UK Pat's First Game Thoughts - New England Patriots Forums

PaulThePat · 10-26-2009, 09:50 AM

Supported the Pats for 27 years and the game at Wembley was the first time I'd not only seen the Patriots live but it was the first NFL game I've ever seen in the flesh. Thought people might (or might not) be interested in how the day went

Tailgate

Unlike the ones you will see at Gillette and other NFL stadiums this was more of an "event/party" than a tailgate. There were no people roasting buffalo wings or firing up barbecues. There was beer, music, a Hall of Fame exhibition, merchandise and food. Was worth 30 minutes or so but after that it was time to head to the stadium.

Wembley
The people at Wembley had done a great job of setting the stadium up. It was a Tampa home game so you had to expect every seat to have a Bucs flag on it. Pitch looked in great condition and there wasn't a breath of wind. Lot's of Pats fans everywhere you looked and was great to be amongst friends !! Still look forward to the day when I attend Gillette and experience being part of a home crowd.

Game
Won't really discuss this as there are other threads on the game itself. My comments are more on what it was like for someone who'd never been at an NFL game before. Have to say it's difficult at times to be sure who has made a tackle or put pressure on the QB. However, the stadium announcer did a good job of keeping you up to date.

For the Pats I was impressed by the defence and especially Tully Banta Cain whose name was called on several occasions. On offence Welker looked as good in real life as he does on TV.

Was interesting to see that during TV breaks Brady and Hoyer threw the ball to each other to keep loose. This isn't the sort of thing we normally see.

This could well be the only Pats game I ever see so I'm glad we won it. As for the talk of an NFL team in the UK I'd say FORGET IT. The 20,000+ Pats fans at Wembley would never start supporting a UK team ahead of the Patriots. I'm sure the same would go for the fans of all other teams. These games are good to have but we don't want a team.

Paul.

patfanken · 10-26-2009, 09:58 AM

Thanks for your input, Pat. I'm glad you had a great time. What I found most interesting was your remark that Brit Pats' fans WOULDN'T change allegiances IF London got its OWN NFL team. That's the second time I've heard that from a Brit Pats fan. Very interesting. It tells you something about the British sports fan's extreme sense of loyalty. But then again there are STILL Giant's fans in NE who predated the Pats arrival and NEVER switched back. So maybe its just sports fans in general who attach themselves to teams and NEVER let go.

Wax Frog · 10-26-2009, 10:11 AM

Re: the second pic - I sure hope that's trophy #4 on the distant off-camera horizon

PaulThePat · 10-26-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

Thanks for your input, Pat.

Paul

Quote:

Originally Posted by patfanken

What I found most interesting was your remark that Brit Pats' fans WOULDN'T change allegiances IF London got its OWN NFL team.

Absolutely not. I support the New England Patriots. If there was an NFL team in the UK I'd want to Pats to beat them as bad as any other team. It's a no brainer.

Oh yeh, here is another picture from the tailgate !!

borg · 10-26-2009, 10:17 AM

Great pictures...glad your first game was a win.
I would love to hear about the status of other professional sports (besides soccer) in the U.K. Frankly, I haven't a clue what other pro sports exist (cricket? rugby? basketball?) And what about sports on the university level?

JSn · 10-26-2009, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulThePat

Paul

Maybe you should change your nick to PatThePaul?

patfanken · 10-26-2009, 10:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PaulThePat

Paul

Don't take it personal, Paul. People who know me, will tell you that I have butchered more names than a dozen posters put together. It reminds of when I was a HS coach. I had a young sophmore who for some reason I call Doug, though his name was Allan. By the time he was a Junior, I had it down correctly, but by then, he wouldn't respond when I called him Allan, just Doug....

. I think its the dyslexia, I'm not certain, but its as convenient an excuse as any.

PaulThePat · 10-26-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by borg

I would love to hear about the status of other professional sports (besides soccer) in the U.K.

Football (Soccer to you

) is pretty much the only game in town. Rugby has a dozen or so professional teams but outwith that it's still mainly an amateur game watched by nobody. Cricket is a summer sport which gets big crowds for big games but the domestic competition is in general poorly supported. Basketball and Ice Hockey are played with teams mainly stuffed full of US and Canadian imports. As for College/University sports we don't have the same system as in the States and nothing at this level is of any relevance.

In short the UK is football dominated.

***MassPats38*** · 10-26-2009, 11:05 AM

Great stuff, Paul. My mother is British (moved to the U.S. decades ago) but I have not been to England in over a decade. The NFL Commissioner talked about the rise in popularity in the NFL in England, so I was curious as to your take on his comments given the prevalence of non-American football there. Is the NFL something that you hear about regularly during the year (there are regular fans of the game and you hear about the sport frequently from others), or do you get the sense it is more of an oddity when a game comes to town?

I know we have British fans on this site such as yourself, just curious as to your take on whether the NFL is catching on there.

***shmessy*** · 10-26-2009, 11:22 AM

Thanks for this, Paul. I find people's first impressions of live NFL experiences fascinating.

I think you stumbled on the one inconvenient truth about a live NFL experience when you wrote: "Have to say it's difficult at times to be sure who has made a tackle or put pressure on the QB. However, the stadium announcer did a good job of keeping you up to date."

The truth is that, unless you have 50 yard line, close in tickets, game-wise, you are going to get more out of the game at home in front of a big screen TV and a laptop computer. It is very hard to actually see interior line play if you don't have premium seats. I would say that Soccer (footie or futbol, whatever) is a better "live" viewing experience, while NFL football is (to me) an unmatched TV/computer experience......and best done with a roomful of friends!