In case you weren't aware, the Pro Bowl was played on Sunday. The NFC won that game scoring a lot of points to the AFCs a lot, but not nearly enough points. In the week leading up to the Pro Bowl, the internet was abuzz with people telling us why they wouldn't watch, why the Pro Bowl was a joke, and why the NFL, if it had any self-respect would cancel it. And then, on Sunday, those same people helped earn the Pro Bowl a TV rating equivalent to an NBA finals game. Clearly, the Pro Bowl is a polarizing topic, so let's talk about it, shall we?

My first thought is: who cares? The Pro Bowl is no different from the NBA, NHL, and MLB All-Star games. They aren't, in my mind, meant to be serious replicas of an NFL game. They are, for the most part, held for money and for fans. The first part comes in the form of meet and greets and greased palms with sponsors - not to mention a pretty nice ad revenue take for NBC - while the second is self-explanatory: while everyone complains about the Pro Bowl, they all tune in to see their favorite players in a relaxed setting.

So, do I think the Pro Bowl has to be fixed or canceled? No, I think it serves its purpose just fine as it is, and fans should feel free to watch - or not watch - as it suits them. But, hey, just because things are fine doesn't mean they couldn't be better! So let's fix this *****! 

Last week, I put together a scouting guide for Colts' fans while watching the 2013 Senior Bowl, noting a few players on both teams, offensive and defensive, that would be potential targets for the Colts in the draft.

With the game now behind us, here are a few of my favorite senior targets for the Colts. 

The consensus on the Colts 1st round pick is that there is no consensus. With the draft still 3 months away, a pick in the back half of the round, plenty of team needs and an organization with a history of leaking very little draft information that's not a surprise. The countless 2013 mock drafts out there do however give a nice, wide overview of the possibilities, and the right pick is probably in there somewhere. A long shot isn't so long with hundreds of attempts.

The Colts 1st round pick according to the first 25 mock drafts listed on Walterfootball's mock draft database:

Johnathan Jenkins, NT, Georgia (3 mocks), Massive 6'4" 359lb with the kind of "A person that big shouldn't move like that", agility which makes great linemen. Using a 1st round pick on a player who won't be a major factor against the pass and simply can't play every down isn't ideal, but it's pretty hard to run an effective 3-4 without a great NT. (Scouting Report)

Barrett Jones, G/C, Alabama (2 mocks), Smart (got an accounting degree in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA), experienced (49 college starts with 10+ at LT, C and G), tough (played the last half of this season with a Lisfranc injury) and a little nasty (see .gif) Jones has everything you could want in an offensive line prospect. Jones will very likely play inside in the NFL, but versatility is always a plus. (Scouting Reports)

Lane Johnson, OT, Oklahoma (2 mocks), A JUCO quarterback turned tight end and defensive end for Oklahoma, Johnson found a place at OT. He's still learning, but has lots of potential and shut down some talented pass rushers. (Scouting Reports)

(Photo by Bob Carr / sbreport.net, @BobCarrNFL )

How does a rookie quarterback with a 76.5 QB rating get to the Pro Bowl?  By being awesome, of course (and winning 11 games on a “rebuilding” team).  Now, without further ado, The Notebook (sorry, not the one with Ryan Gosling, just a nice quarterback with a neck beard).  All quotes are courtesy of the Indianapolis Colts PR Department, unless otherwise noted. 

Never Been to Hawaii

When Andrew Luck was named an alternate for the 2013 Pro Bowl, it seemed likely he would be called upon to play in the NFL’s all-star game because of the three names ahead of him; one would surely be a Super Bowl participant.  As Matt Schaub, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady each lost in the playoffs, Luck’s chances diminished somewhat.  That is, until Brady bowed out of the Pro Bowl with an undisclosed injury. 

Thus, Andrew Luck, a young man whose skill and value go well beyond his raw numbers (numbers that are only expected to improve), boarded a flight to Hawaii.  “I figured that it was a good possibility so I didn’t want to fly all the way from Indianapolis if it happened,” Luck said. “I flew off to the West Coast and hung out there at Stanford until I got the call.” 

Two years later, drafting Anthony Castonzo still seems like the smart move in the 2011 NFL draft.

Desperately needing to fill holes after a disappointing 2010 season, the Colts' biggest need was agreed to be (by most) left tackle. Charlie Johnson simply wasn't cutting it, and the Colts allowed him to sign with Minnesota that summer (which, we knew then and we know now, was a bad idea for Minny, Johnson simply isn't a left tackle). 

When it came to the 22nd pick, the Colts had several options to choose from, including several potential left tackles. Castonzo was the pick, and has started at left tackle for the past two years. He's been much more reliable than Gabe Carimi, Derek Sherrod, or James Carpenter, the next three tackles taken and his competition for the Colts' pick. You could argue that Muhammed Wilkerson would have been a better pick, especially in hindsight after the Colts switched to the 3-4, but that's the only realistic greivance. 

On Tonight's Episode of Colts Authority Radio, Greg, Laura, and Rohan have a Pep Talk live at 8pm ET!  Topics on tonight's show - Arians to Arizona, Hamilton, Revis, Brady, NFL, Playoffs, etccccccccc!  Join us!

Heading into this week, I had already planned on writing about Bruce Arians on Monday and the man who replaced him, Pep Hamilton, on Thursday. My decision was validated by the response to that Monday article. Reading through the various comments, I was amazed at just how interested and passionate fans were in the position - and a little surprised that very few people seem even a little disappointed that Arians is leaving.

So today, let's have a Pep talk. Who is Mr. Hamilton, what does his hiring mean for the Colts, and what in the name of Blue the Mascot is the West Coast offense? I have the answers to NONE of those questions, but we'll fake it together after the jump.

Join Colts Authority Radio as Scott Kacsmar and Kyle Rodriguez discuss the conference championship games and look forward to the Super Bowl.

Each Sunday, I find myself in a state of confusion. A perfect hit will be delivered in the defensive backfield, and for a second all will be well. Then, the inevitable. A cascade of yellow fabric, and 15 yards for the offense. It's become ever more frequent with the increased focus on player safety from the NFL, with their increased drive towards concussion prevention something I wholeheartedly support. As Colts fans, we saw the Austin Collie storyline progress through the last couple of years. The image of Collie unconscious before hitting the ground - much as with Stevan Ridley on Sunday - isn't something i'm likely to forget quickly.

As such, it's a great thing that the NFL has decided to prioritise player safety in the wake of ex-player suicides and issues with mental illness. No-one wants to see players unconscious on the field, or suffering outside of it. The stories involving Dave Duerson and Junior Seau are harrowing to say the least - two men wrought by physical and mental torment, ultimately driven to suicide.

The issue I have with the NFL lies in enforcement - and the complete lack of consistency on behalf of every officiating crew in the league. This year in particular has been littered with officiating mistakes, and they've affected the Colts fairly frequently. It's in the nature of any fan to consider him/herself aggrieved when their team gets flagged, and it's also natural to exaggerate numbers, frequencies and such when your team is involved. While conscious of this, I completely believe that there was a disproportionate level of officiating ineptitude in Colts games this year. Every week there seemed to be a new interpretation of the rulebook - whether concerning pass interference; unnecessary roughness and even simple defensive holding. The net effect of this ambiguity fatally skews the balance in favour of offense, given that the defender is wrought by indecision and calculations that he now has to try and make in a split second.

As if the challenge wasn't hard enough, the new attention to DPI has made covering receivers somewhat of an impossibility.  Example time - here's Vontae against the Chiefs.

If you've read this column with any regularity this year, you know that I wasn't always Bruce Arians' biggest fan. As a head coach, I questioned his lack of aggression, along with his decision making on 3rd and 4th downs, and his usage of timeouts and challenges. As an offensive coordinator, I loved his willingness to go deep, but grew frustrated with the resulting hits to his QB - I desperately wanted him to develop a short and intermediate game to go along with the vertical attack.

And as the season ended and Arians' name was thrown out there as a hot commodity in head coaching searches, I was not-so-secretly okay with him moving on. But as the season ended, as I had time to digest what I had watched, what the Colts had been able to do, I started getting mixed feelings. I really did love the vertical aspects of Arians offense, his connection with the players on the roster was undeniable, and, most importantly, I had some major fear of the unknown. There are some seriously bad OC candidates out there, and some of them have ties to Pagano, and, oh, forget it: I was afraid they would hire Cam Cameron. 

In the end, when I got down to it, the nits I was picking with Bruce Arians weren't to make him a good coordinator, they were to make him a darn near perfect one. Maybe my standards are too high.