NFL 
/ Andy Richmond / 29 January 2012 / Leave a Comment 
LeSean McCoy is one of many targets for Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees to hit
"The Pro Bowl is not football as we know it. Teams want their stars protected and the game we see tonight won’t be a full representation of what we see every weekend in the NFL. I issue this warning to those of you punting or trading on the game."
The Pro Bowl is not football as we know it but it's a fun event with a distinct trend for high-scoring and with Aaron Rodgers and Drew Brees leading their attack the NFC should win this, says Andy Richmond
AFC v NFC - Pro Bowl
Sunday January 29
Live on SKYSports1 23:30
Match Odds: AFC [2.48], NFC [1.65]
The Pro Bowl - the annual jamboree and paid-in-full vacation week for the NFL elite. Invite only. Now positioned between the playoffs and next week's eagerly awaited Super Bowl when the Giants and Patriots clash, four years on from their last epic meeting. Consequently you won't be seeing any players from those two rosters taking part.
You also won't be seeing any blitzing, no attempting to block punts or field goals, no more than two wide receivers lined up on one side, no offensive shifts or movement on the offensive line prior to a snap, no defensive alignments allowed besides the basic 4-3.
The Pro Bowl is not football as we know it. Teams want their stars protected and the game we see tonight won't be a full representation of what we see every weekend in the NFL. I issue this warning to those of you punting or trading on the game.
The line-ups that were originally chosen by coaches, fans and fellow players now bear little relation to those that we will see this evening as various injuries, no-shows and depletions in the squads via Super Bowl participation have kicked in. That's always an important process to take into account and this season it is the American Football Conference (AFC) which has paid the price with a heavily depleted roster. Of course they have lost all of the eight Patriots players that were chosen plus some significant players due to injury among them Baltimore's Ray Rice and Ed Reed, which will hamper their efforts on both sides of the ball.
In a game that highlights offence, a diminished AFC side could find themselves in trouble as they come up against two of the game's most prolific quarterbacks - Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers will start for the NFC and will be backed up by New Orleans Drew Brees.
Rodgers passed for 4,463 yards with 45 touchdowns and just six interceptions. His quarterback rating of 122.5 set an NFL record. Brees, meanwhile, threw for 5,476 yards, breaking Dan Marino's single-season record. They will both have an array of offensive targets to work with, amongst them Philadelphia running back LeSean McCoy and receivers Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona), Steve Smith (Carolina) and Greg Jennings (Green Bay).
The AFC will have their hands full coping with that lot and even in a light-hearted game the NFC a big advantage, especially as those "special" rules greatly favour offences. You can see how they affect the game when looking at the scores over the past ten Pro-Bowls, only once has the combined score failed to top the 50 point marker (40 in 2006) and the other nine totals read 55, 68, 65, 107, 65, 59, 72, 51, 75 and 96.
All things considered this is not a game to get heavily involved with, but the balance and composition of the sides make the NFC worth a small investment in this virtual exhibition game.
Recommended Bets
Back NFC -3.5 @ [1.85] or better
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