Before 2014, the Pro Bowl was specifically AFC - NFC, but now there are two alumni captains chosen who will draft their team from the available players and also pick who they want to coach their team. This year, the captains are Michael Irvin and Cris Carter. Michael Irvin chose Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys as his coach and Cris Carter chose John Harbaugh of the Baltimore Ravens as his coach.

The coaches were chosen from the teams who lost in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs this year. John Fox was to be the original coach for Cris Carter’s team, however, Denver decided to let Fox go after the Broncos playoff loss, so Harbaugh was chosen as the Ravens were the other team to lose in the divisional round.

The teams were drafted on Wednesday January 21st.

Some of the notable names that were drafted to Michael Irvin’s team on offense for this game were: Tony Romo, Quarterback – Dallas Cowboys; DeMarco Murray, Running Back – Dallas Cowboys; Odell Beckham Jr., Wide Receiver – New York Giants; and Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver – Green Bay Packers. Michael Irvin’s team defense included: Clay Matthews, Linebacker – Green Bay Packers; Vontae Davis, Cornerback – Indianapolis Colts, Eric Weddle, Safety – San Diego Chargers; and Luke Kuechly, Linebacker – Carolina Panthers.

Some of the notable names that were drafted to Cris Carter’s team on offense were: Andrew Luck, Quarterback – Indianapolis Colts; Jamaal Charles, Running Back – Kansas City Chiefs; A.J. Green, Wide Receiver – Cincinnati Bengals; and Martellus Bennett, Tight End – Chicago Bears. On defense Cris Carter’s team drafted J.J. Watt, Defensive End – Houston Texans; C.J. Mosely, Linebacker – Baltimore Ravens; and Connor Barwin, Linebacker – Philadelphia Eagles.

Also of importance in the changes of the Pro Bowl from the old format to the new format is that in the old competitions, players wore red, white, and blue uniforms. In the new competitions starting from 2014, one team would wear volt green, gray, and white while the other would wear dark gray, orange and black. This was one of many changes made to the Pro Bowl idea by the National Football League to try to bring more interest to the game. The goal posts were also made smaller by 40%, and some of the other rules were changed to include no defensive blitzing and no kickoffs during the game. When one team scores, the other team starts with the ball at their own 25 yard line.

The shorter goal posts played into the score of this year’s game, as Adam Vinatieri missed two field goals that he would have made had the goal posts been in the normal placement. Michael Irvin’s team ended up triumphing by a score of 32-28, though the score isn’t really the point. The game is more for the entertainment factor and for the players to have fun.

The rules are meant to favor the offense in this all-star game and they sure did. Team Irvin and Team Carter combined for 1,063 yards of total offense on 138 plays from scrimmage, or an average of 7.7 yards per play.

There were two Most Valuable Players awarded in this game, one on offense and one on defense. On offense, the MVP was Matthew Stafford who completed 15 of 25 passes for 316 yards and two touchdowns. The defensive MVP was J.J. Watt who intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and led his team with four pass deflections from the defensive line position.

One of the bigger stories to come out of this Pro Bowl though was the continued struggles of Andy Dalton in Primetime games. He came out as the third quarterback for Team Carter nursing a 28-25 lead midway through the third quarter. His four drives under center earned 85 total yards on 25 plays resulting in three punts and a turnover on downs during the final drive.

The other five quarterbacks in the game combined for nine drives of 70 or more yards.

Other notable performances included Emmanuel Sanders and Jimmy Graham who each caught two touchdown passes for Team Irvin. Antonio Brown led Team Carter with six catches for 98 yards. Greg Olsen caught two scores for Team Carter on three catches.

Since Michael Irvin won this year’s Pro Bowl, he will be the alumni captain who will play against last year’s winner Jerry Rice. The Pro Bowl returns to Aloha Stadium in Hawaii next season.