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**The NFL Thread**


Sterling Archer

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1 hour ago, alwaysthereinspirit said:

The difference right off the bat is the distance between most "rival" teams. Not many fans travel like we do in Europe. Scotland is small so road travel for the most part is easy. New England to California is close to 6 hours flying. You're just not going to have thousands of travelling fans. Most seats are held by season ticket holders so large swaths of seats are not available for visiting fans to congregate. If you do go you're pretty much on your own. All it takes is one drunk home fan and it gets awkward. Tailgating also means hours of drinking prior to entering the stadium for home fans, not travelling fans. Not always a good combination for idiots who cant handle their drink. Its just not the same as we're all used to at home. Most disturbances as always are related to drink.

All the more reason for their to be intimidation of away fans!

 

I used to sit in a section of the Texans stadium where you would normally get a smattering of away fans. Only did the exceedingly annoying and mouthy get into any bother. I often lamented that it wasn’t hostile enough for the away fans. 

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Is there segregation or anything at NFL games? Always thought it was funny that whenever you see them on TV the fans in opposing tops all seem to be sitting together. Probably be good for the atmosphere if you're a relatively neutral like me but for the hardcore it must be a bit strange. Couldn't quite see that working for games vs Hibs or the old firm at Tynie somehow :rofl:

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3 hours ago, Simo said:

Is there segregation or anything at NFL games? Always thought it was funny that whenever you see them on TV the fans in opposing tops all seem to be sitting together. Probably be good for the atmosphere if you're a relatively neutral like me but for the hardcore it must be a bit strange. Couldn't quite see that working for games vs Hibs or the old firm at Tynie somehow :rofl:

 

No -- foreign concept in the US.  There's often an "away" section where tickets are sold in blocks but it's common that away fans scatter throughout the stadium.

 

The advice I always heard about going to see a game in Philadelphia was to keep your jersey covered until you've made a few friends around you, then don't be an arsehole, and you won't get beer poured on you.

 

Comparisons to the OF are off base IMO.  Nothing nastier at a Philadelphia event than you'd get at an Edinburgh derby -- LOTS of foul language, taunting, singing, very occasional throwing of objects, but nobody singing about being up to their knees in blood for that matter...

 

And Philadelphia may have a bad reputation, but there is NO region anywhere in North America with anywhere near as high a proportion of complete and total jackasses as New England. Nowhere else even comes close.

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4 hours ago, Ugly American said:

 

No -- foreign concept in the US.  There's often an "away" section where tickets are sold in blocks but it's common that away fans scatter throughout the stadium.

 

The advice I always heard about going to see a game in Philadelphia was to keep your jersey covered until you've made a few friends around you, then don't be an arsehole, and you won't get beer poured on you.

 

Comparisons to the OF are off base IMO.  Nothing nastier at a Philadelphia event than you'd get at an Edinburgh derby -- LOTS of foul language, taunting, singing, very occasional throwing of objects, but nobody singing about being up to their knees in blood for that matter...

I’m not convinced Edinburgh derbies are much less nasty than OF derbies. Smaller scale, in terms of attendees and press coverage, but plenty of vitriol in the ground and incidents around the town before/after. 

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Slightly on topic but I’m planning a trip to the States in 2019 to take in a few games in various cities.

 

Whats the feeling in wearing a “neutral” jersey to the game? Would this be frowned upon/attract hassle?

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2 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

Slightly on topic but I’m planning a trip to the States in 2019 to take in a few games in various cities.

 

Whats the feeling in wearing a “neutral” jersey to the game? Would this be frowned upon/attract hassle?

Personally always thought folk who did that looked like knobs (why would you were an Aberdeen strip to an Edinburgh derby, for example), but plenty do it and I would doubt you would get any hassle. 

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luckyBatistuta
22 minutes ago, Peebo said:

Personally always thought folk who did that looked like knobs (why would you were an Aberdeen strip to an Edinburgh derby, for example), but plenty do it and I would doubt you would get any hassle. 

 

Does this mean I’m going to look like a knob in my Colts top at the Brewhemia Super Bowl party :(

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2 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

Does this mean I’m going to look like a knob in my Colts top at the Brewhemia Super Bowl party :(

Nope. Because you will be in a pub full of people who like watching the NFL, rather than attending a competitive game between two teams.

 

And more importantly, I won’t be there to judge you! 

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luckyBatistuta
1 minute ago, Peebo said:

Nope. Because you will be in a pub full of people who like watching the NFL, rather than attending a competitive game between two teams.

 

And more importantly, I won’t be there to judge you! 

 

:laugh:  Don’t think I’d notice anyway, as we’ve got table service, so I’ll probably be well gone by kickoff 

 

I can’t imagine wearing my top to any live NFL game other than London games, or a Colts game.

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alwaysthereinspirit
14 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

Does this mean I’m going to look like a knob in my Colts top at the Brewhemia Super Bowl party :(

"will I look like a knob in my Colts top, will I look like a knob in my Colts top" ;) Its kinda a loaded question.

Just kidding. You'll be fine in a pub with probably 30 odd other team shirts. Have fun.

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I used to have a season ticket behind some guy who wore a Steelers cap along with his Texans shirt. Probably the biggest arsehole I’ve ever encountered in my sport-watching career. And I’ve encountered a lot. 

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1 hour ago, Peebo said:

Personally always thought folk who did that looked like knobs (why would you were an Aberdeen strip to an Edinburgh derby, for example), but plenty do it and I would doubt you would get any hassle. 

 

Similarly to the nature of the discussion above, I guess it's just a different supporter culture over there.

 

I hadn't planned on wearing a Lions top but just wondered what the general consensus would be had I worn one.

 

We're likely going to be going to 3 of Boston, New York, Washington, Philly and Baltimore for ease of travel. Basically whatever week throws up home games in those cities on Thurs/Sun/Mon.

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luckyBatistuta
25 minutes ago, alwaysthereinspirit said:

"will I look like a knob in my Colts top, will I look like a knob in my Colts top" ;) Its kinda a loaded question.

Just kidding. You'll be fine in a pub with probably 30 odd other team shirts. Have fun.

 

I shouldn’t laugh, but go on then :laugh:

20 minutes ago, Peebo said:

I used to have a season ticket behind some guy who wore a Steelers cap along with his Texans shirt. Probably the biggest arsehole I’ve ever encountered in my sport-watching career. And I’ve encountered a lot. 

 

What is it with a lot of Americans, that they have two and even sometimes three teams, strange behaviour.

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14 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

I shouldn’t laugh, but go on then :laugh:

 

What is it with a lot of Americans, that they have two and even sometimes three teams, strange behaviour.

 

I met a guy at the Giants/Rams game last season.

 

Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, resides and has an Arizona season ticket....but supports the Giants.

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16 minutes ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I met a guy at the Giants/Rams game last season.

 

Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, resides and has an Arizona season ticket....but supports the Giants.

Understandable (to some extent), given the vast distances involved. Not surprising some get attached to local teams. My wife is a Patriots fan, as she and her family come from Boston. But she is also a Texans fan (and they would be her number one), as she lived in Houston and worked at their stadium for years.

 

She would not dream of going to a Texans game wearing a Patriots shirt, though (or vice versa). 

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J.T.F.Robertson
2 hours ago, hmfc_liam06 said:

 

I met a guy at the Giants/Rams game last season.

 

Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, resides and has an Arizona season ticket....but supports the Giants.

 

There was a Giants' fan took a photie of us at the finish of the Steelers / Bengals game we were at recently. Turned out he was on a business trip and we only found out when we spoke to him afterwards. (nae Giants' shirt on)

 

 

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8 hours ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

Does this mean I’m going to look like a knob in my Colts top at the Brewhemia Super Bowl party :(

 

At least in the US going to the bar with a team jersey on is extremely common, particularly at "neutral" bars where lots of fans of out-of-town teams congregate. It's good for finding your corner with your fellow fans or generating banter. 

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J.T.F.Robertson
5 hours ago, Ugly American said:

 

At least in the US going to the bar with a team jersey on is extremely common, particularly at "neutral" bars where lots of fans of out-of-town teams congregate. It's good for finding your corner with your fellow fans or generating banter. 

 

Same up here. Never any bother.

 

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Normally watch the Superbowl in the house, heading out this year. Any one know of anywhere decent that is showing it in Edinburgh? Late license preferably so i can have a few tipples obviously.

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luckyBatistuta
On 25/01/2018 at 11:21, broony1985 said:

Normally watch the Superbowl in the house, heading out this year. Any one know of anywhere decent that is showing it in Edinburgh? Late license preferably so i can have a few tipples obviously.

 

On 20/01/2018 at 12:38, Louis Litt said:

Brewhemia have a Superbowl party, organised by the Edinburgh Wolves team, with tickets costing £5 each.

 

I got tickets for this after Louis recommendation. They’ve got a fiver off the centre tables at the moment and you get table service too, cost me a £10

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On 25/01/2018 at 11:21, broony1985 said:

Normally watch the Superbowl in the house, heading out this year. Any one know of anywhere decent that is showing it in Edinburgh? Late license preferably so i can have a few tipples obviously.

 

 

I'm heading to whistle stop barber shop

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9 hours ago, ri Alban said:

XFL back in 2020? 

 

Vince McMahon managed to chucked $30 million of NBC's money the first time around. I'd say if you lose that kind of money you don't get a second chance, but Donald Trump is President so  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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19 minutes ago, BigCGilmour said:

Never watched pro bowl before! What's with all the sh!te rules like no blitzing, team formation etc?

It’s an absolutely laughable spectacle. 

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On 27/01/2018 at 19:01, MacPhee said:

 

 

I'm heading to whistle stop barber shop

Was a farce in there last year. Booked tables where you couldn't see the tv. Tvs in different parts of the bar which were 30 seconds behind other parts, meaning you heard a cheer from the people watching the tv which was ahead and knew something was about to happen before you saw it. We left at half time.

Spoiler
Spoiler

 

 

 

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Just now, Sooperstar said:

Was a farce in there last year. Booked tables where you couldn't see the tv. Tvs in different parts of the bar which were 30 seconds behind other parts, meaning you heard a cheer from the people watching the tv which was ahead and knew something was about to happen before you saw it. We left at half time.

  Hide contents
  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

Hopefully they have learned from the shambles last year mate

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luckyBatistuta
29 minutes ago, Sooperstar said:

Was a farce in there last year. Booked tables where you couldn't see the tv. Tvs in different parts of the bar which were 30 seconds behind other parts, meaning you heard a cheer from the people watching the tv which was ahead and knew something was about to happen before you saw it. We left at half time.

  Hide contents
  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

 

 

Brewhemia seating, centre seating tables were £10, with table service

59214D40-FB47-43DB-8411-F168E4C1D551.png

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6 hours ago, Sooperstar said:

Wouldn't waste a 2nd on the Pro Bowl. Should be scrapped.

 

It's a perfectly fine event that has no business whatsoever being on TV in any shape or form. It's an honor for the players and they get a trip to Hawaii (or at least they used to until the ever money-hungry NFL moved it to Orlando this year, but still....)  The game is basically a giant pick-up game where they're all having fun and goofing off. If you're in Hawaii or Florida or wherever they are and fancy a day out watching some of the greatest stars in the NFL monkey around on a football field, it's a nice day in the warm sun in January. 

 

Absolutely no use whatsoever in putting it on TV. Painful viewing.

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11 hours ago, Sooperstar said:

Wouldn't waste a 2nd on the Pro Bowl. Should be scrapped.

WTF was wrong with my head yesterday?! A '2nd'? Yesterday me was an imbecile.

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12 hours ago, BigCGilmour said:

Never watched pro bowl before! What's with all the sh!te rules like no blitzing, team formation etc?

Nobody wants to get hurt.

 

It's just a money-making showcase really...

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On 1/24/2018 at 13:07, luckyBatistuta said:

 

What is it with a lot of Americans, that they have two and even sometimes three teams, strange behaviour.

 

I asked a lassie (from salt Lake City) I met at Christmas time about franchises who change cities and do the old fans follow the team name or do the old fans find a geographically nearer alternative. The question arose because of Utah Jazz - I had never recalled Utah being a hotbed of that musical genre, only to discover they'd originated in, unsurprisingly, New Orleans.

 

Wish I could remember her answer... :lol:

 

I guess the Colts/Ravens fans could answer this one?

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luckyBatistuta
10 minutes ago, Boof said:

 

I asked a lassie (from salt Lake City) I met at Christmas time about franchises who change cities and do the old fans follow the team name or do the old fans find a geographically nearer alternative. The question arose because of Utah Jazz - I had never recalled Utah being a hotbed of that musical genre, only to discover they'd originated in, unsurprisingly, New Orleans.

 

Wish I could remember her answer... :lol:

 

I guess the Colts/Ravens fans could answer this one?

 

Colts is all about Indianapolis for me, as that’s where they’ve been since I’ve followed them. It’s just funny when some of the  folk who are here on holiday from the US and I’ve asked them this question, they rattle off three teams they follow. I’ll let you know how folk in Indy feel, after I’ve been to Lucas Oil this year.

 

McDaniels it is for us now, happy with that, but still a bit apprehensive. He’s got plenty of salary cap space to play with, so that’s one bonus, just hope Luck is back and 100%. Hopefully now a bit older and wiser than when he was at Denver and it’s also a slightly different role at the Colts.

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Jeez - just reading a tiny bit of the history...it's nuts!!!

 

Baltimore Colts ended in 1983 becoming Indianapolis Colts for 1984

Cleveland Browns kept their identity and went into hibernation but lost pretty much everything else in 1996 when their owner took the players, coaches, Aggie the tea-lady etc to Baltimore to become the Ravens.

The Browns emerged from hibernation in 1998/9 to take up their name and again and recommence playing. (Not all that successfully, it would appear)

 

 

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1 hour ago, Boof said:

 

I asked a lassie (from salt Lake City) I met at Christmas time about franchises who change cities and do the old fans follow the team name or do the old fans find a geographically nearer alternative. The question arose because of Utah Jazz - I had never recalled Utah being a hotbed of that musical genre, only to discover they'd originated in, unsurprisingly, New Orleans.

 

Wish I could remember her answer... :lol:

 

I guess the Colts/Ravens fans could answer this one?

 

Most are loyal to the local team. Media in the US are far more localized than they are in the UK where most of the outlets are either national to the UK or local to Scotland, so it's quite difficult to follow a team from a distance. That's changing with satellite and streaming services and cable packages, but for the most part fans are fans of the city, not the franchise.

 

Particularly in instances like the Colts or the Ravens, the Colts ownership were seen as traitors and quitters on Baltimore, likewise the Browns-turned-Ravens.  The latter are an interesting case because they really started the trend of leaving the name, colors, and records behind in the former city which has now become the norm. In order to move from a city which was clearly deliriously obsessed with the Browns, Art Model had to walk away from the Otto Graham teams and the Bernie Kosar years, which were then mothballed for a new franchise to assume.  The Hornets went to New Orleans and took the name despite calls for it to stay, but after sexually harassing creepmonster George Shin finally up and sold them, the new owner sold the name and Charlotte-based history rights back to Michael Jordan and the newly created Charlotte Bobcats switched back to being the Hornets.

 

A very select few let their fandom follow to the new city, but no more than a handful generally. As I mentioned upthread, Baltimore Colts QB and still GOAT Johnny "Black Shoes" Unitis washed his hands of franchise when they left and fully embraced the Ravens when they arrived.

 

(Yes, this makes most US-based watchers quite bemused over the NewCo furor at Rangers. Great for bantz, tho.)

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Oh, meant to mention that the Jazz was a funny one. At the time the Hornets name went back to Charlotte, there was talk that the Jazz should have gone back to New Orleans, but the only really notable New Orleans history of the Jazz was "Pistol" Pete Maravich, which was mostly a story of having one of the greatest players in the league and probably the fanciest passer ever with no help around him.  The Utah Jazz have over a decade of Stockton-to-Malone in their history so there's more history there, even if the name is still ridiculous and should probably be changed.

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(Okay, three in a row.)

 

Also, despite being one of the most iconic sports franchises in the US, you might note that the "LA Lakers" makes almost no sense at all, given that LA is a very arid region with coastline, but no lakes.

 

The franchise started in Minnesota, "Land of 10,000 lakes."

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29 minutes ago, Ugly American said:

(Okay, three in a row.)

 

Also, despite being one of the most iconic sports franchises in the US, you might note that the "LA Lakers" makes almost no sense at all, given that LA is a very arid region with coastline, but no lakes.

 

The franchise started in Minnesota, "Land of 10,000 lakes."

 

That I did not know - as an avid quizzer. I feel there's a rich vein of questions just waiting to be mined :lol:

 

Will need to try and find out the history of each franchise name...unless it's already been done (must've!)

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34 minutes ago, Boof said:

 

That I did not know - as an avid quizzer. I feel there's a rich vein of questions just waiting to be mined :lol:

 

Will need to try and find out the history of each franchise name...unless it's already been done (must've!)

 

Some of them are dull and just come up with by marketing folks (like the Washington Wizards) but then there's stories like the NY Giants (who play in New Jersey) and the San Fransisco Giants. Both played at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan for most of their early existence until the baseball Giants (along with the Brooklyn Dodgers) headed to California.

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3 hours ago, Ugly American said:

(Okay, three in a row.)

 

Also, despite being one of the most iconic sports franchises in the US, you might note that the "LA Lakers" makes almost no sense at all, given that LA is a very arid region with coastline, but no lakes.

 

The franchise started in Minnesota, "Land of 10,000 lakes."

There's a few that have moved but kept the same name. 

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3 hours ago, ri Alban said:

There's a few that have moved but kept the same name. 

Indeed. Multiple examples of recent/impending moves in the NFL. Rams, Chargers, Raiders.

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5 hours ago, Ugly American said:

 

Some of them are dull and just come up with by marketing folks (like the Washington Wizards) but then there's stories like the NY Giants (who play in New Jersey) and the San Fransisco Giants. Both played at the Polo Grounds in Manhattan for most of their early existence until the baseball Giants (along with the Brooklyn Dodgers) headed to California.

Hence why they are (sometimes) known as the New York Football Giants. 

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Back to multiple teams scenario. I moved to Philly permanently a couple of years ago. I enjoy watching the Eagles, Flyers etc but my father in law takes it to extremes. I think he actively follows the Eagles, 76ers, Flyers, Phillies, Union, Penn State Football, Temple Football, Temple Basketball and Villanova basketball. I canny keep up and sometimes get sportsed out

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J.T.F.Robertson
10 minutes ago, bertracoon said:

Back to multiple teams scenario. I moved to Philly permanently a couple of years ago. I enjoy watching the Eagles, Flyers etc but my father in law takes it to extremes. I think he actively follows the Eagles, 76ers, Flyers, Phillies, Union, Penn State Football, Temple Football, Temple Basketball and Villanova basketball. I canny keep up and sometimes get sportsed out

 

He lives his life even more vicariously than I do by the sounds of it. :(

 

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48 minutes ago, J.T.F.Robertson said:

 

He lives his life even more vicariously than I do by the sounds of it. :(

 

Aye, it's exhausting to keep up with, and I enjoy sports!

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