NFL seeks to increase Pro Bowl compete level

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Emmanuel Sanders can't wait to get his chances at burning Aqib Talib in tonight's Pro Bowl.

It's kind of a Denver Broncos thing that carries over from spirited competition on the practice field.

"I've got him in practice," Sanders, a fifth-year receiver in his first Pro Bowl, told USA TODAY Sports. "But it will be more fun in a game."

The NFL scrapped the traditional setup of conference all-star teams for a second consecutive year. The squads captained and named after Hall of Famers Cris Carter and Michael Irvin were formulated in a schoolyard-style draft on Wednesday. Matchups pitting teammates is one several tweaks instituted for the Pro Bowl that the league hopes will increase competition.

Other potential teammate-on-teammate matchups include Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen of the Carolina Panthers, Andrew Luck and T.Y. Hilton of the Indianapolis Colts facing D'Qwell Jackson Vontae Davis, and DeMarcus Ware against Broncos tackle Ryan Clady.

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The 8 p.m. ET game at The University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., will be telecast by ESPN.

"The game is on national TV," Sanders said. "You want to represent. I want to look good."

While the intensity of the competition in a Pro Bowl will never approach that of a regular-season game – you'd think that a player would hesitate to deliver a blow that might injure a teammate – the NFL has incorporated a few tweaks that have moved the needle.

For years, the NFL has lamented the lack of competition in the all-star games, to the point that Commissioner Roger Goodell has even publicly mused about not having a Pro Bowl because of it.

Last year's game was promising in that it went down to the wire, with Team (Jerry) Rice edging Team (Deion) Sanders, 22-21.

"They got a good game last year, and I think this year they're going to get another good one," Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, playing for Team Carter, told USA TODAY Sports. "I think the draft creates good competition, because it's like schoolyard ball. Guys get picked to a team, and if you don't get picked, guys get a little upset and play harder on Sunday."

The rules changes installed specifically for the Pro Bowl also add intrigue. Among them:

• There will be a two-minute warning at the end of each quarter, with possessions not carrying over at the end of the first and third quarters. That means more hurry-up drives.

• Each team will get two timeouts per quarter, rather than three per half.

• The goal posts are narrowed, 14 feet wide as opposed to 18 feet.

• The scrimmage line for extra-points are moved to the 15-yard line, rather than the 2-yard line, making for kicks equivalent to 33-yard field goals.

• The 40-second play clock is reduced to 35 seconds.

• No kickoffs. Possessions will start at the 20-yard line.

• Defenses can play Cover 2 and press techniques which were previously disallowed in Pro Bowls.

There's also the money, which has always been a potential motivator. Players from the winning squad will receive $55,000, versus $28,000 for participants on the losing team.

"The first half may be a little sluggish, but then it's about winning," Hilton told USA TODAY Sports. "Guys will pick up the intensity and start playing."

Another tweak that may fuel competition: Rather than the singular Pro MVP award that always went to an offensive star, there are now two awards – an offensive MVP and a defensive MVP.

Said Watt, alluding to the MVP prizes, "Who doesn't want a new truck?"

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