Texans running back Arian Foster says he respects the fact that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants players to play harder in the Pro Bowl. But he thinks that’s a lot easier for Goodell to say than for the players to do.
“I see both sides of the coin, I really do,” Foster said on NFL Network. “But in all honesty, with all due respect, Mr. Goodell? He’s not out here taking these hits.”
Foster said he’d hate to see the Pro Bowl go away, but he also doesn’t think it’s realistic to expect players to hit each other at full speed in an exhibition game at the end of the season.
“The fans want a competitive game, but here you have players that have had 16-plus games, an entire season. Our bodies have worn down. This isn’t basketball. You can’t go play pickup football,” Foster said. “It’s a tough situation for both sides. I think it’s a good revenue attraction for the state of Hawaii. It brings a lot of revenue, brings a lot of tourism here, so you don’t want to see it go. And it’s a tradition for the NFL. So hopefully we get it figured out.”
It’s tough to envision a scenario in which “getting it figured out” entails the players playing as hard in the Pro Bowl as they do in a regular season game. The people who want that aren’t the ones taking the hits.
