Pro Bowl 2012: This Year's Pro Bowl Is Worth Your Time

The NFL Pro Bowl always sounds amazing on paper. The league's biggest stars, all playing together on common teams in an attempt to showcase their talent and prove which conference is the best in the NFL.

In practice, though, few fans truly care about the Pro Bowl. 

Sure, many will give it cursory attention, turn it on and watch it for a few minutes before they realize that what they're watching looks like football but actually isn't, at least not in the way we're all used to seeing it in the regular season.

But the Pro Bowl is amazing. It really is. And this year's, like any other, is worth watching for any and every fan of the game.

No, there won't be any New England Patriots or New York Giants on the field—the two teams set to meet in the following week's Super Bowl. 

However, it's our last collective chance to see some of the league's biggest playmakers take the field until the preseason.

And trust me, once the final play of the Super Bowl is in the books, we're all going to be wringing our hands in anticipation of an NFL preseason that seems a lifetime away.

We might as well get in as much football as possible while we have the opportunity, even if it is the watered-down fan-fest version on display in the Pro Bowl. Remember, it wasn't long ago that the 2011 NFL season was under threat of not happening in its entirety, thanks to the lockout.

Think of it this way: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be throwing passes to Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. That is, unless New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis doesn't pick him off.

Or how about this: Will Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton hand the ball off to explosive running back Marshawn Lynch, or will he choose to run for the touchdown himself?

It's compelling stuff, and certainly not the kind of thing you can see everyday. Just once a year does life imitate fantasy football.

And although there's less on the line than in a typical game, and the hits won't be as hard, there are still plays to be made and they'll come from the very best in the league.

I mean, don't you want to see Newton again this season? Don't you need to see if the Minnesota Vikings' Jared Allen can sack Ben Roethlisberger? And won't it be nice to take in some Hawaiian scenery when most of the United States is under a winter chill?

Sure it's a glorified popularity contest, a mere exhibition, and it can even be annoying to watch at times.

But if you love the NFL, you need to watch the Pro Bowl. It's the reunion episode of the best reality television show ever made, and it's must-see TV this Sunday.