Wednesday 31 October 2012

International Series 2012 - Better than Watching the Eagles!

Not many great days out start at 830am on a Sunday morning at Birmingham Moor Street, but the 28th October 2012 was an exception.  Not that I was feeling particularly joyous as I boarded the Chiltern (aka cheap but slow) train to Marylebone.  2 hours, 3 coffees, a few chapters of Scott Mariani's new book and a Frank Turner playlist later, I was in London and meeting up with my friend.
About half of Marylebone station appeared to be NFL fans and I clocked over 20 different team's jerseys whilst getting our tube tickets.  It seem strange to see so many different team colours at a one off sporting event, by the time we'd reached Wembley on the tube I'd completed a full set of 32 team jerseys and it was clear that the Patriots were going to have more fans then the "home team".  I've previously written about how it'd be great to really make the IS seem like a home game for the Rams (or whoever), but this year was always going to be difficult given the popularity of the Patriots in this country and the recent history of the sides.

The Pats popularity was in further evidence as we made our way to the Green Man, which was home to plenty of fans, a large marquee and a heavily populated UK Patriots tent.  I think it's fair to say that the "UK Jags" tent next year will be a bit more sparse!  As usual, the Green Man was an excellent host for the Great British Tailgate Party and full of friendly faces.  It also had beer at only £2.50 a bottle which seemed rather cheap for a Wembley game day.  After a couple of drinks and the first half of the Merseyside Derby, it was time to make our way to the official Tailgate to meet up with some British Eagles.

For a change, there wasn't a massive queue to get into the Tailgate, there were plenty of lanes and the security checks were brief and efficient.  Inside the Tailgate was another matter, the queues were so long it was making it difficult to walk around the site. It was a shame, because the range of food on offer was excellent.  The same couldn't be said for the beer, and one pint of overpriced, flat, Budweiser was enough for me.  By some miracle we managed to find a bench in the beer tent and met up with some of the British Eagles.  It was great to put some faces to names, although I was left feeling rather jealous as Matty had a sideline and changing room pass, whilst Ali had Club Wembley tickets.  Meanwhile, we had seats up in the rafters...grr.

Soon to was time to make our way to the seats in the aforementioned rafters.  Thankfully Wembley has plenty of escalators, otherwise we may have missed the first half!  One of the great aspects of Wembley is that you've got a great view from pretty much any seat.  We were about 10 rows from the back, but the view was still excellent.  Pre match band Train aren't exactly my cup of tea (Nor was the Wembley tea at £2.50!) but I have to admit they sounded good live.  Not having the onfield visual extravaganza of flags and cheerleaders (presumably due to the wet field) actually helped the band connect with the audience.

Welcome to the Cheap Seats
Sitting behind the EndZone means you can't be 100% certain if a short run has gained 2 or 3 yards, but the sideline markings make it pretty easy to guess.  Plus the PA was always quick to announce the result of the play.  The opening Rams drive ended with a spectacular 50 yard touchdown pass from Bradford to Givens and it genuinely felt like a Rams home game at that point.  We were out of our seats and the atmosphere was superb.  Sadly, that was as good as it got, and for the rest of the first half we were treated to a Tom Brady masterclass.  The scoreboard was keeping everyone informed of the Eagles latest disaster, although it sounded as if the Dolphins hammering of the Jets was the most popular score of the evening - not sure if that's a sign of the Fins popularity or evidence of how much people dislike the Jets at present!

NFL thrashings are never much fun, but at least we got to see an NFL all time great performing somewhere near his peak.  Brady was greatly aided by a strong offensive line, a lively running display from Steven Ridley and some unplayable receivers.  Rob Gronkowski in particular was looking unstoppable and even from the cheap seats, he looked like a cross between a lineman and a basketball player.  Despite the one sided nature of the game, I thoroughly enjoyed the first half.  It was my 4th IS game and comfortably the best standard of play I'd seen.

Unfortunately, the Rams weren't matching their rivals and their defence was getting a mauling.  It all meant that the second half was a bit of a non event. Sure, we got a couple more Pats TDs, but they were merely icing on the cake.  The Pats defence also stepped up in the second half and made a number of big plays.  Poor Sam Bradford was getting swamped on a regular basis and his O line was disintegrating in front of him.

By the start of the 4th quarter, the crowd was thinning out.  This is a common occurrence at NFL games and is in no way a poor reflection of UK fans.  The truth is that one sided NFL games fizzle out at an early stage - we get back up QBs, conservative plays and a plethora of punts. The plus side was that it meant that 84,000 people weren't leaving at the same time so getting away from the stadium was pretty easy.  We had time to catch some of the Cowboys-Giants game back at the Green Man before heading off into the night.

I'd rank the 6th IS game as my second favourite.  The Chargers-Saints epic will take some serious beating and the fact it was my first ever NFL game means it was a special occasion for me.  But this was up there, we met some great people, saw some brilliant play and generally had a really fun time. If you've never been to the Is then make sure you get to Wembley next year.  I'm hoping to get tickets for both games - I just hope that they end up being close contests!

Next year will certainly be a big test of how far the NFL has come in the UK.  2 games is going to be a challenge, particularly with the perennially poor Jaguars being one of the teams coming over. The Vikings Steelers clash will be the easier to sell, it looks like being a tough game to call, it will be played in September, so should be decent weather, plus both teams are well supported in the UK.  Ideally, all NFL games in the UK would feature match ups like this, but obviously getting 2 big sides to come over is a difficult task.  After all, if you sell out in the US why move a game to the UK?

It'd be great if the game could have more of a "home" feel for Jacksonville and it's important that NFLUK and Sky hype the Jags over the next 12 months.  It's great that they have committed to playing here for the next 4 years and they deserve our support in return.  Unfortunately, they are up against one of the best supported teams in the 49ers and will probably be big underdogs. A lot can change in the NFL so maybe it'll end up being a close contest, but as it stands it's not the most appealing of fixtures.  Of course, the die hard fans will go whoever is playing, but for the sake of converting more new fans it's vital that the game is well marketed and that the Jags put on a good show.

Personally, I'd be surprised if there was ever a franchise in the UK, but for the sake of teams wanting to come over here for fixtures we need to promote Wembley (or whenever) as being a strong home venue.  Somewhere where they will have an advantage and get strong support. I'd like to see the Jags name written in both the EndZones, only Jacksonville banners on the side of the stadium and for the franchise themselves to make every effort to connect with the UK audience.  Gestures to get the crowd going, spending some time in the UK, lots of PR activity etc.  The Rams did a reasonable job on this front, but more can be done.

We are really lucky to have NFL games in the UK, and to have 2 here next year is fantastic.  Now it's time to make the most of it and make sure it continues and gets even bigger!










Wednesday 24 October 2012

Ten Tips For a Great NFL International Series

This week is the highlight of the sporting year for thousands of sports fans in the UK.  Given that we've had the Olympics, Paralympics, European Championships and Ryder Cup this year, that's a pretty bold claim.  But for the hoards of NFL fans in this country the International Series at Wembley is what they look forward to all year.
The International Series is so much more than a game of football, it's a fantastic day out, a chance to meet fellow fans and is supplemented by plenty of other great events like the Tailgate party and the Fan Rally.  I've been to 3 previous IS games and have gradually learnt how to make the most of my time at the NFL, so here's my Top Ten Tips to ensure you have a great day out at the 2012 International Series:

1.  Get There Early!
The game doesn't start until 5pm, but try to get to Wembley late morning. This ensures you've got as much time as possible to enjoy the Tailgates, the bars , the food outlets and to just generally soak up the superb pre match atmosphere.  It also gives you the best chance of beating the crowds at the official Tailgate and getting a decent chance to grab some merchandise without having to queue for ages.

2.  Try to Arrive at Wembley Park
Wembley has it's fair share of critics.  Yes, it was absurdly expensive, massively delayed and is situated in one of the less salubrious areas of London.  But, as you emerge from the bowels of Wembley Park tube station, you cannot fail to be impressed by the grandeur of the stadium. The arch in particular is a magnificent site.  What's more, you are looking at it with Wembley Way in the foreground. Well worth spending a few minutes for a photo sessions.

3. Have a Stroll Down Wembley Way
Please note - This is to be done pre match!  The 500 yards or so from Wembley Park to the Stadium is one of the most famous pedestrianised roads in the country (Phrases you never read in an NFL blog No1!) and is great to get the metaphorical juices flowing.  You'll encounter plenty of other fans, as well as an assortment of colourful characters (i.e. crooks) pedalling some knock off merchandise.  So, if you fancy wearing a "New Egnland Patroits" scarf or a "St Louis Rams" hat, this is the place to be.

4. Visit the Great British Tailgate Party
In truth, I'm not a massive fan of the official Tailgate organised by the NFL.  2008 was fun with the Mardi Gras, but the other occasions have been pretty dull.  Lots of overpriced merchandise and food, plus massive queues and some variable entertainment.  Last season, we discovered the GBTP at the Green Man pub near the stadium and had a great time on the Sunday afternoon.  Wembley isn't blessed with great pubs, it's not even blessed with average ones, but the Green Man turns into an NFL stronghold once a year.  The pub has a large beer garden that is home to a fair sized marquee with plenty of merchandise and food stalls (including a lovely spit roast (Phrases you never read in an NFL blog No2).  Plus, you'll be surrounded by hoards of friendly NFL fans, and if round ball football is your thing you can watch the afternoons Premier League action.  This was particularly good fun last year thanks to Man Utd 1 Man City 6!
The pub is only a 5-10 minute walk from the stadium and is open post match until 1am.

5.  Try to catch the Pre Match Entertainment
Even if the Prematch band aren't your thing  - and Train certainly aren't my thing! - it's well worth getting into the ground at least 30 minutes before kick off.  The NFL knows how to put on a show and the fireworks, dancing and general visual extravaganza are another great photo opportunity.  It's not exactly Danny Boyle and won't have you marvelling at the subtlety, but it certainly looks impressive!

6. Support the Rams
Probably best for Patriots fans to bypass this section!
If you support one of the other 31 franchises then I'd urge you to help make the occasion feel like a Rams home game.  There are usually flags provided on every seat, plus the obligatory PA propaganda.  They will be the underdogs, and it'll create a fantastic atmosphere if we all get behind them.  Plus, nobody likes the Patriots do they?  Also, a fervent "home" atmosphere will send a great message to other franchises and encourage them to want to play over here.

7. Don't start/join in with a Mexican Wave
In the unlikely event I get invited onto Room 101, I'll be sending the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, the Stereophonics and Swindon to the Orwellian nightmare.  I'd also be condemning the Mexican Wave and anyone who starts one.  For a start, it gives the impression that the game is dull and people are bored.  That may well be the case, but try and encourage the players rather than demonstrate how bored you are.  Even booing at least indicates you're watching!
It's also really irritating when everyone in front of you stands up every 30 seconds. Usually accompanied by feet stomping and a "whoooh" that sounds like you're at a boy band gig (So I'm told!).  Boycott the Wave!

8.  Don't Bother with the Food and Drink in the Stadium
Unless of course, you're a fan of microwave pizza slices and flat Carlsberg.  All at 2035 prices!  Luckily, there are more than enough food and drink options outside of the stadium for this not to be a problem.

9.  Stay til the End!
The Patriots will be favourites but in the last 2 weeks you've thrown away 10 point leads in the 4th Quarter.  Against the Seahawks, it lead to an inglorious defeat, but against the Jets it ended in an Overtime victory.  This isn't the Patriots we've come to know over the years and they are showing plenty of signs of vulnerability this season.
The Rams are a work in progress, but there are clear sign of progress. Finnegan and Jenkins are an excellent CB tandem, Jackson and Richardson give them a solid ground game and Sam Bradford is showing flashes of developing into a bonafide NFL QB.  St Louis needs a signature win to rubber stamp their improvement, and Wembley would be a great place to do it.

10.  Stick Around After the Game
If nothing else, it means you avoid the misery of Wembley Way!  If you're on a high post match, then standing around for an hour in the cold, whilst moving at a snails pace is a sure fire way of getting you back down to Earth.  In previous years, I've been part of this misery, and followed it up with a midnight train ride back to Birmingham.  This year we're opting for a few post match drinks before getting a taxi to our hotel. It means we can watch the Cowboys-Giants game, discuss the Wembley game and chat to even more NFL fans.  All of which sounds far more preferable to being herded around like cattle and will make an excellent end to a fantastic day.



There you have it, it's just what I'd recommend for a great day out, it's a once a year event (Although twice next year!) so make the most of it and if you see a man in an Eagles t-shirt in Block 509 or at the Green Man, come and say hello.  Just don't ask me to join in with the Mexican Wave!

Thursday 18 October 2012

Just like Watching the Gills! Lions 26 Eagles 23

For years, supporting Gillingham Football Club has been a stressful, frustrating and largely disappointing experience.  I've sat through plenty of heavy defeats at the hands of mediocre opponents, as well as watching us throw away leads on a regular basis.  Even the most casual of football fans is familiar with our stunning Play Off Final defeat to Man City in 1999 - 2-0 up with just seconds to play, we managed to concede 2 goals and wound up losing on penalties.  A string of poor players and even poorer managers, plus the occasional moments of glory (A promotion in 2009) have been the story of my Gills supporting life.  The team have a very clever knack of conceding late goals and turning simple victories into agonizing draws and defeats.  Worst of all, the majority of games have been exceedingly dull, and it's only threw a perverse sense of obligation that I've carried on going.

Tactical Genius
Then, this summer, something changed.  Along came Martin Allen with a few new players, hilarious press conferences and some "interesting" ideas.  Suddenly Saturday afternoons are a pleasurable experience, full of exciting play, excellent goals and, most importantly, victories.  The season is only a quarter of the way done, but the Gills are sitting proudly on top of the league and it feels great to be a fan.  Everything is looking rosy ....and then we get to the Philadelphia Eagles.

This is my first season supporting the Eagles (For any new readers this is why) and so far they are doing a pretty good job in replacing the "misery gap" in my supporting life.  Close, stressful games, terrible management and heartbreaking defeats have been the story of the season.  In fact, the errors besetting the Eagles are almost identical to those suffered by the Gills over the years.  It's as if they've filled in the void created by the Gills excellent form.

As sport's fans, we love to wallow in our misery and misfortune. Even supporters of Manchester Utd or Barcelona will find things to moan about. The away draw becomes a source of disappointment, the red card the start of a crisis and the penalty conceded is a reason to ring up 606 and whinge about referees.  It's the same in the NFL, my Twitter feed is full of negative comments.  Last Sunday I had loads of tweets from Falcons fans complaining about Matt Ryan and the fact they weren't stuffing the Raiders.  The team have a 100% record for Christ's sake, why can't fans just be happy?

Supporting a team is a chance to let off some steam and the best way to do that is via negative emotions.  Bad week at work? Don't shout at the boss, let your team's Quarterback have it instead!  Fell out with the girlfriend?  Nothing a few screams at a ref won't fix.

I'm no different. It's not a conscious effort to be negative about supporting the Eagles and Gills, but it's just that I (like most people) use my supporting life to vent my spleen.  A successful period for the Gills is nicely offset by the misfiring Eagles.  Instead of moaning at Andy Hessanthaler and various sub standard footballers, I get annoyed at Michael Vick and Andy Reid.

This week's game against the Lions was a prime example of how frustrating the Eagles can be.  After an error laden first half went largely unpunished by a distinctly average Detroit team, the Eagles improved considerably in the second half.  So much so, that when Jeremy Maclin scored a 70 yard touchdown we were 10 points up, with only a few minutes remaining.  That's when the "spirit of Wembley 1999" kicked in and a seemingly unassailable lead was turned into a soul destroying defeat.  This time the ingredients were an inexplicable change in the defensive scheme, some absurd offensive play calling and an offensive line that were completely unable to stop the rush.

Still we managed to reach Overtime and by virtue of winning the coin toss we had the first chance to score.  What happened next was a truly catastrophic period of possession which saw us make a grand total of -21 yards in 3 plays before punting the ball away and giving the Lions excellent field position.  From which they duly went on to win the game.

After Maclin's touchdown, I made the fatal error of thinking the game was done.  No way could we lose from here!  Having done my research on the history of the Eagles I should have known better.  Perhaps I should be thankful that they've allowed me to let some steam off now the Gills are winning regularly, but at present it doesn't feel great being an Eagles fan.


Luckily enough, this week is the Eagles bye week, so no Sunday misery for me in Week 7. Instead Ill be able to watch the fixtures and enjoy them.  Which given the last 2 Eagle's debacles will make a nice change.
Next week, I'll be looking ahead to the International Series and how the sport is developing in the UK

Thursday 11 October 2012

Sky's Limits! Eagles 14 Steelers 16

Week 5 represented the Eagles first appearance on Sky Sports this season.  Coming off the back of an excellent victory over the Giants, it seemed to be a great chance for the Eagles to put on a show in front of a UK TV audience...hmmm we'll get to that in a bit!

Love it or hate it, Sky Sports NFL coverage is a prime reason for the growth of the NFL in the UK. Their Sunday night coverage has been a staple of UK fans viewing for years and they've supplemented it with programmes such as Total Access and America's Game.  Of course, the likes of ESPN, Channel 4 and the Beeb have dipped their toes, but it's Sky that have led the way in broadcasting the NFL in this country.

The Sunday night set up has been largely the same since I started watching the NFL 6 years ago.  The only major change has been Neil Reynolds replacing Nick Halling as lead analyst.  The Halling-Reynolds switch didn't go down too well with a lot of fans who missed Halling's infectious enthusiasm and found Reynolds a bit too drab for their liking.  I do miss Halling and can't really take to him as a boxing commentator, but I've no real problem with Reynolds.  My Sunday night twitter feed is full of people disagreeing with his opinions, but that doesn't make him a bad pundit.  Reynolds isn't an ex-player so is limited in his "insight", but he does stick his neck out and if I don't agree with a lot of what he says then that's fine.  It's preferable to the non committal analysis that blights coverage of soccer in this country.

The Reynolds-Halling switch aside, you could be forgiven for thinking you were watching coverage from 2006 most of the time. Even the rota of studio guests is largely the same, some of them are very good (Cecil Martin) and some don't really offer much (David Tuckman)., the format of the show is unflinching and at the head of it all is Kevin Cadle.

I like Cadle, in the same way that I liked Richard Whiteley on Countdown.  He's clearly not going to win any awards for his presenting style, but despite the frequent factual errors, missing of cues and stumbles, I do find him entertaining.  Or maybe it's because of those errors!

Sky have a difficult task in pitching their coverage at the right level for a sport that is growing in the UK.  Make it too analytical and people new to the game switch off.  Make it too simple and long term fans get bored.  In this regard, Sky get it about right.  We get some technical analysis, but in the main it's easy enough to understand for even the newest of NFL followers.

However, I do feel that Sky could do with revamping the coverage a bit.  A new studio, a couple of fresh faces, maybe even a change of style.  As the sport grows in the UK, then surely the coverage should develop.  Use the 30 minutes prior to kick off for some in depth analysis of the upcoming game, the midweek show that currently features highlights from 2 matches could be extended into a "Match of the Day" type programme with all the touchdowns and some analysis of the key moments.  Also, it'd be good to have more features  - probably at half time - on the development of the sport in the UK.  They sometimes cover the BritBowl, but what about the various fan clubs for franchises and the links they have developed, or the work that goes into making the International Series such a big event.  And for new fans, a short feature focusing on an aspect of the game - eg blitzes or draw plays.  It's not a radical upheaval, but just a few things to keep the programming fresh and relevant for all fans.

Anyway, back to Week 5 and Michael Vick was  - deservedly! - getting a pummelling from the studio for a couple of fumbles early on.  I do think that the Eagles are a steady QB away from being a SuperBowl contender.  They don't even need an elite talent there, just a Schaub, Smith or Flacco type to run the offence and not turn the ball over.  Luckily, Vick's fumbles weren't being capitalized on and the Eagles defence were holding firm.  This meant a pretty drab first half and most of the studio chat revolved around other games.  Usually this is a bit annoying as I feel that they should be focusing on the game in hand (after all, it's easy enough for fans of other teams to keep track of their sides score), however, Vick aside, there really was nothing much to discuss.

Things picked up in the second half and the Eagles finally got some drives together, but the slow starts are blighting the season.  There was a crushing inevitability about the Steelers game winning drive, and in truth we didn't deserve to win.  At the final whistle, it was back to the studio for the expert views.  Except that it was time for Brady v Manning so the Eagles and Steelers were quickly put on the shelf.

This is a bit of a tricky one for Sky, as the NFL scheduling means that there is hardly ever any time between the early and late games.  The late game finishes at around the same time as the Channel 4 game game starts, so the window for detailed post game analysis is very small.  Another reason why a more detailed midweek show what be a good idea.  The game is growing in the UK, and the fans deserve coverage that mirrors that growth.

And if anybody from Sky TV is reading this, I am available at a very reasonable rate!


Wednesday 3 October 2012

It's Short! Giants 17 Eagles 19

Building up a love for the Eagles is one thing, but building up a hatred for other teams is somewhat more difficult.  After all, I've got no real reason to dislike, in this case, the New York Giants, aside from the fact that they play in the same Division as Philadelphia...and that's hardly a crime! It makes beating them doubly important, but it's still no reason to particularly dislike them.

It so happens, that the Giants are one of the teams that I illogically don't like much.  Maybe it's Eli Manning's dullard persona and Tom Coughlin's remonstrating with officials - which reminds me of an elderly man explaining to his local councilor that there are too many foreigners on the estate.  Whatever it is, the Giants are a team I don't care much for, but I don't feel the hatred and rivalry that other Eagles fans feel.  Hopefully, a few Divisional matches will soon rectify that.
"They come over here"

Having said that, this encounter wasn't especially fiery.  The returning officials helped and there were none of the mass brawls that were liberally scattered throughout the first 3 weeks of the season.  Also, it wasn't a particularly noisy crowd, in fact I thought the atmosphere at the Week 2 Ravens game was better.  Nonetheless, it was an enthralling game that ebbed and flowed like all good NFL match-ups.

The key for the Eagles was that we didn't turn the ball over, Vick was solid throughout and his decision making was massively better than in previous games.  We also used LeSean McCoy more in the second half and he did what he does best.  It felt like a more controlled game all round from the offence.  More of the same will see us win plenty more games this season.

The Defence played as they have done all year, gave very little away. There are a few concerns over the coverage on kick returns, but Alex Henery was immaculate on field goals and it was the most satisfied I've felt after an Eagles game this season.

We also had the 3rd close finish of the season and the 3rd time the Eagles have prevailed.  this time it was due to a short field goal following a Pass Interference call. Supporting the Eagles certainly isn't doing much for my stress levels.

However, I couldn't really summon much hatred for the Giants. There wasn't a big  "incident" in the game to stoke the fire, there wasn't even much red mist from Coughlin.  In truth, the game didn't really have the feel of a rivalry match up. But you know what?  I don't really care! There are a few teams that Gillingham have a rivalry with and I've never been able to summon up much hatred for them.  I'm more interested in my team keeping their own house in order and I don't particularly care who it is they beat.  It may be different when we play the Cowboys, but for now I just want the Eagles to win whenever they play.

The next 2 weeks see the Eagles appearing on Sky's NFL coverage, so as well as looking at the Eagles  game, I'll also be reviewing Sky's big game coverage.

I'm now off to find out some reasons why I should despise the Giants!