Miami and Giants in London

[Galen Sevinne]

I really hate this idea for a couple reasons:

First of all I really don't want to give up a home game from my season ticket packet. There are only 8 games a year...really that is not a lot. Maybe if they cut preseason to 2 games it would work because we would then have 9 home regular games...1 one in Europe and 8 in Baltimore.

Secondly, do we really have to export every part of american culture to the rest of the world? My bet is that if american football goes to Europe and gets a foothold, eventually soccer in Europe begins to wain in interest...probably debateable but possible. We are so ethnocentric that we just spread every bit of ourselves worldwide...I am not antiamerican but I don't think the rest of the world needs to end up homogenous to us. It is one of the reasons there is so much antiamerican resentment. 5 years ago, I was backpacking deep in the Andes Mountains...came upon a small village and the first thing I was offered was a coke. To me that was disappointing. I didn't go there to drink coke..eat McDonalds nor to watch american football but I guess that will be the trend. What do the UK folks think?

[HoustonRaven]

I really hate this idea for a couple reasons:

First of all I really don't want to give up a home game from my season ticket packet. There are only 8 games a year...really that is not a lot. Maybe if they cut preseason to 2 games it would work because we would then have 9 home regular games...1 one in Europe and 8 in Baltimore.

Both teams used an away game on the schedule for this game. The season ticket holders didnt lose a home game.

I agree this is a horrible idea. If London wants football, let them petition for a team during an expansion year. I dont know what Goddell is thinking here. NFL Europe was a bust but he keeps plugging away at a failed market? :insane:

[RockyMRaven]

Both teams used an away game on the schedule for this game. The season ticket holders didnt lose a home game.

I agree this is a horrible idea. If London wants football, let them petition for a team during an expansion year. I dont know what Goddell is thinking here. NFL Europe was a bust but he keeps plugging away at a failed market? :insane:

Is that correct? I don't think so. It was a "home game" for the Dolphins.

[TTRaven]

Both teams used an away game on the schedule for this game. The season ticket holders didnt lose a home game.

On the Miami Dolphins schedule it lists the game against the NY Giants as a home game. So the Miami ticket holders did lose a game, although I'm not really sure if Dolphins fans care anymore.

[RavenTD]

I am going to post my thoughts in the UKRaven thread but I'll leave you a taster pic here.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a238/RavenTd/ch015.jpg?t=1193652024

From the player interviews they were all estastic about the atmosphere.
Joey Porter actually made me smile for the first time ever,when he said it was good for the young players,as it was like a playoff/Superbowl atmosphere.

I'll report more in the UKRAven section of this site.Found here.

http://www.profootball24x7.com/forum/showthread.php?p=54217#post54217

[highwater]

If the players enjoyed it, fine, but that still doesn't make it a good idea. It was technically a home game for Miami but of course that's ridiculous -- they are only having seven home games this season, so their season ticket holders get screwed. It's a very bad idea for the fans.

Why does the NFL think they need to go global anyway? Money, I suppose, but they're making plenty of it already.

[camdenyard]

Why were all those seats tarped over??

[Rochardrik]

Both teams used an away game on the schedule for this game. The season ticket holders didnt lose a home game.

I agree this is a horrible idea. If London wants football, let them petition for a team during an expansion year. I dont know what Goddell is thinking here. NFL Europe was a bust but he keeps plugging away at a failed market? :insane:

This is NOT POSIBLE! Someone missed a home game! Do you think this game just magically appeared?

[UKRavenStockers]

Why were all those seats tarped over??

Because unlike in most US stadia the seating starts at field level, so the front ten rows were tarped off and not sold because of the potential for obstructed views, particularly on the sidelines behind the benches.

If I was Roger Goodell and I was looking simply at the atmosphere from last night I would not bring a game back. The weather didn't help, the field even less and the spectacle wasn't there to get the crowd really involved in the game. When the crowd made noise it got pretty loud in there (as 81,000+ fans with a roof would), but there just wasn't the constant atmosphere and with so many neutrals the crowd wasn't backing one team, so whenever either team got into the redzone the volume was ramped up.

The only way in my opinion that this international series can work is to dump the final pre-season game and make the regular season 17 games, with that extra regular season game for each team being a designated neutral site game. Be that going to Europe, going to Canada, going to Mexico, going to Asia or even probing college markets in December once the college regular season is over and before the bowls. That way fans don't lose a home game from their season ticket/PSL package (Dolphin season ticket prices increased this year even though they lost a home game, that's inexcusable) and teams don't lose their homefield advantage.

The NFL wants the extra revenue that comes from these games, they had 81,000+ people who bought tickets that are much much more expensive than for games in the US and the merchandise and program sales would've made them a mint too, so I've no doubt they will come back.

[UKRavenStockers]

This is NOT POSIBLE! Someone missed a home game! Do you think this game just magically appeared?

Indeed you are correct Rochardrik, this was a Dolphins "home game".

If Goodell gives the green light to the full International series, every team will lose one home game over the course of the next 16 years unless they change the plan, which is obviously possible.

[UKRavenStockers]

Both teams used an away game on the schedule for this game. The season ticket holders didnt lose a home game.

I agree this is a horrible idea. If London wants football, let them petition for a team during an expansion year. I dont know what Goddell is thinking here. NFL Europe was a bust but he keeps plugging away at a failed market? :insane:

NFL Europe was a bust in Britain because it was a horrendous, horrendous product.

American cities wouldn't be able to get behind a product like NFL Europe when the quality of play was so appaling and the turnover on the rosters year by year was almost 100%.

NFL Europe stuck fairly well in Germany but it wasn't economically viable, I think they were losing $100,000 a day on the league by the end, hence they tossed it in the trash. But the NFL I think has to take next year's International game (rumoured to be Buffalo @ Kansas City) to Germany, shutting down NFL Europe was massively massively unpopular in Germany and I think they need to save some face over there.

[BertJonesMyHero]

I thought it was cool. Those crazy Brits love American football.

I saw 2 bad things that need attention before next time-

The grass,
and the whistles.

[highwater]

I saw 2 bad things that need attention before next time-

The grass,
and the whistles.

The whistles? What do you mean?

[camdenyard]

I'm guessing fans in the stands had them. You can see what a problem that would be.

[Big Bird]

Let the NFL start a "new" league in Europe if they want. It can be tainted with "seasoned veterans" to amplify European interest while at the same time cutting salary cap bondage on NFL owners.

It'll be like the old AFL, which I thought was good. I had season tickets to the Stars (no Colts or Ravens in town).

If the league goes well, the NFL gets richer! Did I say that? Oh well, ferget the whole damned thing....

:thumbdown:

[BertJonesMyHero]

In Europe, fans blow whistles at Soccer games. A LOT. During the game yesterday players were stopping and starting thinking they heard a whistle.

One play in the first half Miami got a procedure call before the snap, and it appeared the OL man stood up thinking he heard a whistle. Goose and D Johnston talked about the problem a lot in the first half. There were other times that the teams didn't appear to know when the play had stopped. That can lead to huge plays.

As for the grass, it was nice, just not built for football. They compared it to a fairway. And you know what would happen if a football game was played on a fairway.lol Rain or no rain. They said guys like Beckam running around on it are like 165 pounds.

[Greg]

Let the NFL start a "new" league in Europe if they want. It can be tainted with "seasoned veterans" to amplify European interest while at the same time cutting salary cap bondage on NFL owners.
They have tried a few times to play American football in Europe and it does not fly. You could try to include a few vets who weren't ready to hang it up but weren't good enough for the NFL anymore but I don't know how much that would help.

As for the salary cap, it is a wonderful tool that helps keeps costs down in the NFL and the teams on a level playing field. Why would anybody be against it? Baseball desperately needs it.

[UKRaven]

If I had been near the arsehole with a whistle - I would have shoved it down his throat!

In soccer they use a whislte with a specific tone - different (lower tone) than commercially available ones.

They should have had an announcement telling people not to blow them / security should have taken if off them!

[RavenTD]

If I had been near the arsehole with a whistle - I would have shoved it down his throat!

In soccer they use a whislte with a specific tone - different (lower tone) than commercially available ones.

They should have had an announcement telling people not to blow them / security should have taken if off them!


Security were to darn busy making sure our bottles of water didn't have lids on.

I say screw it,Goodell just get me a cheap way to spend the weekend in Baltimore and at M&T watching the Ravens.:banana: And some drug to put me out for the flight over and back.

[UKRaven]

I say screw it,Goodell just get me a cheap way to spend the weekend in Baltimore and at M&T watching the Ravens.
__________________

TD - it's Japan or Australia for us mate!!!!

[UKRavenStockers]

Let the NFL start a "new" league in Europe if they want. It can be tainted with "seasoned veterans" to amplify European interest while at the same time cutting salary cap bondage on NFL owners.

It'll be like the old AFL, which I thought was good. I had season tickets to the Stars (no Colts or Ravens in town).

If the league goes well, the NFL gets richer! Did I say that? Oh well, ferget the whole damned thing....

:thumbdown:

The NFL has already tried giving us a second rate product and it simply won't work.

If they want to tap this market they've got to send over the real deal, Goodell knows that and that's why he wants to send over regular season games.

[BertJonesMyHero]

<<< If I had been near the arsehole with a whistle - I would have shoved it down his throat!

lol. Yea, I certainly wasn't talking about you guys. It is prolly the casual fan who just went to the 'event'.

btw- They showed some NFL-E season ticket holders who had made their way to the game. They love football. But like Stockers said, they don't want to watch scrubs.

That will change in 20 years as kids start playing little league from a young age. Goodell said that was one of the goals while he was there.

Here is a wacky question- Do HS's in Canada play American or Canadian rules?Cause the goal is to get programs into HS's in the UK at some point. Gotta start with youth football first.

[UKRavenStockers]

Can't see us ever playing American Football at a secondary school (high school) level. It costs too much and it'd be in direct competition with rugby which I just can't see it beating.

The whistles were most likely from Dutch or German fans at the game. Whistles were frequent at the German NFL-Europe games and I'd not be surprised if it was those fans who travelled to this game bringing their atmosphere along.

[Greg]

I think playing a 17th game at a neutral stadium would be cool. You could schedule them such that the Ravens play every other year in London as the home team and somewhere else on the road, making London their second home stadium/city. It could garner interest and following that way, and the local team could be broadcast to that city to develop a following.

[RavenTD]

I think playing a 17th game at a neutral stadium would be cool. You could schedule them such that the Ravens play every other year in London as the home team and somewhere else on the road, making London their second home stadium/city. It could garner interest and following that way, and the local team could be broadcast to that city to develop a following.

That would be cool. NFL fans in the UK could adopt the Ravens [or chosen team] as their 2nd team.And thus really give the game a home feel.However that team may well feel disadvantaged having to go through travelling to London every season.

From the feed back I am reading.The players loved the experience, but already there is a backlash that the quality of football was not worth the money that UK fans paid.Not every game is going to be a 31-28 contest.

The NFL needs to make the game more of a festival.It is a long way behind what you get stateside obviously.It just seemed a damp squib outside with nothing happening,just fans wandering around aimlessly.With nowhere to go but into the stadium.

After the buzz has died down,I think the crowds will drop in number.Fans choosing to watch their own teams on TV or Gamepass.

Time will tell. Its an experiment to garner the NFL more $$$$$$'s.And if anyone bitches that the NFL doesn't care about the fans,well it took you long enough to figure it out.They only care about the $$$$$'s.

Only Jerry Jones has not towed the company line and spoken against the direction the NFL is taking to their global approach to football.He doesn't want to upset his paying public while his new stadium is in the works.

[UKRavenStockers]

The only way they can improve the atmosphere outside the game (without being so unlucky on the weather front, bright sunshine just north of London today and forecast tomorrow as well) is in my opinion to not take the game back to Wembley, but instead take the game to Twickenham, England's rugby stadium which was the only other stadium in the country to meet the NFL's standards in terms of field dimensions and facilities. It has more car parking facilities and with the West Car Park (huge field pretty much) you can actually get a proper tailgating atmosphere going there which you can't at Wembley. Factor in that it's a rugby stadium, the sward length would be longer, the type of turf is chosen to take more punishment not have ball zip along for a good football spectacle etc. and it just makes more sense on a game level.

BUT

Twickenham isn't Wembley. Yes Twickenham has just been renovated and is now over 80,000 in capacity I believe, but it's not the same. It's not got the same attraction and name recognition that the NFL wants and whilst it is a National stadium, it's not THE National Stadium as recognised around the globe, combine that with it not having as big a capacity and the NFL won't go there, even though I think it is a much more suitable host for an NFL game than Wembley.

[RavenTD]

So unless we can lift Wembley stadium up and put it on the Twickenham site we are screwed one way or the other.

I think a German who was doing loud clapping with bad timing [strange for a German] and I screaming my head off,were the only ones making noise in our group of 50-100 seats.

Even the wife was giving me dirty looks and putting her fingers in her ears.lol

[UKRavenStockers]

Thing is Twickenham fits the American Stadium look better than Wembley too IMO:

http://www.rfu.com/microsites/twickenham/images/stadium_282_1.jpg

Steeper seating (1 degree steeper and it'd breach health and safety rules and wouldn't have been allowed to be built), bit more open design etc.

I think I just prefer it as a stadium for an NFL game because Wembley will always be used for a football within a similar time frame so they can't grow the sward length long enough for an NFL game as they can and would at Twickenham.

[Greg]

After the buzz has died down,I think the crowds will drop in number.Fans choosing to watch their own teams on TV or Gamepass.
I am sure, which is why I thought of having each NFL team adopt a city overseas where they would play every other year. The NFL could negotiate to have all other games on TV in that city, which would make the Ravens maybe the Manchester or Amsterdam or Munich Ravens as well. As long as they only commit to one game that isn't taken out of the home mix it would work.

[UKRaven]

We'll see games far and wide over that next few years - a couple in Germany / Japan for sure. Then back to Mexico, and probably London again in 2-3 years.

If they get a regular TV audience in each of those countries they'll sell more TV adverts and the monet men will be happy.

A whole gereration of NFL fans grew up from the s&*t from C4 guys!!!!