Need a reason to watch the Pro Bowl?

So people actually like the NBA and MLB all-star games. And for good reason - it's the best players in the league trying to one-up each other. The NFL has a little problem - it's called the Pro Bowl.

The thing is, injury is too much a risk in football. Players who are already beaten up after a long season don't want to exert themselves further. In the past the NFL tried to battle this lethargy by playing the game a month after the Superbowl to rest players. And they played the game in Hawaii, hoping the free trip would entice the NFL's best and brightest to it's annual all-star game.

This approach had one fatal problem though - No one is looking for football in early spring. Sadly, us football fans have moved onto other things. Even those that haven't are already thinking about next season and the upcoming draft.

So the league decided they should move the Pro Bowl to a week before the Superbowl to help its ratings. And they're playing it in Miami for reasons that aren't very clear to me. The result is that no one playing in the Superbowl can play in the Pro Bowl as they prepare for the big game. That's right, no one from the two best teams in the league can play in the all-star game - that makes a lot of sense.

But there's more. Because the season just ended, a lot of players are banged up - especially those from playoff teams. So the number of players that have dropped out of the Pro Bowl or declined to be named as an alternate is astonishing.

So I'll finally cut to the chase: why bother watching the Pro Bowl this year?

Up until this morning, I didn't have an answer for you. But I should have had more faith in Chad Ochocinco (that is still his name right - I'm expecting that to change back to Johnson or to something else any day now).

According to Chad's twitter account (AKA OCNN) and Profootballtalk.com, Chad has promised to kick field goals and even PUNT in the Pro Bowl. And that he's been practicing both all week. In fact, he claims he's good for field goals up to 48 yards.

Personally, I've seen an extra point and a kickoff from him. I'd love to see a punt though!