# I saw my first football game ever on Monday night **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2005, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609 "2005-09-14T16:09:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/21 "2005-09-15T16:08:34Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > Ack, no, not the Patriots! As Mario Cuomo once said, there’s only one team left in the State of New York. I hate the Buffalo Bills with a passion! I’ll tell you why later if nobody minds the hijack (and if you ask nicely – it’s traumatic!) Anyway, who mentioned NY State? There’s a team representing NYS!? **Anaamika** is (physically) closer to New England than to either NYC _or_ Buffalo 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/22 "2005-09-15T16:28:50Z")
> [@Noone Special](#): > > I hate the Buffalo Bills with a passion! I’ll tell you why later if nobody minds the hijack (and if you ask nicely – it’s traumatic!) > > Anyway, who mentioned NY State? There’s a team representing NYS!? **Anaamika** is (physically) closer to New England than to either NYC _or_ Buffalo 😃 Please tell? And I hate Buffalo, so I’m certainly not interested in any Buffalo teams, so no worries there. Neither do I feel demographically like I fit with NYC! So I would probably pick New England, if I had to. ---
**Author:** ![phungi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/phungi/32/395_2.png) [@phungi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phungi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/23 "2005-09-15T16:34:16Z")
> [@cruel butterfly](#): > > My dislike for “football” in general probably comes from my experiences with my ex-husband. I became a Super Bowl Sunday Victim of Domestic Violence[sup]tm[/sup] when I reminded him that we lived above people who probably didn’t appreciate his tendency to jump up and down every time the Cowboys got a touchdown. He failed to understand that concept, thus Fighting and Screaming ensued. divorce is much too good a fate for a Cowboys fan… IMNSHO, he got off easy! ---
**Author:** ![goitazi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9a140/32.png) [@goitazi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goitazi)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/24 "2005-09-15T17:03:46Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally Posted by Bearflag70_ > Let’s just say the football clinic started immediately, and it’s going well. She just learned the term “nickel defense” during the Falcons-Eagles game. I’m a recent convert to the sport, and I learned about the nickel defense in that same game! The commentators said something about Nickelback, and I thought “why are they talking about that stupid band?” But then i found out that it’s something to do with… um… damn, I forget. Something to do with the middle of the field? Anyone want to help me out here? Regardless, my football experience is going well, and my only failure so far with choosing teams to arbitrarily support when I watch was with the Baltimore game. Things I’ve learned: - The Seahawks aren’t anywhere near as good as I hoped they’d be ☹ - The Colts used to have a terrible defense, but now their defense is good, incredibly. - Peyton Manning can do some pretty damn good things, and he also charters planes to help out in New Orleans. - Randy Moss is pretty dangerous. - If you have a sign that contains the letters E, S, P and N, you will appear on TV. And all this just from one week! ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/25 "2005-09-15T18:12:03Z")
> [@goitazi](#): > > I’m a recent convert to the sport, and I learned about the nickel defense in that same game! The commentators said something about Nickelback, and I thought “why are they talking about that stupid band?” But then i found out that it’s something to do with… um… damn, I forget. Something to do with the middle of the field? Anyone want to help me out here? The nickel back is generally the fifth defensive back on the depth chart, often a backup cornerback. A nickel defense is when the nickelback comes onto the field and usually a linebacker leaves, to make a 4-2-5 defense consisting of four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. This is used in passing situations when the defensive team wants a DB instead of a LB on the field, as DBs are on average faster players who defend against the pass rather than solid players who defend against the run. In comparison, the standard “Base 4-3-4” defense has four down linemen, three linebackers, and four defensive backs – two cornerbacks and two safeties. Broadly speaking, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/26 "2005-09-15T18:34:26Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Please tell? Well, you’re the OP, so I guess I am now compelled. Plus you’re cute 🙂 … OK, rewind to Dec, 1981 or Early Jan. 1982. I am a Freshman at the University of Rochester (fugly city, but that’s a different rant). Student Union organizes an outing to Buffalo to see a football game. Which I join, but only because they’re playing the Patriots, and I’m hoping (even then) to see all the Bufallo fan’s noses ground in the dust (or just left outdoors for 15 minutes or so…) Remember, this is LATE in the regular season. Playoffs are on the line. FF a few hours… Pats are up by a few points, bills have the ball somewhere inside their own half (so irrelevant whether they were 2 or 5 down)… with basicly no time on the clock. First and 10, Hail Mary… incomplete. 2[sup]nd[/sup] and 10… (or maybe third, it’s all blurry now)… up goes the ball into the Pats’ end-zone. In and out of a Patriot’s hands, back up in the air, bobbled around a bit more for good measure… and… finally… caught by one of the Bills’ players for a TD and the win… ☹ :mad: ☹ :mad: The first live NFL game I had ever attended… and still the only one… :eek: > [@](#): > > And I hate Buffalo, so I’m certainly not interested in any Buffalo teams, so no worries there. Neither do I feel demographically like I fit with NYC! So I would probably pick New England, if I had to. You are well on the way to glory! 😃 … and I’m still holding out for **saoirse** to ask me nicely. For something. Anything… ---
**Author:** ![Aholibah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Aholibah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aholibah)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/27 "2005-09-15T18:42:30Z")
When I was growing up, my dad always watched football games on TV, and I think even took me to one or two, but it still took me until touch football in highschool gym class to discover the whole downs thing. I enjoy watching the game, and understand it a bit better these days, but will still forget things like the nickel defense approximately 2.5 seconds after they’re patiently explained to me for the 43rd time. I can recite “The Walrus and the Carpenter” from memory, but my brain absolutely refuses to retain football-related information for longer than five minutes. Except for that one time … … my favorite football moment comes from back in my married days. It was a Sunday, the pre-game show was on the radio and the hometown Eagles were getting ready to take on the hated Cowboys. My husband and I were driving over to a friend’s house to watch the game, and he stopped to run into a store for a pack of cigarettes. While he was in the store, I was idly listening to the pre-game chat, and one of the commentators said, “In order for the Eagles to win this game, they’re going to have to stuff Novacek at the line of scrimmage and stop him from getting into his pattern.” This was all so much gibberish as far as I was concerned, but I thought it worth remembering. About half an hour later while we were watching the game, I idly commented, “You know, the Eagles really have to find a way to stuff Novacek at the line of scrimmage and stop him from getting into his pattern.” My husband looked at me as if I had suddenly been possessed by an alien lifeform. It was another half-hour before I told him that I was just parroting something on the radio. It seemed to ease his mind considerably. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/28 "2005-09-15T19:21:32Z")
> [@lno](#): > > The nickel back is generally the fifth defensive back on the depth chart, often a backup cornerback. A nickel defense is when the nickelback comes onto the field and usually a linebacker leaves, to make a 4-2-5 defense consisting of four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. This is used in passing situations when the defensive team wants a DB instead of a LB on the field, as DBs are on average faster players who defend against the pass rather than solid players who defend against the run. In comparison, the standard “Base 4-3-4” defense has four down linemen, three linebackers, and four defensive backs – two cornerbacks and two safeties. > > Broadly speaking, of course. Right. Normal defenses have 3 down linemen, 4 linebackers and 4 defensive backs (corners and safeties). OR 4 down linemen, 3 LBs, and 4 DBs. In passing situations, sometime they bring in a 5th DB, hence the “nickel” and sacrifice one of the other positions. To confuse matters, sometimes they bring in a 6th DB. They call that the “dime package”, not the “nickel and penny”. (IINM) The Pats have used defenses with 2 down linemen before. They’ll have personnel where a guy functions as a hybrid linebacker/corner though. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/29 "2005-09-17T12:27:01Z")
> [@E. Thorp](#): > > Was this in the days of Howard Cosell? I remember that people either loved Howard or hated him, and for those who hated him (including my father) turning the sound down was part of the experience of watching Monday Night Football. Indeed I am old enough to remember when Cosell was on MNF. My father though turned down the sound, (and still does) regardless of who was announcing. ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/30 "2005-09-17T12:43:10Z")
> [@lno](#): > > The nickel back is generally the fifth defensive back on the depth chart, often a backup cornerback. A nickel defense is when the nickelback comes onto the field and usually a linebacker leaves, to make a 4-2-5 defense consisting of four down linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs. This is used in passing situations when the defensive team wants a DB instead of a LB on the field, as DBs are on average faster players who defend against the pass rather than solid players who defend against the run. In comparison, the standard “Base 4-3-4” defense has four down linemen, three linebackers, and four defensive backs – two cornerbacks and two safeties. > > Broadly speaking, of course. You see, I love football, but I can’t follow discussions let that. When I play, I’m usually one of the fat kids in the center that either tries to stop the other fat kids from hitting our quarterback or tries to hit their quarterback. Simple enough for me. I didn’t start really following football until college despite being in high school marching band for four years. That’s mostly because a) the team was much better, b) the atmosphere was much better (40,000 seat dome as opposed to a set of bleachers), c) college post-season results in a trip to somewhere warm as opposed to high school where you wind up playing until December outdoors. The Eagles are usually much better than they were on Monday. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/31 "2005-09-17T16:43:55Z")
> [@Aholibah](#): > > … my favorite football moment comes from back in my married days. It was a Sunday, the pre-game show was on the radio and the hometown Eagles were getting ready to take on the hated Cowboys. My husband and I were driving over to a friend’s house to watch the game, and he stopped to run into a store for a pack of cigarettes. While he was in the store, I was idly listening to the pre-game chat, and one of the commentators said, “In order for the Eagles to win this game, they’re going to have to stuff Novacek at the line of scrimmage and stop him from getting into his pattern.” This was all so much gibberish as far as I was concerned, but I thought it worth remembering. About half an hour later while we were watching the game, I idly commented, “You know, the Eagles really have to find a way to stuff Novacek at the line of scrimmage and stop him from getting into his pattern.” As a somewhat rabid Cowboys fan, I have to say that I miss Jay Novacek more than any other player Dallas has lost. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t do–pass, receive, run, kick, hold–and he did it well. He deserved the name “Paycheck!” And I have to agree that watching with friends and family adds to the fun (although I enjoy watching alone, too!). When Dallas is playing well (OK, that’s not as often as I’d like), we have a ball cheering. When the play is crappy, I have a sister whose scathing sarcasm has me rolling in the floor (which keeps ME from having a temper fit!). You know, this may be one of the few households where NFL Sunday Ticket is purchased for the WOMAN of the house–my DH couldn’t care less about football (he’s too busy hunting), but I LOVE it! Oh, and **Bearflag70**? While it’s an unusual reason to become a fan (it wasn’t mine–mine was because my daddy raised me right), I’d have to agree that Danny White really was pretty cute! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609/32 "2005-09-17T17:11:58Z")
> [@Chanteuse](#): > > Oh, and **Bearflag70**? While it’s an unusual reason to become a fan (it wasn’t mine–mine was because my daddy raised me right), I’d have to agree that Danny White really was pretty cute! 😃 … and my fiancee played soccer from grade school up through college. Her jersey number? She picked 11, of course, because of Danny White. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-saw-my-first-football-game-ever-on-monday-night/321609.md?page=1)