The Pro Bowl has become NFL biggest joke. And the 2010 Pro Bowl was perhaps the biggest Pro Bowl joke of all. It was obvious that nobody cared - not the players, not the fans and not even the television networks.

There were some changes to this year’s edition of the Pro Bowl. The venue was changed from Hawaii to Florida and the date was moved to one week before the Super Bowl. But that shouldn’t have an effect on the integrity of this supposed NFL Player Showcase.

Another reason it has become such a joke is that many NFL players don’t take the game seriously. More than a dozen Pro Bowlers opted out of the 2010 Pro Bowl contest. Player interest was so bad that one NFC Pro Bowl selectee was actually dismissed from the team for excessive absenteeism.

There was a time when it was considered an honor just to be nominated for a Pro Bowl spot. Once upon a time, players considered making the Pro Bowl an accomplishment, a medal of honor. It meant they had come of age in one of the most popular sports - but not anymore!

Yes it is true that the NFL shares the same All Star selection concerns with Baseball and Football. The fans make the All Star selections but it has become more of a popularity contest than anything else? But that shouldn’t matter one bit!

There is no denying that with the loss of the players from the two best teams (Colts and Saints) and the addition of Pro Bowl alternates, the talent level is watered down. Maybe the NFL made a mistake in moving the venue and date of the game because it has certainly had its affect.

But the biggest joke of all is the level of intensity in the game itself. The Pro Bowl has become more like an NBA All Star Game, where the defense stands around watching the offense score. It has become a travesty and disrespectful to everyone who loves football. It has gone from a competition to an exhibition.

Is it time to end this joke of a game? Should the game go back to Hawaii and be played after the Super Bowl? This may be one issue that even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can’t solve.

Some sports experts say “something’s fishy” about the Seattle Seahawks signing of Pete Carroll. It’s nothing against Pete, it’s more about how the Seattle Seahawks seemed to bypass, circumvent or completely ignore the Rooney Rule when signing their new head coach.

In 2003, the NFL implemented the Rooney Rule which requires National Football League teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and senior operations opportunities. The rule is named for Dan Rooney, the owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the chairman of the NFL’s diversity committee.

There is considerable debate about whether the Seahawks already had decided that Pete Carroll would be the new head coach before they fired Jim Mora Jr. The Seahawks hired Pete Carroll on Monday, four days after firing Jim Mora Jr. They interviewed Minnesota Viking defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who is black, for the job over the weekend.

But the speed in which Seattle first fired Mora without a GM in place, and then lured Carroll away from USC led to questions, most notably from former head coach Tony Dungy, about whether the Seahawks interviewed Frazier merely to satisfy the Rooney Rule.

“That is not what the Rooney Rule is supposed to be, (that) you make up your mind and then interview a candidate for it anyway just to satisfy the rule,” Dungy told the Associated Press.

The head of the group that monitors NFL hiring practices believes strongly in the effectiveness of the “Rooney Rule,” which is supposed to provide more opportunities for minorities.

“I think it has done wonders in the NFL,” John Wooten, chairman of the Fritz Pollard Alliance, said Monday. “They’ve put a new face on the National Football League. I think the integrity and commitment are there. It’s outstanding, and that’s why it’s worked.”

Wooten said he recommended to Frazier that he interview for the job in Seattle after getting assurances from the Seahawks and Carroll last Saturday that a deal had not yet been reached with Carroll — contrary to what ESPN had reported that morning.

“I feel comfortable that Seattle approached it the right way,” Wooten said.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has said that the Seahawks have not violated the spirit of the Rooney Rule.

There is no doubt that the Rooney Rule has had a positive effect on the number of minority coaches in the NFL. In fact the 2006 Super Bowl had two African-American head coaches in Dungy and Lovie Smith. And in 2008, Mike Tomlin lead the Pittsburgh Steelers to a Super Bowl win.

Regardless of what Wooten and Roger Goodell say, Tony Dungy may know a lot more about the truth. ESPN is reporting that Seattle contacted Tony Dungy last month about their open GM position.

“They called Tony about three weeks ago to see if he would seriously consider becoming their president. He told them he wanted to pray and sleep on it but the next day he called them back and said he wanted to stick with everything he was doing now. He would have been the guy, I believe, if he had wanted to do it.”

ESPN reported that Dungy said last month that an NFL team asked him to consider a front-office role, but he wouldn’t reveal the team.

One could argue that the Seahawks met the requirements of the Rooney Rule by interviewing Leslie Frazer. But why would Tony Dungy express his concerns about the apparent disregard of the Rooney Rule by Seattle. After all, don’t you think the Seahawks front office discussed their “plan” for Seattle’s future with Tony three weeks earlier?

Something is fishy in Seattle!