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BBI Old Game Review- 1985 Pro Bowl (Simms MVP)

Matt in SGS : 11/13/2019 9:58 am
This is one that I've been wanting to do a while, and during the bye week of another lost season at 2-8, it's time to go back to the past when the Giants were actually enjoyable to watch.

In this case, I got a copy of the 1985 Pro Bowl which was interesting from a few standpoints

- We all know the Pro Bowl has turned into a farce the past few years where it is little more than a walk through at this point and we see things like Saquon Barkley and Alvin Kamara playing at edge rusher and Odell at safety. The main reason why it's that way was players didn't want to get hurt. Makes sense. But the Pro Bowl wasn't always that way and they actually used to hit each other and play relatively hard. The reason wasn't that the players were tougher then. The reason was money. I did some research and found that for your average Pro Bowler (not the top end salary like Joe Montana or LT), the winning purse was $10k per player (loser got $5k). A player like Dave Duerson of the Bears made about $7800 per game. So a win in the Pro Bowl was better than an extra game check.

- LT wore #58 in the Pro Bowl because the NFL went by seniority for players wearing the same number. Center Doug Smith of the Rams wore #56 and he was a perennial Pro Bowler. But he happened to miss this game due to injury, so he was replaced by Randy Quillian of the 49ers...who also wore #56 and still had seniority over LT. LT didn't wear #56 until his final Pro Bowl in 1990 (the more you know...)

- This game was played a few days after the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion and there was a moment of silence before the game.

- And this game was the coming out party for Phil Simms. It was his first Pro Bowl, and he became the first NYG to start at QB in the Pro Bowl (because Joe Montana was out with an injury). As it turned out Jim McMahon from the Bears also made the team, but he said he had a knee injury from the Super Bowl and played like crap (the bigger whispers were he was hung over). So Simms had to play more or less the entire game. And doing so, he led the NFC back from 24-7 down to win the game on a late TD to the Bucs TE Jimmie Giles. Simms was named MVP and set the stage for a different MVP he'd win in 1986.

- It was Simms vs. Ken O'Brien of the Jets, who replaced an injured Dan Marino. It was the first time a Giants vs. Jets QB matchup in the Pro Bowl happened. This would happen twice more- 1993 (Simms vs. Boomer Esiason, but Simms missed the game due to injury) and 2008 (Eli vs. Brett Favre).

Anyway, it's gonna be dead in the news for a while as the Giants will go away for the bye week break after today's practice, so enjoy!

https://bigbluevcr.blogspot.com/2019/11/1985-pro-bowl.html - ( New Window )
Would have loved to see Simms play in this pass-happy era.  
Since1965 : 11/13/2019 10:42 am : link
He would have put up big numbers. Playing in a run-first offense for the Giants withheld just how good he really was.
Brilliant choice!  
truebluelarry : 11/13/2019 10:43 am : link
I can't wait to watch this tonight.

Simms winning the the Pro Bowl MVP was a big deal at the time.
RE: Brilliant choice!  
MadPlaid : 11/13/2019 10:47 am : link
In comment 14678507 truebluelarry said:
Quote:
I can't wait to watch this tonight.

Simms winning the the Pro Bowl MVP was a big deal at the time.

I agree. I remember how it felt like it really mattered Simms was the MVP of the Pro Bowl. Bragging rights on the playground, if you will.

Thank you, Matt
How's this for old school...  
BillKo : 11/13/2019 10:50 am : link
...I listened to this game on the radio at college!! For the life of me, can't rembember why I didn't watch it on TV.

I also remember it being a big deal for Simms because, as well as he played in 1985, he had a ton of hiccups with fumbles (much like our current QB).

So it sorta was another small stepping stone to the 1986 season..........
Great stuff...  
BillKo : 11/13/2019 3:07 pm : link
.....also interesting to see Phil Simms holding for extra points!!!
I had a Simms Pro Bowl Replica Jersey...  
x meadowlander : 11/13/2019 3:19 pm : link
...from that game. Wore it for years.

Mom was a buyer for a Liquor store chain, scored it from a vendor.

That was Home Liquors, for all you old NJ throwbacks.
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