"ESPN welcomes you to...."
That's an exaggeration, a slight exaggeration. In truth, I reached for the remote control on a 3rd and 7 during the NFC's first drive. Mario Williams (of the Houston Texans) had Aaron Rodgers in his cross-hairs and.......
....walked right by him.
I'm not suggesting that Mediocre Mario light-up Rodgers as if it's the first half of the one game he's decided to really show up for in the regular season but, he could have at least made physical contact. Just wrap him up and drag him down, two-below him, grab his towel and wave it around like flag football or something.
I also don't blame the players for mailing it in. The idea of going all out in a game that doesn't matter is stupid. Why risk a career-threatening injury for that, under the new structure, is played in front of a bunch of lower-corporate ladder folks who weren't high enough up the food chain to score tickets to the real game?
The best thing for the NFL to do is name the team, give each winner a voucher for a round-trip ticket to Hawaii, and then require that they show up to some grand banquet where all of the season awards are handed out.
That would at least be worth watching.