Cowboys to feature 4 players in Pro Bowl, NFL to experiment with rules
The NFL will play its annual Pro Bowl in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. As usual, some fans will likely "opt-out" of watching a game that can be disappointing as players play a not-that-physical version of the sport. But those fans that stick around to watch will notice an interesting innovative kickoff rule […]
The NFL will play its annual Pro Bowl in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. As usual, some fans will likely "opt-out" of watching a game that can be disappointing as players play a not-that-physical version of the sport. But those fans that stick around to watch will notice an interesting innovative kickoff rule in effect.
That's because the league will try out a rule proposed by the Baltimore Ravens for overtime periods. The rule referred to as "spot-and-choose" is an alternative to the traditional kickoff and will be used in the first and second half of the game. Here's how it will work in the Pro Bowl:
- The winner of the opening coin toss will decide between one of two so-called "privileges" it wants to exercise.
- The privileges are A) Deciding the initial spot of the ball or B) choosing whether to start on offense or defense from the designated spot.
- That means the spot will ALWAYS be declared before the corresponding team declares whether it wants to start on offense or defense. Even if the winner of the toss decides to "choose" between offense and defense (in that case, the loser of the coin toss would declare the spot of the ball first).
- To open the second half, the loser of the opening coin toss will be the one to decide which privilege to exercise.
I'm intrigued about how teams will handle this in the Pro Bowl. Will one of the teams be bold and declare the 50-yard line as the opening spot? Or will they stick to saying they want the standard 25-yard line to be the opening spot? We shall see.
There will be a couple of other key rule changes in this year's Pro Bowl. After a field goal, the scoring team can decide to have a 4th & 15 from their own 25-yard line. If no team makes this decision, it's gotta be because the NFL hates fun. The alternative is to hand the opponent the ball at their own 25. Boo.
Another rule change will be seen in the play clock, which will consist of 35 seconds instead of 40. Also, an incomplete pass won't fully stop the clock! Instead, it will resume after the official's signal. This will be the case except for the first half's two-minute warning and the second half's final five minutes.
Dallas Cowboys will have 4 players in Pro Bowl
The Dallas Cowboys will have four players representing the Star in the NFL's Pro Bowl on Sunday. Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons, Bryan Anger, and CeeDee Lamb will be a part of the game. Lamb wasn't originally voted into the event, but he takes over Cooper Kupp's spot, who will play in Super Bowl LVI.
Cowboys' offensive linemen Tyron Smith and Zack Martin had been selected, but both opted out of the event. Dak Prescott was reportedly extended an invite as an alternate but declined to get some rest.
Whatever happens on Sunday, it's likely not going to be as fun as Micah Parsons outdueling Tyreek Hill, Nick Chubb, and Trevon Diggs in a 40-yard dash. Enjoy.
Related reading: 3 Ideas to Fix The Pro Bowl
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
