The 2014 Pro Bowl was the NFL's all-star game for the 2013 season. It took place at 2:30 pm local time on January 26 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. The game was televised nationally by NBC and was the final Pro Bowl on network television before exclusive rights moved to ESPN.
Significant changes to the Pro Bowl format were adopted in an attempt to make the game more "fan-friendly". These changes were proposed by National Football League Players Association president Dominique Foxworth and developed in partnership between the league and the player's union.[1]
The most significant change is that the game no longer pits the AFC against the NFC; instead the teams are now selected by captains in a fantasy draft. This is similar to how the National Hockey League All-Star Game has operated since 2011. Pro Bowl players are selected on the basis of fan, player and coach voting without regard for conference. The Pro Bowl Draft was held on January 21–22. The teams were called Team Rice and Team Sanders,[2] after Pro Football Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders who have been selected as alumni team captains and who assist in the draft.[1]
The captains for the Pro Bowl had Drew Brees and Robert Quinn paired together while Jamaal Charles and J.J. Watt were the other pairing. These four captains, who were the top two voted players on offense and defense from the teams that did not advance to the conference championship round, were teamed with Rice and Sanders to determine the rosters for the game.[3]
Chuck Pagano of the AFC South winning Indianapolis Colts coached along with Ron Rivera of the NFC South winning Carolina Panthers. These coaches were selected for coaching the highest seeded teams not to qualify for their respective Conference Championship Games, which has been the convention since the 2009 Pro Bowl.
Two former players, Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders, drafted players on to the teams. Each was assisted by two player captains and one NFL.com fantasy football champion.[5][6] As a result, the Pro Bowl was not AFC vs. NFC.[1][6]
A "Game within the Game" format saw the addition of two-minute warnings to all four quarters, with a change of possession to start each quarter. The intention of this rule is to encourage four exciting two-minute drills.[1]
No kickoffs. A coin toss will determine which team is awarded possession first, and the ball will be placed on the 25-yard line at the start of each quarter and after scoring plays.[1]
The rosters now consist of 44 players per squad, with an additional defensive back added.[1]
The defense is now permitted to play "cover two" and "press" coverage. In the previous years, only the "man" coverage was permitted, except for goal line situations.[1]
Beginning at the two-minute mark of every quarter, if the offense does not gain at least one yard, the clock stops as if the play were an incomplete pass.[1]
A 35-second and 25-second play clock is used instead of the usual 40-second and 25-second clock.[1]
The game clock does not stop on quarterback sacks outside of the final 2 minutes of regulation.[1]
Summary[]
To begin the game, the coin toss was won by Team Sanders. They decided to defer to the second half, so Team Rice started with the ball.
The game featured six interceptions and nine sacks, while the 22-21 score was the lowest since the 2006 Pro Bowl, which ended with a 23-17 NFC win.[7]
The game was televised nationally by NBC and was the final Pro Bowl on network television for the foreseeable future. ESPN took over the exclusive broadcast rights to the Pro Bowl, effective in 2015.
In France, the game was televised by BeIN Sport, and in the United Kingdom and Ireland, by Sky Sports. In Slovenia, the game was televised by Šport TV, and in Germany, by Sport1 US.
Westwood One radio also broadcast the game nationally.
Ratings[]
7pm; Cris Collinsworth’s Sunday Night Football Special
