The fact that the AFC stormed back in the second half to defeat the NFC by one point meant that Sunday’s Pro Bowl wasn’t half bad as a contest, but let’s face it: Who cares? Fortunately, the fightin’ Brees boys were on hand to provide the NFL’s annually anticlimactic all-star game with some quality entertainment.
The three young sons of Drew Brees also provided the Pro Bowl one of its more jarring hits. Baylen Brees, the Saints quarterback’s oldest boy, may not exactly have inspired thoughts of Sean Taylor, but he put a pretty good lick on his sibling Callen — interrupting his ESPN sideline interview in the process.
Drew Brees' kid just earned Defensive Rookie of the Year on the sideline pic.twitter.com/3rcdaZZ3Lp
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) January 28, 2018
Baylen, 9, was not upset because his brothers were getting into a scrap — Brees, who was on hand for the whole spectacle, explained that they always do that — but because five-year-old Callen had spilled onto the field while play was underway in the second quarter. Brees confirmed to ESPN’s Lisa Salters that Callen, who had been going at it with 7-year-old Bowen, was “about to get into big trouble” for his breach of sideline etiquette.
Drew Brees' kids went at it on the sideline and then they got a talking to from Dad pic.twitter.com/PSylkNIeTB
— SB Nation (@SBNation) January 28, 2018
“The boys were just like a WWE wrestling match on the sideline,” Brees said after the game, won by the AFC, 24-23. “They hit the ground, I think, more times than everybody out there combined. … They loved every second of it.”
The kids weren’t the only ones loving it, as they were a hit on social media. Before breaking off the interview with Salters, Baylen had been talking about excited he was to have met some NFL stars and to have helped in practice as a ballboy, all while his younger brothers stole the show with their delightfully roughhouse antics.
The Brees Boys stealing the show on the #ProBowl sidelines.
: ESPN pic.twitter.com/Mw9RhyTXlH
— NFL (@NFL) January 28, 2018
Pro Bowl halftime score:
NFC – 20
AFC – 3
Brees Boys – 30 (10 for entertainment, 10 for execution, 10 for form)— John DeShazier (@JohnDeShazier) January 28, 2018
The only good part of the Pro Bowl was the Brees' boys beating the snot out of each other on live TV
— Ted Perry (@Fox6TedPerry) January 28, 2018
1 of the biggest hits of Pro Bowl was the Brees Boys. They NEVER stopped moving – dad’s quote, “They don’t understand time or place.” @drewbrees told me this 11th Pro Bowl was his favorite for that reason-the boys at those great ages where what dad does has truly sunk in. pic.twitter.com/wgDB25Ia4A
— Laura Okmin (@LauraOkmin) January 29, 2018
Naturally, that wasn’t the only time the Brees boys got into it, as cameras caught a later moment that involved Callen appearing to try to spin himself into dizziness while wearing his dad’s helmet. Another helmeted Saint, wide receiver Michael Thomas, got into the mischievous swing of things by showed up to photobomb a family photo.
Drew Brees' kids are the real MVPs. pic.twitter.com/ln1pXzA0uZ
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 28, 2018
Brees was the NFC’s starting quarterback, and while he played sparingly, he also, as is his wont, played well, completing 7 of 9 passes for 66 yards and a touchdown that staked his side to an early lead. The AFC eventually fought back, but the best fighting spirit by far was shown by the New Orleans star’s trio of rambunctious tykes.
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