Something unprecedented happened this NFL season; for the first time in the history of the game, the Pro Bowl was held the week before the Super Bowl.

As soon as it was announced that the NFL’s version of the “All-Star Game” would be held before Super Sunday and, this year, held in Miami instead of Hawaii, skeptics and critics abounded.

There were many flaws to the game, the most glaring being that no players in the Super Bowl could participate, which meant seven Colts and seven Saints were pulled out and replaced the week before the game once the contenders in the Super Bowl were set.

This led to some very questionable replacements such as Tennessee QB Vince Young who played in only 10 games this season. But it’s the list of players who declined to participate that shows just how unimportant the Pro Bowl is–even to those who are chosen to play.

Among those who declined to play were Brett Favre, Ben Roethlisberger, Carson Palmer, Tom Brady, Sidney Rice, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. The game itself is also flawed, with rules prohibiting blitz packages and shots on the quarterback. The game had the air of an extended practice or scrimmage. The lack of defense led to 987 yards of total offense and a combined 75 points scored.

However, viewership for the game was up 40 percent from last year’s game with 12.3 million viewers watching, although not all viewers enjoyed what they saw.

Moorpark College student Garret Clark, 19, only watches football during the playoffs but even he saw flaws in the game.

“It was like they didn’t realize the game was being broadcast,” he said. “Everyone was just standing around.”

The lack of defensive pressure turned the game into a passing showcase with AFC QB Matt Schaub, a surprise replacement, being named MVP.

The NFL has already announced that next year’s Pro Bowl will be take place in Hawaii, as it has so many years before, but changing the location isn’t what they should be focusing on.

Changing the entire scope of the Pro Bowl could be the kind of re-invention the NFL needs to generate buzz, taking a cue from the NBA’s “All-Star Weekend” and turning the Pro Bowl into a series of skill competitions, with high entertainment value for audiences watching, instead of seeing millionaire-athletes scrimmaging in Hawaii.

Viewership was up this year, but just because it was watched doesn’t mean it was popular.  Let’s hope the NFL can tell the difference and present a Pro Bowl that truly deserves an MVP next year.