The Church of the National Football League

I had such a blast yesterday, let me tell you about it. Every Sunday during football season I get excited, all week I have being reading the lastest updates and predictions about the league. Yesterday I got to attend my fourth NFL regular season game.
For the third year in a row the Buffalo Bills have held a regular season game at the Rogers Centre in the heart of downtown Toronto. For the third year in a row I have attended that game. I am not a Bills fan but it is still great to go to an NFL game, it's just not the same as the CFL. The stadium was pretty much packed and from my nose bleeds I could barely make out the individual players on the field. It's a fun view at times because you can see the whole field and watch plays develop. You can also recognize the different formations if you know football at all.
Buffalo played the Chicago Bears and for most of the game it was a back and forth battle that was actually entertaining to watch. I say entertaining and not good because on both sides of the ball both teams looked pretty sloppy but in the end the three points Buffalo missed after scoring a pair of touchdowns proved extremely costly as they lost 22-19.
The Buffalo Bills are the only winless team remaining in the NFL and are now 0-8, their record in Canada is almost as bad as this year's loss brings them to 0-3 after losing to Miami two years ago and the New York Jets last year.
If you know me then you know that football is something that I'm passionate about and I'm surprised this is my first post about football on this blog. The aforementioned fantastic girlfriend of mine sat with me on the subway ride back to my trusty wheels and we listened as other people discussed the game we had just left. As soon as the subway train reached an above-ground station I got out my Blackberry and checked the score in the game that really mattered to me yesterday, my beloved Oakland Raiders against their greatest rivals the Kansas City Chiefs.
Oakland has had a pretty incredible season so far and for the first time in quite awhile I am proud to say I am an Oakland Raiders fan. I am becoming more impressed every week with our team. But back to the story. Yesterday's game was big, it would have been big just because it's the Chief's but we're talking about a team that has beaten us seven times in a row at home, our greatest rival, posting three straight wins since the Superbowl run in 2002, we're talking about becoming a serious threat and not a joke. She patiently held my hand as I cursed when I noticed we were trailing 10-0. For an offense that had outscored it's previous two opponents 92-17, I had expected a few more points than that. When we reached my car and we got onto the highway I handed her my phone.
"Five minute score check baby."
This girl is amazing, I mean she friggin' told me who had possession, on what yard line, with how much time in whatever quarter, the current down and yardage and a description of the last play. This continued until we got home and throughout the ride we had gone up (14-13 and then 17-13) and then back down (20-17) and when we reached my house I ran inside and jumped on my computer to follow the game on the web.
Unfortunately being this far east the Raider's games are generally not televised but I went online to follow the last few plays. After waiting for what seemed like hours and watching the little black bar with the silver arrow move steadly forward we were rewarded with a report that Oakland had kicked a field goal to tie the game at 20-20. Overtime in the NFL is just like hockey, sudden death. I hate it because I always seem to see the games where the team that wins the overtime coin toss marches down and scores to win the game. The Chiefs won the toss. This threw me for whirl and swallowing my anger I put on a smile and grabbed my keys to leave.
"Don't you want to know how it ends?" She asked.
"It's over." Was all I said.
Forgetting she still had my phone we made it to my garage before she asked me if she could tell me something but I couldn't get upset. She put on a said face and she said: "We won by 3." And held my phone out for my to read the score for myself. I rushed into her arms and screamed out loud (probably waking most of the neighbours and my sleeping dog). Once we were headed to her house I began shouting and chanting and laughing and swearing. It was a feeling I haven't had in a long time. It was an ugly win but I'll take it.
Yesterday's win was like a mini-Superbowl, it was just so out of the ordinary and so fantastic it made a great day an amazing one.

One thing I will miss during the Zompacalypse: NFL football.

One thing I will not miss during the Zompacalypse: Miss McGoo...she will be right by my side kickin' ass and takin' names.

'til next time friends