It's Pretty Easy to Make the Pro Bowl This Season

The NFL thought they could juice up interest in the Pro Bowl by moving it to Miami and playing it on the Sunday before the Super Bowl. The best laid plans of mice and men oft go awry.

If more people do tune into the game, they'll be watching a pair of teams that represent the best of the AFC and NFC in name only. Fourteen more replacements were named Monday morning since the seven Colts and seven Saints on the rosters will be busy with more meaningful matters this week. That leaves the AFC with the legendary David Garrard as one of their three quarterbacks from the AFC South who aren't named Peyton Manning.

Drew Brees will also be missing and, surprisingly, Tony Romo didn't get a call to step in for the Saints quarterback. It will be Donovan McNabb taking Brees's place even though he threw for fewer yards and touchdowns than Romo while completing a lower percentage of his passes and losing three games to Romo and the Cowboys. Romo's still got a good chance since Brett Favre is currently on the Pro Bowl roster. The ol' gunslinger seems a pretty poor bet to make the game given the short window to actually make a decision on playing and any other choice would further demean the idea that this game has standards beyond filling out two teams of players who earn a paycheck for playing football.

Mike Jenkins also seems like a good bet to head for Miami. Antoine Winfield was hurt the entire second half of the season, so it would be foolish for him to play an exhibition a week after the NFC Championship Game. Jenkins surely has something better to do, but why pass up the chance to cite his status as a Pro Bowler when it comes time for a contract negotiation or Mike Jenkins Day at Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida.

This year's Pro Bowl has gone from being an honor for a job well done to the equivalent of the GMAC Bowl in the NCAA. It's just a way to say thanks for participating. Throw in the fact that the game is in Miami, which means no Hawaiian floral print shirt for Wade Phillips, and it's hard to come up with any reason to watch.

On the plus side, there's still time for more players to drop out. Roy Williams's time may come yet!

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