterback-running back exchange? Come on now! It had know-nothings saying, “See, they don’t care.”

But look at the players involved, Drew Brees and Adrian Peterson. You really want to question their effort? These are guys who would run through their mothers to get to the end zone. Well, OK, your mom or mine, at least.

And then, Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, taking an early turn at receiver, runs off the field and a couple of minutes later displays a bloody digit on national TV, and more red stuff smeared on his face and jersey.

“I asked, ‘How did you get blood all over your shirt?’ He said, ‘You don’t want to know,’ ” related Watt’s teammate for the week, Chiefs safety Eric Berry.

Forget Kyle Rudolph as MVP, it was actually the digitus minimus of Watt’s left hand … Most Valuable Pinkie. It serves as Exhibit A in the case for continuation of this event.

Watt wouldn’t take off his glove to show us the wound after the game, but said he needed stitches.

Later, he was seen with a bandage on the pinkie. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’ Watt had a mischievous grin.

Even if this was a bit of theater, it was brilliant.

And it helped set a tone.

“We were going hard, I know I was going hard,” Watt said. “I think it was competitive, but also fun and hopefully no injuries.”

Sure it got sloppy and lopsided — 62-35, NFC wins. But that’s bound to happen.

“You’re gonna have miscommunications,” said Watt, who managed five tackles, including two for loss and a sack. “You have guys who didn’t play together before. But I don’t think there’s anybody who can say the effort wasn’t there.”

True. Examples include Marshawn Lynch bulling into the end zone with his helmet blasting into the small of guard Jahri Evans’ back, and holder Thomas Morstead chasing Berry the length of the field on an interception that was called back.

Then there was Larry Fitzgerald keeping his feet and absorbing a hit to double a 3-yard gain around midfield … late in the third quarter, with the NFC up by four touchdowns.

“We didn’t want to get anyone hurt, but at the same time we wanted to up the tempo," Berry said.

The weather even cooperated.

Victor Cruz’s touchdown jig turned out to be a rain dance, as the threatening skies opened up just a few minutes later.

But the downpour was over fast, and the prospects for a 2014 Pro Bowl in Honolulu look much better than those of next year’s Super Bowl site. New York was sunny on Sunday, but the low was 29 degrees.

Of course the prerequisite for any Pro Bowl at all next January was a solid effort by the players in this one. Goodell may find some other reason to cancel his league’s all-star game, but that can’t be it after what we saw Sunday.

———
Reach Dave Reardon at dreardon@staradvertiser.com or 529-4783.