Anyone looking to watch hard-hitting football should've tuned in to a dating show instead of the Pro Bowl ... so says ex-NFL star Shawne Merriman, who tells TMZ Sports he was blown away after watching "Bachelor" contestants duke it out on the gridiron.
In case you missed it, Lights Out and Antonio Gates coached up Zach Shallcross' ladies for a full-contact football game (dubbed the "Bachelor Bowl") during last week's episode ... with the winning team getting extra time with the bachelor.
We spoke with Merriman about his appearance on the popular show ... and he says he was shocked to find out the ladies were going to play REAL football.
"I thought it was gonna be like a two-hand touch, flag football kinda thing," Shawne told us in Phoenix. "I had no idea it was like a real game."
Of course, the NFL recently decided to switch the annual Pro Bowl to a flag football format ... which has fans split on whether it's as entertaining.
One thing's for sure -- Merriman says anyone tuning in to "Bachelor" got their fix of big hits and brutal blows.
"The Bachelor game was more physical than the Pro Bowl, which is crazy!!"
Merriman said he got to know all the women competing for Zach's love ... and admits "he's gonna have a problem" because every candidate is a great pick.
"He's gonna have a real issue."
Shawne -- who went to three Pro Bowls during his career -- went into detail about the NFL's all-star game ... and he said the event simply isn't as big of a deal as it used to be.
"It's unfortunate," Merriman said. "I hate to sound old school or sound like one of the older guys, but when we went to the Pro Bowl, it meant something. You wanted to showcase your talent. You were the best at that position."
Merriman says he could see the event getting canned altogether ... which is pretty sad because it used to be such a special time of the season.