Over the years, I've had a love/hate relationship with the Pro Bowl. And by that, I mean I love to hate it. The paid athlete vacation has wasted hours on television, as well as whatever time the media spends discussing it. And, for some reason, some folks actually watch it. Then, when it moved from Hawaii where it belonged (several time zones away) to Orlando (about an hour from me) a few years ago, I thought I was beaten. The Pro Bowl was never going to get better.

But I was wrong. This will be the best Pro Bowl in NFL history. I guarantee it.

How do I know? Simple. There won't actually be a Pro Bowl. Not in the sense of athletes running around pretending to care about a game that doesn't matter. That part is gone this year. The guys who deserve the honor (Mahomes, Rodgers, Kelce, Henry, etc) were still named to their respective conference teams and will still get the recognition and any contract-related bonuses that go with it.

The first benefit is that the true Pro Bowl rosters will remain intact. There's nowhere to actually go, so no reason for the usual opt-outs by guys who are either too hurt or too disinterested to attend the game. While it might hurt the substitutes who end up going when those players decline, the final roster is a better representation of the best players this season. Look at the rosters, and you'll probably agree that they deserve to be there.

Instead of in-person events, the activities this week are both virtual and quite different. In the Verzuz tradition, where artists go head-to-head to showcase their music, Pro Bowl athletes will put their highlights against other players as they compete in different categories. You can watch for free on pretty much any social media platform as they show off their skills and reveal some of their personality that you'll never see on the football field. Athletes are proud of their highlights, and I think it will be interesting to see how they compete in a different format.

I consider this a win for fans as well. The Pro Bowl doesn't show off athletes properly, anyway. They aren't trying their hardest. They can't even blitz. They allow a little more player personality than usual during the game, mostly to ensure nobody falls asleep during it. But in these Verzuz battles, each star will host their own highlight reel, and probably engage in a little fun trash-talking with their opponent in the battle. But really, it's a celebration of great players and great plays. And isn't that what the Pro Bowl is supposed to be about?

The highlight comes when teams (made up of Pro Bowlers and celebrities) play out the hypothetical Pro Bowl on Madden. On one side you have Deshaun Watson, Derrick Henry, Keyshawn Johnson and Snoop Dogg. That team will face off against Kyler Murray, Jamal Adams, Marshawn Lynch and NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace. They'll play the video game (each guy plays for one quarter) and there's your annual contest.

Is it as good as the actual Pro Bowl? No. It's probably going to be better. In the Pro Bowl, players aren't trying their hardest and they don't care too much about the score. They mostly want to have fun and make sure nobody gets hurt. But in a video game, the computer doesn't know it doesn't matter and the guys with the controllers actually care about the score. Nobody wants to lose to their buddies in Madden, and they definitely don't want to lose while thousands of people around the country are watching. I predict it will be more competitive than what we normally see in Hawaii or Orlando. Snoop is already predicting a victory. When was the last time anybody did that in the Pro Bowl?

My annual interest in the Pro Bowl hovers somewhere between "reverse mortgages" and "the Sex and the City revival series." But this year, I might catch a bit of the battles and the Madden game. I'm not saying it's the most exciting way to spend your time. But it doesn't waste your time, the athletes that deserve to be honored will be honored and there are a few interesting interactions between the players and other celebrities.

Besides, the league has already announced the 2022 Pro Bowl will go back to its absurd format, albeit in Las Vegas. So let's enjoy it while we can.

Do you normally have any interest in the Pro Bowl? Does the new activities appeal to you? Share your thoughts below.