While The Pro Bowl Games are currently going on, Pittsburgh Steelers DL Cameron Heyward isn’t very locked into the flag football game (and he’s not the only one). Heyward tweeted during the game that the NFL should bring back the Pro Bowl game that was traditionally held the Sunday before the Super Bowl, and not the mini-games and flag football game that the event has become.
“Bring back the real pro bowl game!! Pash rushers need to eat!”
The ESPN broadcast also captured Heyward playing cards on the sideline with Tennessee Titans DL Jeffrey Simmons.
The current format doesn’t allow for much defense to be played, although the last few years the Pro Bowl game was actually held like an actual football game there was minimal effort from either side. No one wants to get hurt in a game that doesn’t count for anything, and allowing full contact obviously increases that risk.
But the current format has to be pretty boring for linemen, who don’t really do a whole lot of anything during the game itself. It’s more geared toward skill position players who can run around in space and have some fun, while the linemen basically just sit there and watch. Steelers QB Russell Wilson got some snaps at quarterback in the game and threw a touchdown pass to Jacksonville Jaguars rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr., but no one is really taking the game all that seriously.
The NFL isn’t going to go back to the original format because of the risk of injuries, and players already drop out when it comes to the Pro Bowl Games as guys would rather spend time with their families or rehab after the season instead of going to take part in an event that just doesn’t matter all that much. From a viewership perspective, an actual game, even with minimal effort would be a lot better to watch than what the league has put together over the past few years, but player safety is understandably the focus and going back to a regular game is just something that isn’t going to happen.
While it may not be ideal for Cameron Heyward or some of the other defensive players or offensive linemen, the flag football game or some variation of it is probably here to stay.
