Saints have good showing in Pro Bowl

If you missed the Pro Bowl last night, first of all congratulations. That’s what I’m here for. I suffered through it to give you a little recap since some of our boys were playing for the last time this season. Team Irvin won the game 32-28 meaning Jimmy Graham and Mark Ingram were on the winning side, while Drew Brees suffered through defeat. The winners walk away with $55,000 whereas the losers get $28,000. That’s a tough blow to Brees’s income right there, diapers costs are getting expensive. The biggest hit might have come to Brees’s pride watching Matt Ryan hand off to Ingram multiple times on the final scoring drive, helping Team Irvin march down the field before he threw the game winning touchdown pass to Graham. Yes, that actually happened, and I wasn’t sure whether to think it was pretty cool or feel a little dirty. Mostly the latter.

Here’s the stats they compiled:

Drew Brees: 13-21, 168 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception

Jimmy Graham: 3 catches for 30 yards and 2 touchdowns

Mark Ingram: 11 carries for 72 yards, 1 catch for 10 yards

Brees started off really slow at 2 for 8, including three drops by his receivers, but locked in afterwards. His first touchdown throw to Jordy Nelson was a thing of beauty. The two seemed to have pretty good chemistry. Brees and Devin Hester did not. Brees also converted on a 2 point play by going to T. J. Hilton after he had thrown a touchdown pass to Greg Olsen. He was robbed of a third touchdown pass as Brent Grimes stole the ball from Hilton’s hands for an interception.

Ingram was in good form, though the tackling effort was minimal, and Graham showed no real issues with his shoulder. Graham had a couple of end zone targets from Tony Romo earlier in the game but that didn’t work out. His chemistry with Matt Stafford seemed better.

All in all the game is boring, Michael Irvin is intolerable, and it’s not much of a product on the field. But you can take solace in the fact that all three Saints that played looked pretty good.

Lastly, I just want to say, the Pro Bowl watching experience is at an all time low. It’s nice to see the effort ramped up a little bit from the games in Hawaii where literally no one was trying… but you’re the most powerful sport in the world, maybe save international soccer, and your all star game features team Irvin and team Carter? Literally one of the captains has an extensive drug and womanizing history. And for 10% of the broadcast to be Michael Irvin mic’ed up and barking, how is that celebrating the accomplishment of these superstar players? It felt like an XFL game. The NFL was one step removed from making the team captains just two random celebrities like Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron. A complete joke. At least pick legendary coaches like Parcells and Ditka if you’re going to go that route. But Cris Carter and Michael Irvin? Jimmy Graham and Drew Brees playing on different teams was a joke. I liked the NFC vs. AFC format much better. And no one watches or cares about the draft preceding the game. And once the game starts, you have no idea who is on what team.

So the new format has at least made the players try more, which is a plus, but everything else that surrounds the “new” game sucks. Starting and ending with the jerseys.