The year was 2013 when the NFL finally nailed it.  A glaring imperfection in their glossy sports-television empire was buffed out.  The lingering void between the Conference Championships and the Super Bowl was filled with a spectacle worth watching.  2012's 7.9 Nielsen overnight looked paltry in comparison to the resounding success of the new format. After the final tallies were made television executives would be overheard describing the previous year's results as "Studio 60"-esque.  

Drew Brees had the first pick of the new format.  He chose Ed Reed, the ballhawk.  Brees knew that the safety not only gave his team the ability to create turnovers, but also the much needed hands of a receiver.  Ben Roethlisberger had the second selection and followed Brees' logic by choosing Darrell Revis.  

Critics maintained that the NFL was hijacking the NHL's ratings solution.  But if the NFL refused to modify its All-Star event it would have faced even harsher words.  Besides, playing offense and defense in relative normalcy for an NHL star.  The Pro Bowl Sandlot Tournament wasn't as much theft as an improvement on a grand idea.


The two remaining quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Michael Vick, made their first selections and the draft order serpentined.  Rob Gronkowski and Jimmy Graham joined their regular season quarterbacks after Calvin Johnson was snatched by Vick.  Any matchup problems created downfield were just as vital this evening as they would be the regular season. LeSean McCoy was highly prized as a backfield outlet.  Marshawn Lynch waited patiently as pick followed pick, knowing his bruising style was ill-suited for this minimal contact game of flag grabbing.  

No rational minded person in recent times has believed credibly in the NFL's All-Star game.  The high scoring fiascos created by the touch style of the game bewildered fans.  The lack of commitment from the elected players was instilled by fear of the uncertain.  How can you play a full contact game at half speed without risking injury?  Is it worth a trip to Hawaii for a meaningless game when a neck injury or concussion can destroy a career?  

The first round of games demonstrated the free-flowing excitement created when athletes at the peak of their talents return to the freedom of the backyard game.  Brees's decision to select Ed Reed paid off in the first five-minute-quarter as the veteran stepped in front of an errant Michael Vick pass.  However, Vick would regain his footing over the next fifteen minutes of football.  No player on the field seemed as designed for the sandlot game as the Eagles quarterback.  Joined by his teammate McCoy, dominating target Calvin Johnson, and surehanded receiver Larry Fitzgerald, Vick's team moved the ball at will against the aging squad chosen by Brees.  Patrick Willis and Jason Pierre-Paul zipped around on defense, while proving versatile blockers for Vick's improvised escapes on offense.  

Ben Roethlisberger, knowing that his invulnerability to tackles was meaningless in a game of flags, had built his team around protection.  The quickest guards and tackles in the NFL: Joe Thomas, Jake Long, Ryan Clady, Jahri Evans, and Tyson Clabo rotated in the three blocking positions.  Tom Brady countered with a quick outlet offense.  He admitted wishing to select a blocker like Josh Sitton or a deep threat like Andre Johnson, but even with a new format the Super Bowl squads remained unable to make an All-Star appearance.  Gronkowski, Ray Rice, Chris Johnson, and Dallas Clark satisfied Brady's quick release game design.  The short passing game allowing the New England quarterback to neutralize Darrell Revis for the third time in the NFL calendar year.  But at the end of the twenty minutes, Roethlisberger's reliance on football tradition allowed his team to steal the victory.  Sebastion Janikowski, one of only two place kickers available for selection between four teams, bombed a sixty-five yard field goal to secure a 15-14 victory.  It was his fifth successful conversion of the game and thanks to the kicker's iron boot, Roethlisberger's squad was the sole team to capitalize on every possession.

With over ninety All-Stars making the trip to Hawaii each squad member could gain adequate rest during the four quarters of play.  Eight players per side rotated in and out while the clock counted the seconds without pause for five minutes each quarter.  Versatile athletes like Ed Reed and Von Miller played both sides of the ball when needed.  A few players, freshly removed from long playoff runs: Maurkice Pouncey, Jason Babin, and James Harrison, enjoyed the majority of the game from the comfort of sideline recliners.  In between the tournament matches the NFL had scheduled skills competitions.  This extended the televised event, with the added benefit of resting the Pro Bowl players between games.

Tom Brady and Drew Brees dueled in the accuracy drill before meeting to decide third place. Brady's short game offense played right into the hands of  Brees's veterans Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis.  With no deep threat to spread the field, the aging linebackers contained the quick strikes inside the hashmarks.  Meanwhile, Brees used A.J. Green to separate Darrell Revis from Jimmy Graham.  Brady's primary rushers, Tamba Hali and DeMarcus Ware, slowed the New Orleans' quarterback's progress but were unable to halt every downfield pass.  It was Ed Reed, flanked out wide to open up the field for both Green and Graham, who eventually secured the winning touchdown.  Revis had dropped into a deep zone to eliminate the deep throw.  Reed got open underneath before posting towards the end zone.  By the time Revis caught up to Reed, his outstretched hands couldn't deflect the ball from the Ravens's veteran's grasp.  21-14, Brees over Brady.

Each NFL All-Star had the chance to play in two of these shortened flag games.  The league chose some additional contestants to fill out the skills competitions.  Cam Newton took home the "Longest Pass Trophy", besting Philip Rivers by a yard.  Donnie Jones landed a punt in each corner of the field from the fifty yard line.  Janikowski topped his first round accomplishment by blasting an eighty-five yard kick through the uprights.  The breaks between quarters and skills competitions allowed enough time for television advertisers to grace this unique event with their brand name.

The final competition was the championship of the sandlot tournament.  Vick's team was well rested after the prolonged break between their first and final game.  Though Pierre-Paul and Patrick Willis never could breach Roethlisberger's star studded offensive line, Carlos Rogers and Ladarius Webb contained the outside edges.  Vick's offensive weapons proved too much for any defense to keep up with.  No matter how fast Roethlisberger subbed his defense, Johnson and Fitzgerald continued to guide Vick's advancement down the field.  It was a monumental display for the elusive quarterback, he threw two touchdowns and rushed for two more.  His leaping score over Eric Weddle highlighted the afternoon. Though the 28-13 score of the finale wasn't the tightly fought climax the NFL had anticipated, the event was unanimously crowned the greatest Pro Bowl in NFL history.