We take a quick look at some headlines around the world of pro football...

PETERSON WINNING RACES (ProFootballTalk.com)
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who is recovering from a season-ending ACL injury, is apparently making progress. Teammate Percy Harvin stated that Peterson beat him twice in uphill sprint races this week.  It doesn’t mean he’ll be ready for Week One, but it is a good sign just five months removed from surgery…MORE

TITANS IMPRESSED BY JOHNSON (TitansOnline.com)
The Titans organization is on the record saying how impressed they’ve been with running back Chris Johnson on and off the field this offseason.  “He's been here every day competing, working hard. He's been here some days when he hasn't had to be here,” said GM Ruston Webster…MORE

HARBAUGH DENIES PURSUIT OF MANNING (NFL.com)
Despite being reported by many media outlets as being one of the finalists to land free agent quarterback Peyton Manning this offseason, head coach Jim Harbaugh says otherwise.  "It's an erroneous perception that we were flirting with Peyton Manning," he said. "I keep hearing that over and over again. It's silly, and it's untrue. It's phony”…MORE

WALLACE NOT HAPPY WITH STEELERS (TribLive.com)
Steelers’ wide receiver Mike Wallace has yet to sign his first-round restricted free agent tender that would guarantee him a $2.16 million raise for this season, bringing his salary to $2.742 million. He missed the fourth consecutive voluntary practice earlier this week and isn’t expected to attend offseason workouts, including mandatory minicamp next month…MORE

DOLPHINS ON HARD KNOCKS (Sun-Sentinel.com)
After an offseason of negative headlines culminating with a protest outside the team's training facility, the Miami Dolphins hope to reshape their image nationally from the inside out.  The Dolphins are the latest subject for the HBO show, "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Miami Dolphins"…MORE

PRO BOWL STAYS ALIVE, FOR NOW (ESPN.com)
After receiving a promise from players that the game will be more competitive, the NFL will hold the Pro Bowl Jan. 27 in Honolulu, a week before the Super Bowl.  Commissioner Roger Goodell had made it clear that canceling the game was a possibility after the uninspired play of this year's 59-41 AFC victory. After discussions between the league and the players' union, the NFL announced Wednesday that Aloha Stadium would host the Pro Bowl for the third straight year…MORE

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Three Bengals -- QB Andy Dalton, DT Geno Atkins and TE Jermaine Gresham -- have been added to the AFC squad for next Sunday’s Pro Bowl, the NFL announced today.

Dalton and Atkins were both first alternates in last month’s voting, and Gresham was a third alternate. All three will replace New England players who were removed from the squad today when the Patriots won the AFC Championship and qualified for Super Bowl XLVI. Dalton will replace New England QB Tom Brady, Atkins will take the spot of Patriots DT Vince Wilfork, and Gresham will replace Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski. Two alternates voted ahead of Gresham are not available for the game, the league announced.

The Bengals now have four players headed for the Pro Bowl, as WR A.J. Green was voted to the AFC team last month. The four players have a total of only six years’ NFL experience, as Atkins and Gresham were second-year players in 2011 while Dalton and Green were rookies.

Dalton and Green form the first rookie QB-WR duo from the same team ever to be in the Pro Bowl.

The last time the Bengals had as many as four players in the Pro Bowl was the 2005 season. Five players made it in '05 -- OT Willie Anderson, K Shayne Grahan, WR Chad Ochocinco, CB Deltha O'Neal and QB Carson Palmer.

Dalton is the first rookie QB to make the Pro Bowl since Vince Young of Tennessee in the 2006 season. A second-round draft choice from TCU, Dalton in 2011 led the Bengals to a playoff berth and became the first rookie QB in NFL history to start as many as eight wins and also throw 20 or more TD passes. Dalton also became the first NFL rookie to start every game of a 16-game regular season, much less start 16 and lead his team to the playoffs.

Dalton’s 20 TD passes were a Bengals rookie record, and in four of the nine victories he started, he led the team back from a fourth-quarter deficit.

Dalton and A.J. Green are the first Bengals rookies to make the Pro Bowl since WR Cris Collinsworth in the 1981 season.

Atkins is the first Bengals defensive lineman to make the Pro Bowl since NT Tim Krumrie in the 1988 season.

Atkins led the Bengals in sacks (7.5) in the ’11 regular season, and he tied for the NFL lead among interior linemen. He was the first interior lineman to lead the Bengals in sacks since 1996, when DT Dan Wilkinson led with 6.5.

Atkins tied for the team lead in combined fumbles forced/recovered (four), and he had a fumble return for a touchdown.

Gresham finished second on the Bengals in the regular season in receptions (56), and he was tied for second in touchdowns (six). He was third on the team in receiving yards (596). He is the first Bengals TE to make the Pro Bowl since the 1990 season, when Rodney Holman qualified.

This year’s Pro Bowl will be played in Honolulu, with kickoff next Sunday at 7 p.m. EST. The game will be televised by NBC.

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The Cincinnati Bengals, the AFC North Champions, are one of only two AFC teams not to have a single player that was voted in the Pro Bowl, joining the Kansas City Chiefs.

Running back Cedric Benson and starting corners Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall have put up Pro Bowl-type performances, but were amongst the snubs.

Here is the team-by-team breakdown for the AFC:
Colts: 6
Ravens,Broncos, Chargers: 5
Texans, Patriots: 4
Jets: 3
Steelers, Browns, Raiders: 2
Bills, Jaguars, Dolphins, Titians: 1
Bengals, Chiefs: 0

Unlike years past, this year's Pro Bowl will be played the week leading up to rather than the week following the Super Bowl. In addition, it will be played in Miami rather than in Hawaii as normal. Whichever teams make it to the Super Bowl will not have any of their players participate in the game which means there will be some changes ahead.

COMPLETE ROSTERS

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The NFC rallied to beat the AFC 30-21 in the Pro Bowl on Sunday and few people really cared. There is no doubt that the NFL by far has the weakest All-Star game of any of the professional teams. Even me, the most die-hard football fan, facing seven months without football couldn't make myself get into the game.

The NFL is attempting to change the event in an attempt to give it some traction. Next year, the Pro Bowl is scheduled for the weekend before the Super Bowl and in the Super Bowl city, Miami.

The league says that the change is experimental and is negotiating with the state over future Pro Bowls. The NFL has proposed the next two of four Pro Bowls be played in Hawaii. The Hawaii Tourism Authority wants the two consecutive games after next year's event in Miami. No agreement has been reached.

The website HotStoveNewYork.com recently came with some of their own ideas in their article 15 Ways To Improve the Pro Bowl. Here's a look at some my favorites that they offered up:

1. Form a team of former NFL players who are now in prison (OJ Simpson, Michael Vick, etc.) and have them play a team of prison guards. It’ll be like The Longest Yard come to life. The actual Pro Bowlers can watch from the sidelines and lead the chants of Mean Machine! Mean Machine! Who wouldn’t watch that?

2. Have the players live in a house together for a month, leading up to the game, and make it a reality show. (”Damn, who ate my last Twinkie? Peyyyttton!!!”)

3. Make the game a Pro-Am, with the likes of Ray Romano, Bill Murray and Kevin James mixed in with the NFLers and count the broken bones.

4. Combine the game with the NHL All-Star game and play it on ice.

5. Have every player play with a loaded gun tucked in his pants in honor of Plaxico Burress.

COMPLETE LIST

NFL pro bowl, 15 ways to improve pro bowl

Here's some notes on the Pro Bowl selections (from Rotoworld.com):

--The Jets led all teams with seven players (Brett Favre, Thomas Jones, Alan Faneca, Nick Mangold, Leon Washington, Kris Jenkins, Darrelle Revis). Favre makes it despite -- brace yourselves now -- leading the league with 17 picks.

--Giants' Kicker John Carney (44) is the oldest Pro Bowler ever.

--After sending eight players last year, only two New England Patriots made it (first-timers Wes Welker and Stephen Gostkowski).

--Tennessee's Chris Johnson was the only rookie selection.

--You may think Joey Porter is a mouthy knucklehead, but he and his AFC-leading 17.5 sacks deserved a spot, while Dolphins teammate…

--...Ronnie Brown simply didn't. 10 TDs (4 in that fluky 'Wildcat-gone-wild!' game) were nice, but he has only three 100-plus-yard games and only one other game topping even 70 yards. Steve Slaton, Marshawn Lynch and even LaDainian Tomlinson deserved it more.

--The Bengals, Jags, Rams and Lions had zero reps. Shocker.

--Notable snubs: Atlanta's John Abraham (3rd in sacks with 15), Philip Rivers (#1 in passer rating/tied for #1 with 28 TDs, and Cutler goes?), Matt Ryan (Eli?), DeAngelo Williams (1,229 yards/14 TDs and they choose Portis?), Calvin Johnson, Brandon Jacobs, Chad Pennington (The Matt Ryan of the AFC…c'mon, Favre?). And Dallas Clark should have edged Antonio Gates.

COMPLETE PRO BOWL ROSTERS

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You can say what you like about the Pro Bowl, but something just doesn't seem right to me watching Bengals' wideouts TJ Houshmandzadeh and Chad Johnson catching balls from Steelers' QB Ben Roethlisberger. Watching Big Ben throw the ball low to Chad and touchdowns to TJ seemed to leave a dirty taste in my mouth and a sick feeling in my stomach.  Houshmandzadeh finished with 4 catches for 44 yards and two TD's, the second of which came from his division foe, Roethlisberger.  I couldn't get the impression of TJ wiping his feet with the "Terrible Towel"

NFL.COM - WATCH TJ/BIG BEN HIGHLIGHTS

Overall, I didn't get watch too much of the Pro Bowl but the part I did see left its impression.

The NFC end up beating the AFC behind a huge second half from Adrian Peterson. The Vikings' rookie RB busted out 129 yards on the ground and two scores. Peterson was named the game's Most Outstanding Player. It was the first time any running back broke the 100-yard mark in the game since Marshall Faulk set the Pro-Bowl record of 180 yards in 1995 during his rookie campaign.

Bengals wideout Chad Johnson finished with two catches for 30 yards in the loss.

NFL pro bowl, tj houshmandzadeh, chad johnson, ben roethlisberger

The NHL, NBA and MLB have their all star games during the season as a break in the action when people still care.

Does anyone really watch the NFL Pro Bowl?  Seriously, if you do are you the same type of loser that believes the WWF is real and that the X-games are RAD?  I'm not sure there is anything more pathetic than grown men riding bicycles or skateboards and acting like what they do makes them an athlete or even important for that matter.  Yes I know they make a lot of money doing it because of bozo's that are willing to shell out the money to watch men still stuck in puberty trying to make things "special".  Women don't find it "special" and neither do I.  Grow up.  I digress.

The Super Bowl should be the end of the NFL season, not the pathetic display of football played in Hawaii.

Do away with the NFL Pro Bowl, it is a disgrace to the game.

NFL pro bowl