MIAMI – It felt like the Pro Bowl nobody wanted.
But don’t tell Steve Smith that. Smith wasn’t just thrilled to be playing in his first Pro Bowl. The Giants wide receiver burned Champ Bailey for a 48-yard touchdown catch and didn’t want to stop there.
“I wish it was against (Darrelle) Revis,” Smith said of the Jets‘ Pro Bowl cornerback, who also played in the game Sunday night. “I wanted Revis.”
Smith didn’t get a piece of Revis Island, nor was he able to lead the NFC squad to a victory as the AFC took the 2010 Pro Bowl, 41-34, at Sun Life Stadium, home of the Super Bowl.
Still, Smith savored every moment even if others didn’t want to. Played the week before the Super Bowl for the first time, the Pro Bowl was held in the mainland United States for the first time since 1980. That part didn’t sit well with everyone.
“There is a reason why Florida is Florida and Hawaii is Hawaii,” said perennial Jets Pro Bowl right guard Alan Faneca. “It didn’t have the pizzazz of Hawaii. It had a second-rate feel to it the way the league handled it.”
The new-fangled Pro Bowl also felt like a watered-down product since it featured a record-setting 34 All-Star substitutions.
Due to various reasons, a slew of All-Stars did not play, contributing to the controversy surrounding the game.
The AFC-champion Colts were not thrilled that their seven Pro Bowlers – along with the NFC champion Saints‘ seven All-Stars – had to attend last night’s game even though they did not play.
The Colts and Saints Pro Bowl players had to leave their teams early so they could be introduced before the game in street clothes. Both the Colts and Saints teams arrive in South Florida today.
“It’s stupid,” Colts president Bill Polian said last week on his radio show. “It’s a disruption, but we’ll deal with it.”
Then there was Bryant McKinnie‘s stupidity. The Vikings‘ left tackle reportedly spent most of the week partying and was dismissed after skipping three of the four practices, the NFC team photo and team meetings. McKinnie’s dismissal forced Diehl, a left tackle, to start at right tackle and play every snap.
“I can’t speak for (McKinnie),” Diehl said. “I got here for one reason and that is by working hard and being a blue-collar guy.”
Smith was the first Giants receiver to play in the Pro Bowl since Homer Jones in 1968.
The AFC was led by MVP Matt Schaub‘s 189 yards passing and two touchdowns.
