Patriots at Pro Bowl Games: Bright Future or Grim Reality?
There was only one member of the New England Patriots involved in the re-imagined Pro Bowl Games. And Matthew Judon's "highlight" seemed to be a mad dash to congratulate Jordan Poyer, hard-hitting safety for the AFC East rival Buffalo Bills.
In a forgettable season, this wasn't exactly a memorable weekend.
After a sterling performance in which he produced 15.5 sacks and led a Patriots' defense that scored an NFL-leading seven touchdowns, Judon was part of an AFC "team" that lost the newfangled event to the NFC, 35-33. The last time New England had only one representative on the all-star team was 2000, Bill Belichick's first season as coach in Foxboro.
Watch/listen to Judon being mic'd up during the weekend here.
A sign of the wonky weekend, Judon participated in the Long-Drive Contest. Poyer gave the AFC the win when he smoked a drive 30 yards, setting off a party in the Las Vegas desert.
The "Games" included three 7-on-7 flag football games and eight different skills competitions spread over four days. There was dodge ball, fancy catches, a tug-of-war and maybe an egg toss in there somewhere.
Eli and Peyton were the "coaches", Jalen Ramsey actually hit Tyreek Hill, Myles Garrett suffered a dislocated toe and apparently Pete Davidson was the unofficial MVP for spreading his unique brand of cool quirkiness.
We don't criticize the NFL for attempting to tweak the "Games" into something watchable, if not important, as the traditional Pro Bowl had become simply a waste of time.
And regardless of your opinion often weekend, for Judon it was undeniably better than his last visit to Allegiance Stadium ... when the Pats orchestrated one of the dumbest plays and wildest endings to a game in NFL history.
The announced crowd of 58,331 was over 2,000 more than last year's game, also played in Las Vegas. No site has been announced for next year’s Pro Bowl, but it’s unlikely the NFL will want that event to be played in the same venue just before the Super Bowl, which will be in Las Vegas.
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