You can always trust Kimmy's picks.

It’s that time of year again when I gaze into my crystal ball and pull out sure to be inaccurate predictions for the NFL season that is upon us.  I’d like to say that there is an in depth statistical analysis that goes into my picks but it’s so much more than that.  There are also my deep rooted biases and a hefty amount of guessing that goes into it as well.  When it all comes down to it, those “analysts” that get paid to do this are pretty much guessing as well.  There’s no way to know who’s going to get injured, who else is getting suspended, and who is just going to tank.  Not since the Patriots in 2003 has the team with the best regular season record hoisted the Lombardi Trophy surrounded by confetti that same February.  Just as the Packers and Giants from last season can tell you, it’s all about getting hot at the right time.  So without further ado, here go my predictions sure to go wrong team by team for the 2012 NFL season. (more…)

Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Clark, James Harrison, Mike Wallace at the 2011 Pro Bowl

The NFL Pro Bowl is on life support.

According to ESPN’s Chris Mortenson, Commissioner Roger Goodell is unhappy with the quality of the event and is considering putting it on ice for this season – and possibly forever.

All-Star games are an interesting problem for professional sports leagues.  Even Major League Baseball, the sport that has what is considered the best all-around product in the genre – “The Mid-Summer Classic” – has had its share of issues over the years.  The NBA treats their All-Star Game as a festival-type event, with skills competitions and celebrity games filling up a full weekend of basketball goodness.  The NHL has tinkered with several different formats, including the USA vs. The World game, and also utilizes skills competitions to enhance their show.  All three of those games are played mid-season, and supply a much needed break over the course of their long regular seasons.  The NFL runs a tight ship in regards to their schedule, and in a 17-week season it would be nearly impossible to schedule the Pro Bowl for a mid-season game.

Player commitment to the game is another issue.  The players scheduled to play in the Super Bowl will never play in an exhibition game the week before, nor should they even be asked to do so.  Players with even minor injuries bow out, making the voting process a sham.  Numerous players voted in to start sit out the game, allowing the alternates to take their place.  The game becomes nothing more than a poorly played scrimmage game, and playing it in Hawaii provides nothing but a nice vacation for players who can afford to take whatever vacation they want.  Real football fans are who gets the shaft with the Pro Bowl.  Hawaii is expensive, and a Pro Bowl trip for the average fan is out of the question.  Therefore, you have an exhibition game being played in a tropical setting 2,000 miles away from the nearest NFL city, with players who are only there because it is in their contract and they have incentives built in for their attendance.

How does the NFL save the Pro Bowl?  Here are five easy steps the league can take to preserve their All Star game, while creating an event that real football fans can attend.

1.  Play the game Two Weeks AFTER the Super Bowl – playing the Pro Bowl two weeks after the Super Bowl will give the league a chance to involve all players from all teams, making the Pro Bowl a season finale that caps off the league year.  Players already have economic reasons to play in the game, built into their contracts as incentives.  We will get into player selection shortly.

2.  Rotate the Pro Bowl through different NFL cities – Since 1979, the Pro Bowl has been played in Honolulu, with the exception of 2009 when the game was played in Miami – the host city for the Super Bowl that season.  Prior to 1979, the game was played all over – from Texas Stadium to The Kingdome to Tampa Stadium to the Superdome – even Arrowhead Stadium got a game in 1973, drawing 66,918 fans on January 20.  The NFL should look into a rotation that would be similar to the MLB All-Star Game, with cities vying for a chance to host the game.  The Pro Bowl could become a Fan fest-type weekend in that city, drawing fans from around the country and injecting solid revenue into the region that hosts it.  Hall of Fame displays, autograph signings, and fan-friendly events that would entice families to attend could be added.  The NFL could market it as a “give back” to their loyal supporters and market it as an end-of-season “thank you” to NFL Nation.

The NFL currently has ten domed stadiums available for hosting the game – Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, The Metrodome in Minneapolis, Ford Field in Detroit, Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, CenturyLink Field in Seattle, Reliant Stadium in Houston, Georgia Dome in Atlanta, The Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, and Cowboys Stadium in Dallas.  The league also could consider hosting the game at Rogers Centre in Toronto, keeping their eye on the prize that is the Canadian fan base with potential for a franchise in Toronto within the next decade.  Other stadiums that could host the Pro Bowl based off of weather conditions are Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, Candlestick Park in San Fransisco, LP Field in Nashville, EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, and Oakland Coliseum in Oakland.  All of those stadiums would provide sufficient weather conditions for an outdoor Pro Bowl in February.  If the league wanted a truly diverse game, they could even consider hosting it in cold-weather cities with traditional fan bases such as Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Lambeau Field in Green Bay, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Lincoln Financial Field in Philly, Gillette Stadium in New England, and Soldier Field in Chicago.  Those stadiums would obviously provide cold weather for the Pro Bowl, but in a sport lauded for its roots in bad weather – why not give a cold weather Pro Bowl a shot?  The league could incorporate the host city into the uniforms for the teams, maybe adding a bit of local symbolism to the uniforms and fan gear for the event.  They could create a new logo for each game that utilizes a local monument, in the shade of what MLB does for each All Star Game.

Similar to the Olympics, MLB All-Star Game, and even Wrestlemania, cities would place bids on hosting the game five years out, giving each city a chance to win the bid and have time to adjust scheduling conflicts and arrange for the influx of fans to fill hotels and spend their money at local establishments.  It could be a vital event for smaller NFL cities that would “spread the wealth” around in a league that is built on the ideology to do so.  Moving the game around would create a “big game” atmosphere that the Pro Bowl is missing and allow the NFL to showcase the cities that may never be in line for a Super Bowl bid.

3.  Create an incentive for the teams to compete to win the game – MLB instituted a rule a few years back that the winner of the game would get home field advantage in the World Series for their league.  The rule has created a buzz for the game and has turned what was always a competitive exhibition game into a meaningful battle.  It has also affected the World Series, with home field advantage allowing teams to host an extra home game in the Fall Classic – a certified advantage over the competition.  Since the NFL does not use a “home field” for the Super Bowl, another incentive could be considered.  What if the winner of the Pro Bowl was given the opportunity for their league representative to choose home or away in the Super Bowl?  This is traditionally rotated, but if used as an incentive for the Pro Bowl it would basically allow the winning conference the chance to have their representative Super Bowl team declare themselves the home team in order to wear the uniform of their choosing, or declare themselves the away team and control the opening coin toss.  It is the best possible scenario to add incentive to the game, without delving into some type of preferred scheduling for the following season.  Another possibility could that each squad chooses a charity of their choice and the winner of the game is allowed to present a $1.0 million check form the AFC or NFC to their charity at games end, another gesture of gratitude and an easy way to gain instant credibility for the contest.

Incentive would be the first step to turning the game into more than a walk-through scrimmage.  If played two weeks after the Super Bowl, teams and coaching staffs would have two full weeks of game planning and perhaps be able to treat the game more like a regular season game.  This would amp up the caliber of play, and in turn create a better on-field product.

2.  End the voting and turn the Pro Bowl into a Fantasy Football Draft, televised the week prior to the Super Bowl – Each conference would employ a team of five former Pro Bowl MVP players for their conference.  Those players would go on TV and draft their teams in a televised event that would create a buzz in the ever-growing fantasy football community.  Imagine a team of AFC Captains (say, Bruce Smith, Jim Kelly, Marshall Faulk, Warren Moon, and Rich Gannon) picking their team against an NFC Team (how about Michael Irvin, Jerry Rice, Phil Simms, Joe Theismann, and Derrick Brooks) in a one-hour televised fantasy draft?  Fans would tune in in droves to see what players would be representing their teams and conference, and it would create rivalry between the conferences in a sport where the lines between the AFC and NFC have been blurred over the years.  Rivalry is good, it creates a buzz.  Players would take to social media to pull for their teammates, as would the millions of fans for each team.  The Pro Bowl would become the biggest fantasy football game of the year.

1.  Put the game on in Prime Time as the final Monday Night Football game of the season – Taking the game out of Hawaii gives the NFL the chance to take the Pro Bowl to prime time on a major network.  Advertisers would line up to be a part of the newly crafted game and overall, the Pro Bowl would become another major event on an NFL calender that has a large break in the action post-Super Bowl and pre-NFL Draft.

It is a long shot that the Pro Bowl even exists after this season, but if the league would consider some of these ideas they could have a potential major event to end their calender year.  Giving the Pro Bowl its own personality and getting away from the generic uniforms and generic play calling would make it a real NFL game.

So, fellow NPC readers….what do you think?  Can we save the Pro Bowl?

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Don’t forget to check out NPC all week long as we delve into the 2012 NFL Draft from the Black and Gold colored glasses all weekend long!

Since the Bus was shown the door, I’ve done my best to avoid the Sunday Night Football pregame show. Bob Costas is an annoying little Hobbit while Keith Olbermann has a smug arrogance that makes me want to punch him in the face. And don’t even get me started on Rodney Harrison. I’m perfectly happy to tune in about five minutes before game time, pause to enjoy Faith Hill in hooker boots, then go make a sandwich until kickoff.

Of course, this strategy backfired this week when SNF actually presented something newsworthy during their show. The Hobbit sat down with Hines Ward and asked him about Ben Roethlisberger sitting out with a concussion. Normally, you’d expect to hear the typical jock speak about rallying around your fallen leader or other assorted sports cliches. However this time, things didn’t go according to script.

Hines Ward did everything short of stating his quarterback had a small penis in a shocking display of team disharmony. In fact, by stating the locker room was divided “50-50″ on whether Ben should play, he dragged the entire team into controversy. In the past 24 hours, Hines has backed off his statements slightly, trying to frame his comments as being caught off-guard by the fact Ben practiced normally all week only to blindside everybody with post-concussion symptoms on Saturday morning. But Hines Ward is an intelligent man and I have no doubt he knew EXACTLY what he was saying when he called out his quarterback in front of a national audience.

Predictably, I’m noticing backlash against Hines. The local media, which is nothing more than a public relations tool for the Pittsburgh Steelers, has rushed to Ben’s defense. It also seems the majority of the fanbase, typically enamored with the “star quarterback,” are displeased with Hines.  I’ve heard words like “selfish” or “prima donna” being used in reference to Ward which frankly angers me.  This is the man who played in the Super Bowl with a partially torn MCL and who has never whined about not getting thrown the ball nor done anything except repeat his desire to win.  If that makes him a prima donna, maybe the Steelers need more of them so they wouldn’t be in the situation their in.

About a month ago, ESPN did an in-depth profile of Big Ben. In that piece, they reveal the fact he wasn’t popular with his teammates for a long time.  This may be new information to the national media but anybody who obsessively follows the Steelers knew this a long time ago.  Rookie QB Mark Sanchez is a captain on the Jets while Ben wasn’t named an offensive captain until his fourth season here.   In 2007, he made the Pro Bowl yet his teammates voted James Harrison (who only had 8 sacks that year) the Team MVP.  The only problem with the piece is the disconnect between Ben and the rest of the team evidently still exists to a degree.

Look, I like Big Ben.  I think he’s a great quarterback and I’m thrilled that we have him.  But at the same time, I understand where his teammates could be annoyed by him.  His constant injuries are ridiculous.  You don’t think Hines Ward or any number of defensive players suit up each week while nursing injuries that would keep us normal people in bed for a week?  Yet, Ben always seems to find a way to get the news out that his pinky is jammed or his ankle is sprained or his knee is twisted or whatever the Ouchie Of The Week seems to be.  He’s a Drama Queen and it’s an annoying character flaw for anybody, especially a pro athlete.   And it gives him, or more accurately his starry-eyed supporters in the media, a convenient excuse for when he makes mistakes.

Don’t misunderstand.  I’m not saying we should get rid of him.  I’m not saying he’s a bum.  I’m not saying we could’ve won those two Super Bowls without him.  But what I am saying, and what I think goes to the root of this team disharmony, is that Ben gets a disproportionate share of the credit.  He’s a good quarterback and he is extremely good in clutch situations but anybody who seriously tries to argue he’s as good as (or better than) Peyton Manning or Tom Brady is insane.  Watch either of those guys, watch the throws they make, and you have to be a blind homer (or Bruce Arians) to think they have comparable passing skills.  Ben came in and had a great first couple seasons because he had a great running game with the Bus and FWP to take pressure off him.  Last year, he pulled out a lot of great comebacks but we were only in position to come back because of our defense.  Not to mention he has one future Hall of Fame receiver and two other Pro Bowl caliber targets (Holmes and Miller) to throw at.

How do you think he’d fare with Andre Hastings and Charles Johnson?

I understand concussions are a serious matter.  I realize that Ben needs to be concerned for his long term health and make sure he’s not the NFL’s version of Muhammad Ali in twenty years.  At the same time, I feel Hines Ward is getting a bad rap in this whole deal.  Should he have aired dirty team laundry in public?  No.  But at the same time, this man has sacrificed more than we’ll probably ever know (since he doesn’t have P.R. agents reporters announcing his every injury) because he wants to WIN.  So before everybody jumps on the “Hines is a bad guy” bandwagon, I hope they take the time to look at things from his point of view.

Since the Big Game is fast approaching, I thought I’d take a minute to help you add to your Black and Gold wardrobe.  After all, I have an entire drawer dedicated to my Pittsburgh fanaticism.   Believe me, nothing is sweeter on game day than busting out a brand new Steelers T which immediately makes you every man’s envy and every girl’s dream.  At least, that’s what I tell myself.

Speaking of sweet, the BRLTCFB M&M’S Contest went over like gangbusters.  Congratulations to the winners and your shipment is on its way.  To those of you who guessed poorly, the M&M’S people have extended you the amazing chance to order your own Steeler M&M’s for 15% off by clicking this link and entering code BIGGAME (one word).

Now on to the shirts:

Click Here To Order

Homage Clothing is a new label designed, owned, and operated by Ohio native Ryan Vesler.  They concentrate on retro designs intended to reference sports and pop culture events from decades past.  Basically, he took the idea behind the millions of people in Throwback jerseys and applied it to t-shirts.

The results are many sweet designs, including this one which harks back to the 1970′s when the Steelers were a Steel Dynasty and the Pirates were good.   Yes my young readers, there once was a time when the Pirates actually had talented players and those players and the people in charge actually tried to win championships (which they did, twice).

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In honor of your swank new President comes this swank t-shirt playing off Barack Obama‘s photoshopped campaign posters.  Isn’t it nice to have a president who knows that photoshop exists?  Somebody got the bright idea to do this with Mike Tomlin and the result is one of the best t-shirts out there.  I think there’s a McCain version where Tomlin’s picture looks like a Polaroid, if that’s how you roll.  In either case, check the rest of their site for other designs.  Buy one for yourself or one for you girlfriend since Tomlin is the NFL’s Sexiest Coach.

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LaMarr Woodley is my favorite player.  I don’t usually admit that but anybody who reads my recaps can probably figure it out.  Mr. Woodley is so tough, I’m convinced an asteroid didn’t wipe out the dinosaurs, they voluntarily left because they knew if they survived Woodley was coming for them right after he’s done sacking opposing quarterbacks.

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These are on sale at Giant Eagle but for those of you who live outside the Golden Triangle, you can order them online.  To be honest, I’m not a fan of the “Sixburgh” slogan.  It’s a poorly thought out and clumsily executed pun.  The shirt is sweet, though, with James Harrison looking all badass.