NFL - 2014, The Year of the Eagles

It's Football ! ! !

* As ever, poor old DonDiego has high hopes for his beloved Eagles. teechur and he will be attending one Eagles' away game this year, . . . and hopefully a playoff game too !

And as usual DonDiego has hopes for one other NFL team, which he shall leave unnamed:



* In their endeavor to see a game in each NFL stadium, teechur and DonDiego will be crossing three off the list this season: Panthers @ Bengals, Eagles @ Cowboys on Thanksgiving, and Titans @ Texans [i.e. Houston Oilers vs Houston Texans.]
And they're likely to visit nearby casinos on their travels, like Hollywood Casino west of Cincinnati . . . or those along the way, say f'rinstance Biloxi.
If the reader is in the area, he could buy poor old DonDiego a beer.

That'll leave just Minnesota, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo, and New England left to visit in later years to complete the exercise. Oh, . . . except they'll have to visit the new 49er's Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara sometime.
DonDiego hopes they can complete the task before the collapse of American civilization. DonDiego has some hope that the cataclysm my well go unnoticed up heh' in Appalachia, . . . at least for a few years.

Mark the date and time. August 4, 2014, 5:49 pm, The Eagles were just eliminated from making the playoffs due to Don Diego.

eagles should win the NFC east. Just don't think they get past the first round of playoffs. They need a bye to get to second round. Redskins may be a sleeper in the east if RG3 can have a decent year. I think Cowboys are in trouble with a capital T. Jerry Jones is a piss poor GM.

Good luck DD, have always been a bit of an Eagles fan.

DD I will buy you a beer when you come see the Cowboys lose. And you are invited to stay with Mr and Mrs Zimbo if so inclined.

Ditto for Chicago when Don Diego and Teechur venture to the Windy City......BTW the TV show Brew Dogs on Esquire has some excellent beer suggestions for various cities....

Do you really find NFL stadiums distinct enough to make it worthwhile?

Baseball yes. Baseball stadiums vary widely.

But NFL? Which is truly interesting on its own?
Lambeau, sure.
Cowboys, definitely, my second favorite team plays there every week, except when the Niners come calling.
Seahawks, probably, mostly due to the current crowd though.
Maybe Tampa too, if they're good.

Other than that, it seems like the Jags stadium is the same as the Titans stadium is the same as the Bengals stadium is the same as the Ravens stadium is the same as the Bills stadium: a collection of bad seats in poor weather for a game only followable on TV.

"Different strokes for different folks." For teechur and DonDiego it is worth it.

But teechur and DonDiego don't only visit the stadia and assess the architecture; they also visit the town. They sample the local food and beers. They visit the areas attractions. They chat with the locals, . . . 'specially the fans in sports bars and at the games.
They really enjoy getting to the games along with other fans - like on riverboats in Pittsburgh and Nashville, by rail in the Meadowlands and Atlanta, on a free city bus in Green Bay, and afoot in Detroit and N'awlins and Seattle.
It's the most fun when they attend a game in which teechur's Cardinals or DonDiego's beloved Eagles are playing away. teechur, and to a lesser extent DonDiego, "dress-up" in their finest team regalia. It stimulates interaction with fans of both teams. Fans of both teams take photos with teechur; fans of the local opponent threaten poor old DonDiego, e.g. to throw him overboard into the Monongahela River.

It really doesn't matter that the venues may not be as distinctive as those of baseball. For the record:
__DonDiego judges Ford Field as the "best" football field he's visited, . . . and the fans were cool too, even apologizing for the two drunks seated immediately behind teechur and DonDiego, . . . and later talking Security out of ejecting the same two drunks. It's all good.
__The worst: old Cowboys Stadium.
__DonDiego observes the Saints' fans were the friendliest, . . . inside the Superdome, as well as throughout the stay in the Big Easy.
__The least friendly: Difficult to answer. The Raiders' fans were pretty much indifferent, generally non-communicative. A Seahawks fan berated teechur and DonDiego, dressed in Cardinals gear, for even having the effrontery to have obtained seats in his section and other fans tossed peanuts at teechur and DonDiego during the game. In Green Bay, two ladies seated next to them were extremely talkative and friendly right up until the Eagles took the lead over the Packers; then followed stony silence.
__Best On-field Mascot: Jaxson de Ville, for obscene gestures suggesting he was screwing the Jaguars' cheerleaders.

In the end it's not about judging the architecture, the amenities, the people, or even the game. It's about enjoying the travels.

This explanation would not be complete without DonDiego pointing out one factual error committed by Chilcoot. No team "plays [in Cowboys Stadium] every week, except when the Niners come calling." It would be unfair for any team to play in one stadium every week. And it would be rude for that team not to play there when the Niners come to play.

Last year myself and 11 of my friends went to Tampa (from PHL) for the Eagles game, golf & boys long weekend out.
Had great weather & a great time.

You don't follow.

Every time the Cowboys play at AT&T Stadium (there is no "Cowboys Stadium" in the NFL), I get to enjoy watching my second favorite team, the only exception being when the Niners have the field.