Skins vs. Cowboys
So it was my birthday the other day and my kick ass girlfriend got me tickets for the Skins vs. Cowboys at FedEx Field. I was floored when I saw the tickets, this is the game of all games. What made the tickets that much better was the parking pass she got me too! The first game I saw this season was Skins vs. Cardinals, I had tickets and no parking pass. This turned into a cluster fuck before and after the game. The cash lot is $40 and it takes forever to ride the bus to the stadium. You have to fight the same traffic as everyone else getting into the stadium. Getting out is more of the same. As for walking, bring your hiking boots you will need them. So when I got tickets to the Skins vs. Steelers for a Monday night game with no parking pass…….I skipped the game.
So having that parking pass and the ability to tailgate I was ecstatic. I have wanted to tailgate all season long and I always find it to be one of the most enjoyable parts of going to see the Skins play. If I just wanted to watch the game I can do that from the comfort of my home. Where there are no lines to the bathroom, beers are endless, and nobody wants to pick a fight. I took Jeremy with me to the game and we left my house at about 3:30 to get to the stadium. Surprisingly enough there was no traffic getting to Landover. Not crossing the bridge or near the stadium.
Jeremy and I tailgating
When we arrived at about 4:30 the lots were still pretty empty. I guess the 40 degree weather and constant 15mpg wind was enough to keep most people away, at least for tailgating. So with the ability to pick just about any space we wanted we parked near the front of the orange lot that was closest to the exit. Here we setup camp. Well I put the tailgate down and turned on my Colman stove. We had some pre-game food and tried to stay warm. My body was pretty warm, it was my hands that were freezing. Having no gloves will do that.
So after a few hours in the parking lots both Jeremy and I gave up. It was too cold to be outside any longer and since we had club level tickets it was worth it to go inside. We headed in and decided to take up residency at Club Macanudo. It is an indoor smoke lounge with giant leather chairs and tvs all over the place. What a better place to chill while we waited for the start of the game. Here I ran into Frank from General Cigars and also Gary, my boss. If you want to meet some cool, and sometimes powerful people, the cigar lounge at FedEx Field is a good place to start.
By the time we finished smoking it was almost time for kick off at 8:15. So we headed to our seats to watch the spectacle that is the National Football League. The game started off rather well for us. The Skins were able to hold the Cowboys off and score a few points themselves. The problem was the Skins could not put enough points on the board. At one point the kicker missed a 37 yard field goal by being 5 yards short. It was heart breaking. The skins would march down the field and couldn’t score any points. The only bright spot was that the defense was holding the Cowboys at bay.
great seats!
By the end of the first half the Skins were up 10-7. We were going to start with the ball and the crowd was psyched. Even with the extreme cold and wind blowing the crowd stuck around. We won the first meeting down in Dallas and we had the lead going into the second half so things looked good. Unfortunately things bogged down. Nobody scored in the third quarter. The skins started to look worse. They were getting fewer and fewer yards each time they had the ball and the Cowboys were getting more and more yards per possession. They changed their play book and it was working.
So when the fourth quarter came and it was still 10-7 things didn’t look to good for the Skins. As the last quarter went on things started to look worse. The Skins just couldn’t get any where and the line couldn’t hold back the Cowboys. So our only hope of winning was to hold onto the lead we built early in the game. Unfortunately this didn’t happen and with only a few minutes left on the clock the Cowboys scored the touch down they needed to take the lead.
The Skins tried hard to get that lead back but stick a fork in the Skins, they are done. With just under two minutes left on the clock and the Cowboys getting the first down they needed to successfully kill the clock to zero Jeremy and I walked out. The stadium was dead, the life completely sucked out of of everyone. I couldn’t believe we lost, and to the Cowboys of all teams. Jeremy and I hung our heads and walked back to my truck.
I guess the only good part about the game was getting out of the stadium. Usually traffic is so bad it is not worth it to leave when you get to your car. It is better to fire up the grill and have some more food and another beer. This time getting home was like arriving, took just an hour. I was home and in my bed by 12:30. I could start to forget about that crappy game.
The tickets from Nancy was a great surprise and the best gift I got from any body. To bad the Skins had to loose. Thanks again Nancy for this wonderful gift.
