We’re just days away from the annual NFL Pro-Bowl, a time of recognition for the stars and a good time for the fans. Or, so, that’s how it’s supposed to be.
Truth is, the Pro-Bowl has never been the event the NFL has wanted it to be. It’s pointless, boring and just plain unwatchable in many folks’ eyes. For the players, most consider it an even bigger waste of time.
Tom Brady would be one example of a guy who agrees with that notion. In a story told by Brandon Spikes (a former Patriots linebacker from 2010-2013), Brady reached out to him after not getting picked to go to the Pro-Bowl in 2012.
“I had one of my best years my third season,” Spikes said. “I’d been playing off the charts. And I didn’t get picked to go to the Pro Bowl. I was moping around, actually in tears, and a few guys were trying to lift me up, like, ‘It’s gonna be alright man. We’ve got to worry about what’s in front of us.’ Then The Pharaoh himself walks up to me—I used to call Brady The Pharoah and he hated that—Brady walks up to me and says, ‘Hey B, you think I play this s— to go to Pro Bowls? Get it together. Get your head up. We’re trying to win rings. That’s what it is here.’ That’s where I knew what kind of environment I was in, how blessed I was.”
There’s a guy that really cares about winning.
While a Pro-Bowl selection can mean a lot to guys, it shouldn’t be something they hang their NFL career on. The Patriots certainly don’t, and neither does Brady, which is why he and the team always seem to be one step ahead.
