Posted by ESPN.com's Mike McAllister
HONOLULU -- Just returned from Wednesday's practices at Kapolei High School. Bengals WR Chad Johnson was expected to show up today, but he was not with the team. He's now schedule to work out on Thursday, which no doubt will liven up the festivities a little bit.
Other observations:
• NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was at the practice sessions and took questions about the latest Spygate developments concerning former Patriots video assistant Matt Walsh. You can read Chris Mortensen's report here.
Goodell also answered questions about how long the NFL will continue to hold the Pro Bowl in Hawaii. The current contract expires after the 2009 game. Goodell said the league will look at all options, including the possibility of alternating the Pro Bowl site among several cities, Honolulu included. "I think that's a viable option," he said. But he added: "Hawaii is important to us."
The NFL needs to inject some life into the event. While it offers what amounts to a league-paid vacation for the participants (along with financial rewards of $40,000 to each player on the winning team, $20,000 each for the losing team), many worthy players bail out each season. This year, 17 players -- roughly 20 percent -- of the players had to be replaced, include Tom Brady and Brett Favre.
Yet, there probably isn't a solution that will bring the Pro Bowl up to the level of the other three major sports' all-star games, simply because it can't be played during the course of the regular season.
And moving the game on the "dead week" Sunday between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl has several obstacles, not the least of which would be the lack of players from the two Super Bowl teams. If the Giants' Osi Umenyiora gave up a chance to participate in the victory parade in order to spend a week in Hawaii, you can bet others would do the same if faced with the same choice.
• Speaking of Goodell, he spent several minutes with Colts QB Peyton Manning on the sideline near the end of the AFC practice. Would love to have been a fly on the wall during that conversation.
• Are there too many Cowboys in Hawaii? Probably. Dallas has 13 players on the 43-man NFC roster, 10 voted in. Certainly, it's a reflection of the Cowboys' 13-3 season, but perhaps there needs to be limits on the amount of players representating a single team.
For now, though, NFC practices might as well be held at the Cowboys' training facility in Valley Ranch. "Honestly, it feels like we're back in Dallas," said safety Roy Williams.
• Speaking of the Cowboys, since 1971, they've sent 187 players to the Pro Bowl, most of any NFL team. Rest of the top five: Steelers (172), 49ers (160), Raiders (157) and Vikings (156). The fewest five includes: Texans (5), Jaguars (28), Panthers (37), Ravens (51) and Browns (64).
• NFC special-teamer Brendon Ayanbadejo of the Bears is nearly as good with a microphone as he is at covering kicks. While doing video segments for mouthpiecesports.com, he interviewed our boy John Clayton (who's covering his first Pro Bowl, by the way) on Wednesday.
The best line of questioning concerned a dinner that fellow ESPNer Sean Salisbury owes Ayanbadejo. No surprise that Clayton was only too happy to help.
