Maybe you do a rookie All-Star game? Top rookies at each position get a chance to play against each other in a contest? Teams with Cam Newton and Andy Dalton at QB wouldn't have been bad under this format. I think Goodell would be a dunce if he threw away the concept of an All-Star game.
I get the sense that if this commissioner had his way, every game would be played with the defensive listlessness of the Pro Bowl.
Boot the linemen out and make it like those high school seven-on-seven summer leagues. Flag football, even. Shows off the skills without the risk of injury. The linemen who make it, put them in a weightlifting contest or something.
The Pro Bowl gets big ratings still so why get rid of it? The NFL can stick coal up its ass and a 24-karat diamond would emerge.
Five-Mississippi for rushers? If not flag, then two-hand touch. Have some fan involvement like with NASCAR's all-star race. Or mix things up: Linemen in the backfield, quarterbacks as linemen.
I saw this thread again and thought it said "No more Pho Bowl." That would make me much sadder than losing the Pro Bowl.
They could name the All-Pro teams each season but just not have the game. It's perhaps best to let it become a bygone institution, like the College All-Star Game each year that was played in Chicago. The Pro Bowl's jumped the shark ... go figure.
One thing I'd like seeing is these guys playing basketball. Seems like the ones who played both growing up liked basketball more anyway until they hit the ability wall. It would be a cool display of athleticism and something they could get into without tremendous risk of injury.
Typical knee-jerk over-reaction by Goodell. The game was a joke this year and it drew some criticism, so he feels like he has to act.