Brian Davis takes us on a personal journey through his first live action National Football League game, as the Bears took on the Seahawks in the 2007 playoffs.
My First Live NFL Game
by Brian Davis
25/6/2009
Let me tell you a little about me, a Reading FC season ticket holder of many years, long term San Francisco 49ers and California Golden Bears fan.
So picture the scenario, a rainy December 2006 evening, two best mates are sat down discussing the world over a cup of tea when the suggestion of, “wouldn't it be great to just fly to America and watch a game?"
“Yeah, it would be, but the season's almost done now.”
“Still got the playoffs though, otherwise it's a year away."
“Well, why don't we?”
Cue a couple of hours of flight searching, checking home field status' for the playoffs, and one week later flights and hotel are booked and it's Chicago here we come.
We fly from Gatwick on the Thursday in time for the game on Sunday 14th January 2007.
The big day arrives and it's a very early start as Reading are playing live on TV away at Everton and it's screening live on U.S. satellite TV from 7:30 am local time.
The alarm goes off at 6am, we don our multiple layers of clothing, set off on the EL, our destination: a football bar, mid-North Side about fifteen minutes' walk from Wrigley Field.
To our bemusement, Sylvester Stallone is in attendance promoting the new Rocky film that was about to Premier across the UK and the Americans in the bar early are intrigued, if only for two minutes until the game kicks off!
Tea and pancakes at the bar are devoured, the Royals sneak a draw with help from an own goal and before you know it, we're heading south to Roosevelt Station where we disembark for Soldier Field.
The walk is a cold but enjoyable one, and the sense of anticipation of those around us are like those I have experienced on any big “soccer” game, where you simply have to win, a nervous anticipation, tinged with excitement of what lies ahead.
We don't have time to tailgate, so make our way straight into the queue for the game, where immediately our accents attract the attention of the local police force and security staff, who – as was true with most other residents of Chi Town we encountered, are astonished as to why anybody would visit there in January with it's Arctic-like conditions.
We're in our seats an hour before kickoff and the buildup and atmosphere is intense, the National Anthem is played and culminates in a flyover of Air Force jets; the flypast goes overhead, the hairs on the back of my neck are stood up and this is it - this is the NFL.
I'm finally seeing a live game of the sport I've followed and enjoyed from across the Ocean since I was just a kid and okay, so it's not Candlestick Park or California Memorial Stadium, but this experience is moving.
The anticipation only gets raised a notch as the Bears win the toss, and Devin Hester (“you are ridiculous!”) is set to receive the game's opening kickoff.
Josh Brown booms the kick, and it goes for a touchback to settle the early buzz a little bit...until Thomas Jones converts the Bears' first 1st down that is, and it's a high five fest with strangers all around us!
Chicago promptly marches downfield into the 'Hawks red zone and Thomas Jones takes it nine yards to the house untouched on third-and-4. Cue delirium all around us, punctuated by the booming strains of the Bears' fight song pumped out over the stadium sound system. Everybody knows the words and sings along in unison: “Bear down, Chicago Bears –make every play, clear the way to vic-tor-reeee...!”
Seattle's first drive stalls as Adewale Ogunleye makes a play on Darrell Jackson, he stops him one yard short of the first down marker. More raucous cheers and high 5's, all around us in the stands greets the tackle and the Hawks punt the ball away.
The Bears come up short on their next possession, but force the Hawks to begin their next possession on their own 29, from where they proceed to see out the first quarter driving, and the sides switch ends.
With the action now shifted to the end of the pitch farthest from us again, Matt Hasselbeck finds Nate Burleson near the goal line, where the latter makes a great play to reach over the line to level the scores at 7-7.
Little did we know what was to follow, the 'Hawks kick off, Hester is pushed out of bounds at the 32 and now it's sexy Rexy time: he drops back, cocks his arm, the crowd sense what's about to happen. They rise, Bernard Berrian is open down the middle, he's got separation from his man, he's made the catch, the defender's clipped his heels…. but he dives into the end zone towards us, 68 yards for a Touchdown. Bedlam around us ensues! It's 14-7 to the Bears!
Its whoops and hollers and “Wow what a play”, “who ever doubted Rex”, “he's the man.”
And so we'd seen Sexy Rexy, but on the next Bears position, it was time for Wrecks Gross man as he fumbles the ball away with Seattle taking over on the Bears' own 26, cue the boos from the Bears faithful around us and all is not so rosy after all in Rex's world, “I told you Griese or Orton should be playing” “Guy's a liability” are now the calls around us. And I thought football fans in the UK were prone to occasional fickleness!
Thus gifted such promising field position, the 'Hawks face a fourth and inches and they're going for it, the noise around me almost deafening as he crowd try to distract the play – but Shaun Alexander makes Brian Urlacher look silly, juking past him into the end zone and we're all square again, 14-14.
Josh Brown kicks short and away from Hester, the ball is placed at the 43 yard line of Chicago, where Seattle has left the Bears just over two minutes on the clock.
Two sexy Rexy throws later and the Bears are in business with a first down at the Seattle 16 yard line and the clock ticking down to halftime.
On third-and-10, a pass play to Mushin Muhammed is the call; the Mooooooooooose takes it just short of the first down marker to set up fourth-and-1 on the 7.
Bears head coach Lovie Smith decides to go for it and it pays off as Thomas Jones goes untouched to the end zone, another Bears Touchdown in front of us and Jones does a jig of joy, lapping up the adulation from the Bears faithful in our stand.
Half time – Bears 21-14 Seattle
Having taken time to draw breath and take in all that we've seen, we begin the second half with the Seattle receiving the kickoff. They put together a drive which leads to three points from the boot of Josh Brown, and the Bears' lead is cut to 21-17.
The result of the Bears' ensuing possession is a three-and-out. The 'Hawks put together another scoring drive on their next turn, with Shaun Alexander capping it off by carving right through the middle on a delayed handoff, untouched before crossing the goal line 13 yards in front of him. Touchdown Seahawks and all is quiet around us now, the nerves having set in and the Bears finding themselves trailing for the first time in the contest by a count of 21-24.
We move into the fourth quarter and those nerves are put aside for the moment as Rex rallies his troops.
Its third-and-Goal at the Seattle 10, the crowd, quiet, tensed, sweating on getting at least a score on the board here and INTERCEPTION, Rex tries to find the Moose, it comes off his pads and it's going the other way.
With Seattle now looking to add to their lead, Hasselbeck goes to the sideline on first down, but he gets picked off by Ricky Manning! Talk about an up and down game, this one has it all! Two picks in two plays.
The crowd are back in it now and can sense that this could be the drive that potentially wins the game.
Berrian drops one when wide open and one yard is gained on the three downs following the turnover, a delay of game penalty pushes the Bears out of a comfortable field goal range for Robbie Gould, they now have to rely on Brad Maynard to pin Seattle as deep as possible, Maynard doesn't let them down, he gets his kick down to the Seattle seven yard line.
Ogunleye comes up big again, on third down, he sacks Hasselbeck. With Seattle forced to punt, the ball is heading straight into the arms of Devin Hester, pandemonium is about to surround us.
Hester muffs the catch, but he then recovers it at his own 34, he spurts down the sideline….. He's in, TOUCHDOWN BEARS, what a play, what a play! WHAT A PLAY! I've seen some celebrations in my time watching football but this one was utterly amazing, but no! A flag! There's a flag on the play for a high block during the return, the Touchdown is nullified, what a kick in the nuts, but people are still celebrating around us and are yet to see the call let alone hear it.
A sullen calm is eventually restored. Grossman, with a lot of help from Cedric Benson and Jones engineers a very nice drive before coming up short on third-and-10 on the 'Hawks 23.
It's Field Goal time and some people can't even bear to watch, Gould strikes it, it's up, oh boy, this is going to be close, is it in?
The official's hands go up, bedlam is restored and the game is tied at 24. I need a beer, but the seller is nowhere to be seen!
We've now got just over four minutes remaining in regulation time, and both teams fail to gain any notable yardage on their next possessions.
It's Seattle who has the ball with 98 seconds to go, they advance into Bears territory, but two incomplete passes and a Tank Johnson sack means we're going to overtime!
My first game and I'd just about seen it all and now I'm getting some more!
Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher make a huge play to stop Will Heller when he looked to be advancing to a first down, an incomplete pass by Hasselbeck on third-and-short forces them to kick away.
The punt gives Chicago the ball for what would be the game winning drive.
Following two incomplete passes it's third-and-10, Rashied Davis makes his second big play of the game and somehow clings hold of the ball, falling to the ground at the 'Hawks 36 for a 30 yard gain, right to the outer limit of Robbie Gould's range.
Two short runs and an incomplete pass later and it's fourth down, 49 yards for Gould to send the Bears into the NFC Championship game. An anticipatory hush falls, but not for long, as Gould hammers it through the uprights and there are wild celebrations, random strangers bear-hugging us and all those around us, the high fives continue, the on-field hand shakes are exchanged and player and coach interviews commence as “Bear Down Chicago Bears” bellows through the Public Address system.
We eventually make our way out of the stadium, stopping only for a few last minute pictures.
The walk back along South Lake Shore Drive and through Grant Park is a scenic, but bitterly cold one; the office blocks are lit up with the words GO BEARS spelt out.
We head for a well earned Steak and Fries and a few beers and watch the Patriots beat the Chargers in San Diego on TV, before making our way back to the hotel after a long, but thoroughly enjoyable, game-filled day of which demands a bit of a rest, for Monday will bring, Chicago Bulls basketball, a Martin Luther King Day NBA Matinee inside the toasty warm confines of the United Center.
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