NFL Pro Bowl 2014: Date, Kickoff Time, Unconferenced Rosters, Format and More

Thanks to a few big changes in format, the 2014 NFL Pro Bowl could prove more exciting than what fans have been treated to in the past. The annual event takes place this year on Sunday, Jan. 26 at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii, and it will be broadcasted on NBC beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

One huge change to the way the league has done things in the past is seen in the Pro Bowl roster, which is "Unconferenced" for the first time in history. What this means is that players were selected by fans, coaches and players without regard to which conference they played in. 

Essentially, the "best" players at every position got in.

Here's a quick look at when and where you can catch the game, along with the full roster. Afterward, keep reading for a closer look at the new format and more. 

USA TODAY Sports

When: Sunday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Roster

Offense

Pos.	Player	Team
QB	Tom Brady	New England Patriots
QB	Drew Brees	New Orleans Saints
QB	Andrew Luck*	Indianapolis Colts
QB	Peyton Manning	Denver Broncos
QB	Cam Newton	Carolina Panthers
QB	Philip Rivers	San Diego Chargers
QB	Russell Wilson	Seattle Seahawks
QB	Nick Foles*	Philadelphia Eagles
WR	Antonio Brown	Pittsburgh Steelers
WR	Dez Bryant	Dallas Cowboys
WR	Larry Fitzgerald*	Arizona Cardinals
WR	Josh Gordon	Cleveland Browns
WR	A.J. Green	Cincinnati Bengals
WR	Andre Johnson	Houston Texans
WR	Calvin Johnson	Detroit Lions
WR	Brandon Marshall	Chicago Bears
WR	Demaryius Thomas	Denver Broncos
WR	DeSean Jackson*	Philadelphia Eagles
WR	Alshon Jeffery*	Chicago Bears
OT	Branden Albert	Kansas City Chiefs
OT	Jason Peters	Philadelphia Eagles
OT	Tyron Smith	Dallas Cowboys
OT	Joe Staley	San Francisco 49ers
OT	Joe Thomas	Cleveland Browns
OT	Trent Williams	Washington Redskins
OT	Duane Brown*	Houston Texans
OG	Jahri Evans	New Orleans Saints
OG	Ben Grubbs	New Orleans Saints
OG	Mike Iupati	San Francisco 49ers
OG	Logan Mankins	New England Patriots
OG	Louis Vasquez	Denver Broncos
OG	Marshal Yanda	Baltimore Ravens
OG	Evan Mathis*	Philadelphia Eagles
C	Ryan Kalil	Carolina Panthers
C	Alex Mack	Cleveland Browns
C	Nick Mangold*	New York Jets
C	Mike Pouncey	Miami Dolphins
C	Max Unger	Seattle Seahawks
TE	Jordan Cameron	Cleveland Browns
TE	Vernon Davis	San Francisco 49ers
TE	Jimmy Graham	New Orleans Saints
TE	Julius Thomas	Denver Broncos
TE	Jason Witten*	Dallas Cowboys
RB	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs
RB	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears
RB	Frank Gore	San Francisco 49ers
RB	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks
RB	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles
RB	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings
RB	Eddie Lacy*	Green Bay Packers
RB	Alfred Morris*	Washington
FB	Marcel Reece	Oakland Raiders
FB	Mike Tolbert	Carolina Panthers

Defense

Pos.	Player	Team
DE	Greg Hardy	Carolina Panthers
DE	Cameron Jordan	New Orleans Saints
DE	Robert Quinn	St. Louis Rams
DE	Cameron Wake	Miami Dolphins
DE	J.J. Watt	Houston Texans
DE	Mario Williams	Buffalo Bills
DT	Jason Hatcher*	Dallas Cowboys
DT	Gerald McCoy	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
DT	Haloti Ngata	Baltimore Ravens
DT	Dontari Poe	Kansas City Chiefs
DT	Justin Smith	San Francisco 49ers
DT	Ndamukong Suh	Detroit Lions
DT	Kyle Williams	Buffalo Bills
OLB	John Abraham	Arizona Cardinals
OLB	Ahmad Brooks	San Francisco 49ers
OLB	Tamba Hali	Kansas City Chiefs
OLB	Justin Houston	Kansas City Chiefs
OLB	Robert Mathis	Indianapolis Colts
OLB	Terrell Suggs	Baltimore Ravens
MLB	NaVorro Bowman	San Francisco 49ers
MLB	Vontaze Burfict	Cincinnati Bengals
MLB	Luke Kuechly	Carolina Panthers
MLB	Patrick Willis	San Francisco 49ers
CB	Brandon Flowers	Kansas City Chiefs
CB	Brent Grimes	Miami Dolphins
CB	Joe Haden	Cleveland Browns
CB	Patrick Peterson	Arizona Cardinals
CB	Darrelle Revis	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
CB	Richard Sherman	Seattle Seahawks
CB	Aqib Talib	New England Patriots
CB	Alterraun Verner	Tennessee Titans
FS	Jairus Byrd	Buffalo Bills
FS	Earl Thomas	Seattle Seahawks
FS	Eric Weddle	San Diego Chargers
SS	Eric Berry	Kansas City Chiefs
SS	Kam Chancellor	Seattle Seahawks
SS	Troy Polamalu	Pittsburgh Steelers

Special Teams

Pos.	Player	Team
P	Brandon Fields	Miami Dolphins
P	Johnny Hekker	St. Louis Rams
K	Stephen Gostkowski*	New England Patriots
K	Matt Prater	Denver Broncos
K	Justin Tucker	Baltimore Ravens
PR	Cordarrelle Patterson	Minnesota Vikings
PR	Dexter McCluster	Kansas City Chiefs
ST	Justin Bethel	Arizona Cardinals
ST	Matthew Slater	New England Patriots
LS	J.J. Jansen	Carolina Panthers
LS	Matt Overton	Indianapolis Colts

Format

Scott Cunningham/Getty Images

After the 2013 debacle that caused the NFL to seriously consider dumping the Pro Bowl altogether, the league devised a different plan to attract interest. 

We're going to have a draft, people.

No more AFC vs. NFC and, hopefully, no more apathy.

Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice—former teammates on the San Francisco 49ers and a couple of the league's all-time greatest players—will act as team captains and make alternating selections. Both teams will end up with 43 players, as Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com notes:

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

The draft will kick off on Tuesday Jan. 21. NFL.com provides the info on what to expect: 

"

On Tuesday, alumni captains Deion Sanders and Jerry Rice get the party started on NFL Network at 8 p.m. ET, primarily by drafting offensive linemen. (One fullback, one punter and one special teamer per team are also selected.)

"

In total, 22 players will be selected on Tuesday.  

On Wednesday, the other 66 players will be selected. 

We could see some teammates going up against one another, depending on where they end up in the draft, which would certainly make things interesting.

However, not everyone's on board with the notion. San Francisco's Patrick Willis doesn't fancy having to tackle Frank Gore, for instance, as Taylor Price of 49ers.com points out:

It wouldn't be an NFL game without a bit of controversy, though, right?

In addition to the "Unconferenced" rosters and draft, there are other changes worth noting, as relayed by USA Today Sports' Nate Davis:

"

— Every quarter will end with a two-minute warning and change of possession to promote more quick-strike drives (teams will not be allowed to sit on the ball since the clock will stop on any play that doesn't gain positive yardage inside two minutes).

— There will be no kickoffs; all quarter-opening possessions will start at the 25-yard line with the first determined by coin toss.

— Kick returners will be replaced by an extra defensive back on each 43-man roster.

— Cover 2 and press coverage will now be allowed; only man-to-man coverage was allowed in the past, goal-line situations notwithstanding.

"

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell hopes these changes will improve the overall quality of play and give fans more of what they expect to see, per Davis: "The players made it clear that they wanted to continue the Pro Bowl and were committed to making it better than ever. We think these changes will enhance the game for both fans and players."

Will it Matter?

While the new format sounds exciting, it's going to be interesting to see if the players treat this upcoming Pro Bowl any differently than in recent years. 

Last year's game was so bad from an effort standpoint that ESPN's Trey Wingo predicted the entire thing would be squashed in a few more years with the same effort in the future:

Players just don't want to risk getting hurt in a game that doesn't mean anything, as B/R's Michael Schottey pointed out before last year's game:

"

Look, maybe once upon a time, long ago, when men were men and football was played with leather helmets, the Pro Bowl meant something. Nowadays? Nada, zilch, zip, zero. The game means nothing.

The selection process is a joke. Most of the players don't want to play (or even pretend to participate if they show up). 

"

The league hopes it fixed its selection process by going to the "Unconferenced" look, but not all are convinced the system is fixed—Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports being one in that camp:

At least the league is attempting to solve the problem, but it remains to be seen if these "fixes" will actually do anything to make the game more watchable. 

The draft sounds fun, but will the game be played at a high level of competition, or will the players continue to give half an effort? The way they answer this question will have a lot to do with how the Pro Bowl is viewed going forward.

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