After the long build-up (two weeks) for the Super Bowl, I suppose the wait was worth it, but the thud you're about to hear Sunday is for the most useless game of all — the Pro Bowl. And that includes the exhibition season.

It's time for the NFL to seriously consider eliminating the Pro Bowl.

Without realizing it, or caring about it, the NFL has two Pro Bowls. First, there's the original list, the one that actually matches the best players from both conferences as voted on by the players.

Then, there's the final list, the scaled down, third or fourth choices named after the starters begin to decline the invite. Oh, they'll say injury is the reason why, but that didn't stop them from playing the final games of the season.

Over a month's time, players will drop like flies. You've seen it on the sports network crawlers: "Jaguars WR Joe Jones (ankle) will not participate in 2008 Pro Bowl; Raven's WR Paul Jenkins will replace him on AFC roster."

Granted, football all-star games are the toughest to try and play. Major League Baseball, NBA and NHL all play all-star games at mid-season. The NFL has no choice but to wait until season's end, so star players (Peyton Manning, LaDainian Tomlinson, etc.) aren't lost for the second half of the season to injury.

On the plus side, the Pro Bowl has the best location and time — Hawaii in February — but who wants to see second-tier stars playing at below full-speed, giving their conference a meaningless title?

On Monday, the Patriots Tom Brady and Randy Moss declined to head to the Pro Bowl. Among others who turned down the honor this year are Brett Favre, Walter Jones, Patrick Kerney, Tommie Harris and Lance Briggs of the NFC and Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, JasonPeter, Jonathan Ogden, Bob Sanders, Jason Taylor, Jamal Williams and Troy Polamalu in the AFC.

Some were banged up late in the season, but still played and had as long as five weeks to heal.

Since 20 of the 32 teams don't make the playoffs, those players haven't seen live action in over a month. Sounds like the NCAA bowl system, but safety has to be an issue since these players have not worked out or seen live action since December.

Drew Brees and Robert Edwards are two players who have been injured in Hawaii. Edwards' promising career was cut short when injured in a volleyball game put on by the league.

I'm sure years ago, a free trip to Hawaii was a huge reward, but most players can well afford that now. A couple trips out and it starts to lose its appeal.

Because of drop-outs due to actual injury, non-interest or whatever, there are 101 total players as of Monday listed on the Pro Bowl roster, 48 in the NFC, 53 in the AFC.

That's too many. Just drop the game. Honor those by holding a congratulatory dinner and festivities where no one could get seriously injured.

Yes, it is all fun and games until someone gets hurt. And it's not much of a game when your starters are bailing out in droves.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.