Tough game, freaking kickers. A lot went wrong but that's ok, Atlanta was better than I thought. I thought their lines would collapse but they didn't and that was the difference. Eagles looked out of sync in the beginning, Bradford actually had a really nice second half but he was rusty early on. Definitely needed to run more, even down 20-3 we scored that first comeback touchdown quick and could have worked on the ground game. Secondary still looks suspect after the new additions. Oh well, at least it was a really fun games. They boys enjoyed it, until the end of course.
I have to say, the Atlanta fans were pretty great. It was not, as reported, a heavy Philly crowd. Plenty of green jerseys dispersed throughout but not nearly enough to be heard over the roar of the Falcons fans. The dome is pretty loud and the fans were in it the whole game. A couple times I heard a low De-Fense chant when philly was on D or an Eagles chant, but it was immediate drown out by the home town fans. It was no more than 10-1 red/green.
We sat next to two other Philly fans, wearing philly colors, and during a tv timeout they were taking a selfie with the stadium behind them. The Falcons fan behind them said, very politely, do you want me to take that picture for you? Took a nice picture, handed the camera back, asked them where they were from. I thought to myself... uh, we're not in Philly that's for sure. I had an Eagles jersey and a Phillies hat on. I don't think I heard a single profanity shot my way all night, nothing bounced off my head, there wasn't an ounce of animosity in any way. Nobody was even good-naturedly giving us a hard time and I was pretty vocal and cheering the whole night. After the game the guy in front of me shook my hand and said it was a tough game and wished me luck, people were just generally nice. We were talking about it on the way out and my son said, "well, that's why we moved to the South". Like most everything since we moved down here, people are just generally nicer.
I like a little good natured, fun action between opposing fans at a game. As long as everyone is having a good time. So it was a little weird to me that there was almost no interaction. But I was really impressed with the fans. I don't know if the place is empty when the team is losing or if they're fair weather or what, but last night they brought some real energy.
I try to ignore most of the anti-Philly hate on the board. Any decent person has to admit that the antics by the minority of neanderthals at the Linc and CBP has no place in sports. We can be loud and passionate and boo and cheer and even yell a little at the other teams fan next to us without it turning ugly and sometimes even violent. I should treat the guy at the stadium in the Giants jersey the same way I treat my buddy who comes over my house wearing that Jersey. We jaw at each other, talk smak, have a good time... but we're friends, we're civil. I love my city, I love my teams, but if I'm honest I wouldn't recommend a guy bringing his kids to an Eagles game with out of town colors on and that's really a shame. It's disgraceful really
My main problem with the hate is that it's not a Philly thing. I've been to a ton of games in NY, Boston, LA and it's no different. The quantity of drunk, violent idiots at a Giants or Mets game is no less than at a Phillies or Eagles game. Wear your SF hat to a Dodgers game and see how much fun your kids have. The most dangerous situation I've ever been in at a sporting event, where I truly felt I was in physical danger, was at a soccer game in LA.
We have infamous examples... Santa, the judge at the Vet, and yes the stolen wooden leg. I can't deny the remarkable nature and dare I saw originality of our idiots. But we're not the only city to chuck batteries onto the field or beat opposing fans. I don't remember anyone in philly ever actually starting a brawl on the court (Detroit), filling our field with bottles (Cleveland), attacking an opposing elderly coach (Chicago), booing the other teams national anthem (Montreal, yes even the nice Canadians have idiots), stealing a little kids ball (New Orleans)... and the list goes on an on. That's not even mentioning college or, God help us, international soccer where you have to throw a live grenade on a field to qualify for a top 10 list there.
I think places like Arrowhead and Lambeau and Mile High and Globe Life park should be the norm. You should be able to pay for a ticket, watch a game, and have fun no matter which side you're rooting for . But pretending that thugs is a philly problem or we have more than New York or Boston or some other places is just not accurate. We have maybe a more colorful anecdotal history of stupidity but it's no more dangerous or antagonistic than many other cities in the country.
![[icon]](/data/avatars/m/5/5167.jpg?1660313464){kind=avatar}
) that makes me THINK they're worse than others.
