New Turf,
Old FeudHawaii hosts its 25th Pro Bowl
today, but it is unclear how long
the game will stay
Takeo Spikes is one of the best players in the NFL, and has been since his rookie year of 1998. But only now, after his first season with the Buffalo Bills, has the former Cincinnati Bengals outside linebacker garnered the votes necessary to play in the Pro Bowl.
Spikes will be among the 41 first-time players in the NFL's all-star game at Aloha Stadium today. Kickoff for the ESPN-televised game is 2:30 p.m.
Today's game
Where: Aloha StadiumWhen: Today, 2:30 p.m., gates open 11 a.m.
TV: Live, ESPN
Radio: Live, 1420-AM
Tickets: A few were still available as of yesterday, but the game is expected to be a sellout
How could such a good player never make it before?
"It's the power of politics, man. You gotta deal with it. It's part of the game. I hate it. But I'm here now. I just look forward to running out here every year until I get done playing football," Spikes said.
That could very well happen. Once a player makes the Pro Bowl, he tends to get voted back in again. The question is if "here" will continue to be Aloha Stadium. The state of Hawaii's current contract with the NFL ends after next year's game, and negotiations for a new deal began in earnest this past week.
Retired Bank of Hawaii CEO Larry Johnson is the state's point man in the talks.
"We plan to meet again (tomorrow)," Johnson said. "We're making great progress. The Pro Bowl is something Hawaii wants to keep and the NFL wants to stay. We've had very productive talks. I'm confident we'll see good numbers."
The number 5 million is the key one when talking about the Pro Bowl contract. That's how many dollars the state pays to host the game per year. Many people in Hawaii think it's too much. But many others say it's worth it because of the economic impact made by nearly 20,000 visitors who come for the game each year.
One NFL official said the league isn't looking for more money, just continued improvement in the partnership between the state and the league.
"It's worth noting that we're here in Hawaii because of a wonderful relationship between the state of Hawaii and the NFL," said Bill McConnell, Pro Bowl operations manager. "Hawaii has become a 33rd market for the NFL. We're proud to say that. We're proud to be here."
So are the players. Especially the first-timers, like Spikes and Anquan Boldin. Don't expect any lollygagging from the Arizona Cardinals' rookie wide receiver.
"I'll approach it like a regular-season game. For me, whenever I step on the football field I look at it as an opportunity," he said. "I had a serious injury and had to sit out for a year, so every time I step on the field I try to give my all."
The game loses its luster for some stars who beg out of it after the first one or two. Not so for Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. This is his fourth Pro Bowl, and he keeps coming back for the camaraderie.
"I enjoy it. Hawaii does a great job of putting it on and I enjoy the fellowship," he said. "It's good to see Steve McNair finally here, I've become good friends with guys here multiple times like Zach Thomas. These are the guys, and to have the relationships and respect of each other will mean a lot to me down the road."
Manning and others have given Aloha Stadium's new FieldTurf surface the thumb's-up after practicing on it this week.
"It's nice. I know a lot of players excited about it," Manning said.
FieldTurf owner John Gilman thinks because of the new surface Hawaii has a better chance of continuing to host the game it has had here since 1980.
The winning edge
The AFC leads the NFC in wins since the Pro Bowl moved here in 1980. That year players from the winning team -- NFC 37-27 -- earned $5,000 each, the losers $2,500. Last year, the victors pocketed $30,000 each while the losers went home with $15,000.
"It was one of the beefs among the players. Forgetting all the other negotiations, if the players weren't happy coming out and playing on that old concrete rug, then it didn't matter what negotiations would take place," Gilman said. "Now the players are 100 percent on board."
Well, maybe 99 percent.
Spikes isn't against a week in paradise, but he realizes Hawaii isn't affordable for everyone.
"I think it would be a lot more feasible for a lot of families and players and other fans to keep it in the states. That's the biggest part of it right there. From that point, we'd love to have it in the states and you get a chance for more mainland people to go to the game," said Spikes, who paid for around 15 friends and family to come to the game. "The good thing you could do is have it here one year and there the next year, rotate."
Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles wouldn't mind rotating the NFC coaching duties. This is his third consecutive stint, which means it's the third time in a row his team has lost the NFC championship game.
But he admits the Pro Bowl is not a bad consolation prize.
"You always say, yeah, you would love to be in the Super Bowl. That's what we all strive for, that's No. 1," Reid said. "But if you can't go there ... when you look at this whole thing there's only one team that's real happy at the end of the season. And that's the team that wins the Super Bowl. But it sure helps to come here."
Reid is serious about winning this game, especially since his NFC squads have lost two in a row. In a move believed to be unprecedented in Pro Bowl history, he cut Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive end Simeon Rice for arriving two days late and missing too many meetings.
AFC coach Tony Dungy of the Indianapolis Colts has smiled through the whole week. When does he get serious?
"Game face will be about 2:15 on Sunday," Dungy said on Friday.
BACK TO TOP |
When the NFC goes on offense
Can hunger beat experience? NFC coach Andy Reid certainly hopes so. His quarterbacks are first-time Pro Bowl players Matt Hasselbeck and Marc Bulger and second-time All-Star Daunte Culpepper. Eight offensive players have pulled out of the game due to injury and other reasons, including Saint Louis School graduate Olin Kreutz, the center from the Chicago Bears who is nursing a high ankle sprain. Look for the NFC to spread the ball around, as Reid's roster includes seven wide receivers and three tight ends -- but not Randy Moss, Terrell Owens and Jeremy Shockey. Whoever's throwing the ball must be wary of AFC cornerback Ty Law, who has three Pro Bowl interceptions.
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When the AFC goes on offense
Even in an All-Star game, it's great to have a veteran offensive line. And the AFC has exactly that, with its eight centers, guards and tackles averaging 9.1 years in the league and 4.4 Pro Bowls per man. Kansas City Chiefs guard Will Shields is the longest in tooth with 11 NFL seasons and nine Pro Bowls under his belt. These guys don't have to worry about linebacker and secondary blitzes (well, according to the rules, anyway), and one of the NFC's pass rushers, Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, will be fresh off a plane from the mainland as a late replacement for bad boy Simeon Rice, who was cut for missing practices and meetings. It all adds up to Steve McNair, Peyton Manning and Trent Green having the time to leisurely sip mai tais in the pocket.
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