Dumbest and coolest aspects of the NFL Pro Bowl

When it comes to the NFL’s annual Pro Bowl, some fans can’t wait to see their favorite players from various teams mixing it up in a jovial atmosphere. On the flip side, others could do without the event altogether mainly due to the lightheartedness of the game.

So, we’re taking a look at the coolest and dumbest aspects of an exhibition game that has been part of the NFL since January 1939.

For those planning on watching or attending, the 2016 Pro Bowl will take place on Sunday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. ET at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Dumbest: The snubs

Because fans have the ability to vote for players to participate in the Pro Bowl, there are bound to be some players who are snubbed. This means some deserving talents from less-popular teams get passed up.

A classic example of a couple of popular clubs flooding the Pro Bowl with votes were the Carolina Panthers, who had 10 players selected and New England Patriots with seven. If the original roster stuck, the Panthers and Patriots would have represented 17 of the 86 players voted to play.

Miami Dolphins safety Reshad Jones and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Robinson were not originally voted to the roster but are headed as replacements. Clearly, popularity is a factor, since Robinson had 1,400 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns compared to Calvin Johnson’s 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns.

Hopefully, more Pro Bowl snubs — like Washington tight end Jordan Reed — will be making that trip to Honolulu as the roster is finalized.

Coolest: Who doesn’t enjoy a free (or any trip) to Hawaii?

Speaking of Honolulu, the Pro Bowl made its way back to Hawaii after taking a break last season to play in Arizona.

Not only are the Pro Bowlers compensated stipends for the result of the game, their round-trip airline tickets and hotel are paid for. The guys also get all kinds of cool comps, like food and swag bags from NFL events held prior to the game.

Even though the selected players surely can afford to foot the bill for a vacation to Honolulu, who doesn’t love receiving a free trip? Plus, for those players requiring some down time after a stressful NFL season, an extended stay in Hawaii sure sounds appealing.

Furthermore, fans benefit from the Pro Bowl being held at one of the most temperate locations in the United States. Anyone buried under 20 feet of snow on the East Coast and in possession of a Pro Bowl ticket is surely looking forward to sporting flip-flops and shorts on Sunday.

Or perhaps you’re the winner of this contest.

This sure looks heavenly compared to opening a front door only to confront a snowbank.

Dumbest: Lack of competitiveness 

Over the years, the Pro Bowl has drawn criticism that it is not competitive enough or the players don’t take the game seriously.

So, in 2012, commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the issue in an interview with Sirius XM, per Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com. Goodell warned that the Pro Bowl could be pulled if the game wasn’t played more competitively the next year. This eventually led to the kibosh of the AFC vs. NFC format and replaced with a fantasy football-style draft in 2014.

NFL legends Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders were selected as franchise leaders, along with their chosen team captains Drew Brees and J.J. Watt. With Rice and Sanders not wanting their hand-chosen team to lose, the element of competitiveness was rekindled in a way some fans can appreciate.

The 2016 Pro Bowl will feature the same drafting format with Rice and Michael Irvin featured as captains.

Now, the participating players can get competitive and plead to each captain why they should be selected ahead of their counterparts.

Coolest: Another chance to watch favorite players before a long offseason

Some consider the Pro Bowl a stupid waste of time. However, once we’re all suffering from football withdrawals around mid-May, most die-hard fans would give anything to watch a game — even if it was the Pro Bowl.

This is why enjoying the second-to-last official gathering of NFL fan-favorites should be embraced.

Sunday’s tropical-themed event will mark the last time in months we see Todd Gurley sprint by defenders, Julio Jones stealing catches and Eli Manning make a weird face.

One more bonus while we watch the players having a little extra fun than they normally do is that we don’t have to stress about them ruining our fantasy lineups.

Besides, after watching football for 20 consecutive Sunday evenings, what’s one more night in front of the television?

Dumbest: Injury risks

In any contact sport, there is injury risk.

While fans are calling for the Pro Bowlers to turn up the heat and get tough, do we really want to see them get injured?

Of course not. And that’s the last thing any of them would want as they prepare to relax and spend time with family and friends. The NFL already increased the interest level when they altered the draft format.

Put simply, fans need to appreciate the game for what is worth. The Pro Bowl is supposed to be a lighthearted competition where the guys can let joke around while entertaining fans with some safe plays.

Most people don’t want to see carts, medics, blood, guts or blown ACLs that doom anybody’s 2016 season. For those who do want the unnecessary roughness that increases the likelihood of an injury, that’s just disturbing.

Coolest: Chance for a non-superstar to earn MVP

The Pro Bowl is chock-full of amazing players with incredible talent. Unfortunately, though, many played for teams that only won a handful of games in 2015.

So, the all-star contest provides one final chance for them to rise above the rest and earn the offensive or defensive MVP.

Last year, Matthew Stafford received the honors for the offensive MVP. Although he ranked nowhere near the top of his position during the regular season, the Detroit Lions quarterback played well enough to earn the award when he passed for 316 yards and two touchdowns.

Stafford’s accomplishment was quite amazing, considering he played in only seven series for Team Irvin. This was Stafford’s first Pro Bowl, and he was quite proud of his award, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

“I felt like I had some good years in this league and haven’t got a chance to play in this, so just (wanted to) go out here and try to show people that I belonged here and I think that worked.”

Dumbest: Players who turn down the honor of being selected

While some NFL players see it an honor to be voted into the Pro Bowl, others reject the event for one reason or another.

A couple of notable guys who bowed out of this year’s game are Tom Brady and Philip Rivers.

We can speculate that Brady, who hasn’t been at the Pro Bowl since 2005, could be disgruntled after an embarrassing loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship. Perhaps he’s had enough of traveling and hanging out with a bunch of guys from opposing teams doesn’t sound very appealing.

As for Rivers, he cited family reasons for his bow-out. With Rivers’ future in limbo and the Chargers likely making a move to Los Angeles, his 2013 Pro Bowl may have been his final one.

Instead, we will see Jameis Winston and Tyrod Taylor as their replacements.

“You’re not an A-lister in the NFL until you turn down a free week in Hawaii to play a scrimmage due to, ahem, an ‘injury,'” ESPN’s Andrew Brandt quipped.

We just don’t get why an invitation for a free trip to Hawaii would be turned down by an NFL player.