For anyone who has attended the NFL Draft, and I have been to several now, it can be the best and worst of experiences. But, boring is one thing it is not. It's great to mingle with fans who show a true passion for their team and the game of football.
I have been a draftnik since high school. Some of my best memories are skipping school that day, something my friends have labeled me for eternity and every time I missed a day back then they said "Mike isn't here. Must be the NFL Draft today."
But, by far my fondest memory is watching the 1983 draft and wishing and hoping that Dan Marino would fall to No. 27. Sure enough he did and the rest as they say is history.
So, I made the trek to Radio City Music Hall on Thursday and ran smack into NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on my way in. He said hello and we shook hands. That may have been the highlight of his night as the commish was booed and hissed relentlessly all evening.
Here are five observations from Day 1:
1. The fans came out despite the recent labor dispute and showed their love for the NFL. No sport can match its popularity.
2. Radio City continues to be a great host, hopefully it stays here and doesn't move to the West coast.
3. There were a lot more Carolina Panthers fans in attendance this season. Makes sense since the team with the No. 1 overall pick is usually well represented.
4. Love that teams only have 10 minutes to make a selection and the clock starts as soon as the pick is made, not when it's announced. Might have been a big reason why the Ravens didn't get their pick in on time, it goes fast and when you're locked in trade talks it's easy to lose sight of the time.
5. Goodell got an awful lot of hugs on stage from the players and he certainly needed a few on this night. The fans let the commish know just how they feel about this whole lockout nonsense with a rousing chorus of "We want football" as Goodell tried to open the proceedings.
No comments:
Post a Comment