NEW YORK, NEW YORK
It is quite an experience to sit in the same stadium on consecutive days and see 2 games of football with four different teams. Only in New York! Well, actually it is New Jersey, East Rutherford, New Jersey to be specific.
On Saturday, Met Life Stadium was decked out in green. The New York Jets were hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars. Have to admit I felt quite comfortable that night! Green is the color. Then on Sunday Giant blue came out. The Indianapolis Colts and the New York Giants went at it. Both nights I parked in the same lot. Walked up to the same Media entrance and was greeted by the same pleasant lady. Once entering the building the staff was obviously different but it is the same venue. The color of the tail gaiters outside the stadium changed but the smell of the barbecues was the same. Quite an experience.
Same end zone, top Saturday, bottom Sunday
I also stayed in the shadows of the stadium. That gave me a wonderful view of the Manhattan skyline. I am very fascinated by cities and buildings. Manhattan is quite something. It is a city like no other.
Nobody cares about the outcomes of these games. Fans have fun for a while, then leave in the third quarter. But it is an evaluation process for both the NFL as well as the CFL. There are always several NFL scouts doing advance scouting on the teams they will soon be playing. They look at such things as player substitutions, FG get off times and of course personnel. Us CFL types are keying in on the ‘bubble guys’. And as the clock ticks down, we are feverishly typing our notes to add to the information that has been gathered in the film room or from the practice field of NFL camps. At times it gets pretty crazy when all your guys are in the game.
I took some time to go to the Big City. When I was walking on the East side of Manhattan I spotted a Saskatchewan Roughrider cap. I made a beeline directly to the gentleman wearing the cap and introduced myself. I found out the Francouer family are on a 10 day vacation in New York and are from Saskatoon. They of course are Rider fans. You see Rider gear all over. Green is the color!
The Francouer family-Greg, Paige, Cheryl, and Grayson. Love the Blue Jay cap!
My next stop was back to the city of Baltimore to see another pre-season game featuring the reigning Super Bowl Champs. While in the press box I saw Jon Gruden going over his notes for the broadcast on ESPN. I went over and introduced myself and mentioned that I had worked with Bob Ackles. Bob used to tell us about the work ethic that Gruden had and I also mentioned that to Mr. Gruden. Gruden said Bob was a great man and thanked me for the kind words. He wished me good luck and then said ‘Go find some players!’
One more week!
Next up some CIS football. Love CIS football!
