Patriots @ Buccaneers @ Wembley
After the fun of last year and the Chargers @ Saints game heading down to Wembley again was a necessity. When the game was announced the Bucs were a half decent team, John Gruden was still head coach and the idea of being able to watch Tom Brady, Wes Welker, et al was enough to make any NFL fan salivate just a little.
Despite all the claims of tickets selling out in minutes it hadn’t been a problem getting a ticket for this year’s International Series game. I also took the different approach of coming down on the Saturday, having missed the tailgate party last year.
Beer on Saturday night, at the excellent Prince Regent Pub on Marylebone High St, and meeting up with Howard before we all head off to Australia for his wedding. Took a while to find the place. Good thing Google Maps is widely available!
Sunday rolled around and after an early start to the day with a big breakfast. I headed off to Wembley Stadium around 11:30 and already the queue for the tailgate party was long. Still, once inside the fun begins. The set up revolved around two large tents housing boards for each of the 32 NFL teams, split between AFC and NFC conferences, merchandising stalls with queues so long it wasn’t even worth joining them, a stage with bands no one has heard of, the Hall of Fame exhibition tent and more overpriced grease joints than were necessary.
The Hall of Fame exhibits were the most interesting part of the whole show. All the Superbowl rings were on display along with all 32 team helmets. Some of the classic NFL memorabilia including a few shirts, gloves, and boots from famous games had been brought over from Canton but the Vince Lombardi Trophy had the largest crowd around it. A brief 3D cinematic experience brought the Hall of Fame exhibit to an end. Not that I can ever really enjoy 3D cinema, it just doesn’t work for me.
With all the changes the Bucs had gone through and their poor start to this season (coming into the game 0-6) the game itself at Wembley Stadium was over before it began. The Patriots were coming off a 59-0 demolition of Tennessee which didn’t help matters.
Warm up time (Sponsored by Visa) and the Patriots got equally cheered and booed on their way out onto the pitch. Watching Kara Henderson do her thing on the sideline and Roger Goodell struggling with his earpiece were fun little distractions. Some random bloke sang a couple of songs – Wembley please welcome Calvin Harris! Who? With all the who-ing going on around me it was clear I was not alone in wondering who this guy was. He was shit but then we weren’t here for him. National Anthems were done and then we were ready for game time.
It was a fun game to watch. As expected the Patriots dominated, scoring early on a pick-sex. The Bucs pushed on but another interception, the second for Meriweather, stopped them. Somehow the Bucs managed to get two interceptions themselves. It didn’t really matter; the Patriots were far superior in every department.
I can understand why Wes Welker is such an important part of the Patriots offense. He is always there, always getting himself open and being an outlet for Brady when Moss isn’t open. Watching him run his routes is a lesson for all up-coming receivers.
Cadillac Williams did his best but the Bucs were no match at all, the Patriots always kept a healthy lead even though we thought some hope might come when Bryant caught a TD pass. A long timeout in the 3rd quarter saw the start of the evil Mexican Wave. The crowd began to slowly dissipate in the fourth. Never quite understand why so many people leave games so early.
Wembley Stadium was yet again a great place to be on Sunday night. The flags (bigger this year) were waved, the Bucs got the home support they needed despite the large contingent of English Patriots fans and talking to a few people most game it was enjoyed.
