A big weekend for football.<\/p>\n
Things got started Saturday afternoon, when I headed to Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis to cover my first high school game of the year. On paper, it appeared to be a blowout and, well, the paper did not lie. As usual, the team I was covering was the underdog and got their behinds handed to them. But they\u2019re young and looking for silver linings in every cloud, so the coach was very helpful and full of useful comments afterwards.<\/p>\n
I spent most of the game in the press box, which is about the highest vantage point possible in Lucas. In fact, it kind of hangs from the roof rather than sits on top of the deck below. You are way the hell up there, but at least you have a good view. Although there were official stats,* since this was my first game of the year I busted out my stat-keeping system to shake off the rust and be prepared for the night I\u2019m sitting in a high school stadium press box and responsible for every stat myself. There were some tricky moments in the first quarter, but soon I was getting everything down and reasonably close to the official stats.<\/p>\n
<em>* The biggest perk for some journalists is that they have access to a hospitality room (i.e. free food). I\u2019ll take official stats over free food every time. My math isn\u2019t always the best.<\/em><\/p>\n
I headed down to the field midway through the fourth quarter so I could be in position to grab the coach after the game. I made it down in time to be standing on the goal line as my team scored their only touchdown of the game. I went from being as far away as possible, to being about as close as possible without having a uniform on. The change in perspective was kind of jarring.<\/p>\n
It was a beautiful day, so the roof was open. It\u2019s an odd roof at Lucas, in that even when open, it still covers most of the seats, but the wall above the north end zone opens completely, so you can look out of the stadium into downtown.<\/p>\n
As I headed back to the locker rooms, I literally ran into one of the teams for the next game.* The nightcap was a contest between two perennial 5A powers that are loaded with talent. The team I walked through wears dark purple uniforms, with even darker helmets. I swear every guy on the team was taller than me, and with their pads and helmets on, it was a little intimidating walking through them.<\/p>\n
<em>* There were four games in the event.<\/em><\/p>\n
After doing my interview, I stayed on the sideline for the first quarter of the next game. Talk about a difference. Both teams were loaded with fast, big players, and amped to be on the field. It was a quantum leap up in quality from the game I covered, although I\u2019m sure some of the difference in perspective was due to my closeness to the action.<\/p>\n
I think this was the first time I\u2019ve ever been on a Field Turf field. It\u2019s interesting, especially compared to the old Astroturf-styled surfaces. Very soft, almost spongy. It has a wet feel to it, which is strange since I assume the roof at Lucas is closed 90% of the time, so it\u2019s not like it gets soaked every time it rains. To go with that feel, the predominant smell is a musty, wet-cardboard odor. It\u2019s not entirely pleasant. There is also a healthy whiff of warm rubber, since the surface is made from recycled tires and sprinkled with small rubber bits for added cushioning. Unless you\u2019re used to it, you can\u2019t help from continuing to notice those odors, because they\u2019re so counter to the way a football field normally smells: warm, earthy, slightly damp, and above all organic.*<\/p>\n
<em>* If only I had more space in my story, I would have described what the field smelled like to my paper\u2019s subscribers. I would have asked players for their views on the subject. \u201cSo, you got your asses handed to you, but what about that wet-dog smell?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
So that was fun. Thanks to the beauty of AT&T\u2019s lightning fast 3G network here in Indy,* I was able to track college scores from the press box and on my walk to my car after the game. I was home in time to follow most of the KU game. UTEP seemed kind of scary when the schedule came out. A road, night game against a team that can score a lot of points. When KU has rarely scheduled this kind of opponent in the past, they\u2019ve tended to get their asses handed to them. Thus, this seemed like a big test. Or maybe not. It\u2019s clear UTEP wasn\u2019t as good as advertised, although I think KU\u2019s defense had something to do with that.<\/p>\n
<em>* Apparently it pays to live in a medium-sized city. 3G in Indy is awesome. So good I\u2019ve shut off my iPhone\u2019s wifi access completely. Even on my home network, it takes several seconds to connect, so I stick with 3G. I\u2019ve heard less-than-great things about the networks in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, among other places.<\/em><\/p>\n
Amazing how much of the post-game discussion centered around how Todd Reesing was off all night. Yet we still racked up over 500 yards of offense. The defense has been solid, and is now getting pressure on the quarterback. The coaching staff showed a willingness to mix things up after some of the breakdowns in week one, and those changes seemed to work. Jake Sharp looks, ahem, sharp. Dezmon Briscoe was back on the field and putting up huge numbers.*<\/p>\n
<em>* It\u2019s entirely possible this year\u2019s All-American receivers could be Dezmon Briscoe and Dez Bryant. Briscoe is 6\u20193\u2019\u2019 200. Bryant 6\u20192\u2019\u2019 215. Both are from Texas. Both are juniors. Both play in the Big 12. Wacky, wild stuff.<\/em><\/p>\n
A nice win, not unexpected but easier than anticipated. Now we have to be careful not to start looking too far ahead, to say the Oklahoma game, and stub our toes like tOSU did on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Onto Sunday and the first full day of NFL action. The Colts opened at home, under an open roof, against nemesis Jacksonville. Yes, all afternoon I kept looking to see where I was standing less than 24 hours earlier and telling the girls all about it. \u201cDaddy was standing right where that cheerleader with the massive fake breasts is standing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The good was Joseph Addai running hard again. He didn\u2019t rack up a lot of yards, but he looks like a different back than he did a year ago. The new defensive coordinator is already paying dividends. A blitz on third down? Unheard of in these parts. And it worked! You can\u2019t complain too much about the Tony Dungy era. He did win a Super Bowl. But things had gotten stale, and while Jim Caldwell seems to be very much in the mold of Dungy in terms of personality, mixing things up on the field should pay dividends. Oh, and my man Reggie Wayne is going to have a huge year.<\/p>\n
The bad: Anthony Gonzalez collapsing in a heap without being touched. That\u2019s never good. Not being able to tackle Maurice Drew-Jones for the 180th straight game. Not creating consistent space to run on offense.<\/p>\n
And of course, since it was a Colts-Jags game, the Colts had to play a little sloppy, the Jags had to hang around, and it looked like Josh Scobee might get a chance to kick his third game-winning field goal in Indianapolis in the last five years. Fortunately the defense held and it never came down to that. 1-0 is a better start than last year.<\/p>\n
As I was running some errands Sunday evening, I listened to a local sports talk station. I was amazed that one of the big subjects was Lucas Oil stadium. The hosts and people at the game were complaining that it isn\u2019t nearly as loud as the RCA Dome was and the open roof ruined the game for some. It\u2019s a gorgeous building, designed as it is so that it can be easily adjusted to host the Final Four every fifth year. It has all the amenities you could ask for. And in year two people are turning on it.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s funny how many communities have spent loads of money on these fancy new stadiums, built to be luxurious and offer endless outlets for people to spend any money left in their wallets after paying for parking and tickets, and while they end up being wonderful to look at and comfortable, something is lost in the transition.<\/p>\n
The RCA Dome wasn\u2019t that old, it\u2019s not like it was Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, but it was small and generic and its upper deck was entirely bleacher seats. People were cramped next to each other. It was hot and ugly and uncomfortable and loud. Lucas is comfortable and pleasant and the sound gets lost in the much higher roof when closed, or escapes to the city when opened. So the team and city got their new jewel, and a Super Bowl in 2011 as reward, but perhaps ruined some of their home field advantage in the process.<\/p>\n
Hey, 27 new Peyton Manning commercials. Great.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not sure there will be a better play this year than Brandon Stokley\u2019s game-winning touchdown against Cincinnati. It was so good I sent my brother-in-law in Denver, who is a huge Broncos fan, an email that only said \u201cHoly shit!\u201d<\/p>\n
I was feeling a bit under the weather in the afternoon, so I slept through the late games. In the five or so minutes I watched the New York – Washington game, the Giants looked awesome. I\u2019m feeling pretty good about my Super Bowl pick one week in!<\/p>\n
The Brett Favre Sears commercial is pretty great. I\u2019m also enjoying Southwest\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s On!\u201d campaign. Genius.<\/p>\n
The referees in this Sunday night game could have used a few more preseason games. They\u2019re not in their best form.<\/p>\n
Hey, let\u2019s make this a tradition. 1500-2000 words about football every week!<\/p>\n
\u2756<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A big weekend for football. Things got started Saturday afternoon, when I headed to Lucas Oil Stadium in downtown Indianapolis to cover my first high school game of the year. On paper, it appeared to be a blowout and, well, the paper did not lie. As usual, the team I was covering was the underdog and got their behinds handed to them. But they\u2019re young and looking for silver linings in every cloud, so the coach was very helpful and full of useful comments afterwards. I spent most of the game in the press box, which is about the highest vantage point possible in Lucas. In fact, it kind of hangs from the roof rather than sits on top of the deck below. You are way the hell up there, but at least you have a good view. Although there were official stats,* since this was my first game of the year I busted out my stat-keeping system to shake off the rust and be prepared for the night I\u2019m sitting in a high school stadium press box and responsible for every stat myself. There were some tricky moments in the first quarter, but soon I was getting everything down and reasonably close to the official stats. <em>* The biggest perk for some journalists is that they have access to a hospitality room (i.e. free food). I\u2019ll take official stats over free food every time. My math isn\u2019t always the best.<\/em> I headed down to the field midway through the fourth quarter so I could be in position to grab the coach after the game. I made it down in time to be standing on the goal line as my team scored their only touchdown of the game. I went from being as far away as possible, to being about as close as possible without having a uniform on. The change in perspective was kind of jarring. It was a beautiful day, so the roof was open. It\u2019s an odd roof at Lucas, in that even when open, it still covers most of the seats, but the wall above the north end zone opens completely, so you can look out of the stadium into downtown. As I headed back to the locker rooms, I literally ran into one of the teams for the next game.* The nightcap was a contest between two perennial 5A powers that are loaded with talent. The team I walked through wears dark purple uniforms, with even darker helmets. I swear every guy on the team was taller than me, and with their pads and helmets on, it was a little intimidating walking through them. <em>* There were four games in the event.<\/em> After doing my interview, I stayed on the sideline for the first quarter of the next game. Talk about a difference. Both teams were loaded with fast, big players, and amped to be on the field. It was a quantum leap up in quality from the game I covered, although I\u2019m sure some of the difference in perspective was due to my closeness to the action. I think this was the first time I\u2019ve ever been on a Field Turf field. It\u2019s interesting, especially compared to the old Astroturf-styled surfaces. Very soft, almost spongy. It has a wet feel to it, which is strange since I assume the roof at Lucas is closed 90% of the time, so it\u2019s not like it gets soaked every time it rains. To go with that feel, the predominant smell is a musty, wet-cardboard odor. It\u2019s not entirely pleasant. There is also a healthy whiff of warm rubber, since the surface is made from recycled tires and sprinkled with small rubber bits for added cushioning. Unless you\u2019re used to it, you can\u2019t help from continuing to notice those odors, because they\u2019re so counter to the way a football field normally smells: warm, earthy, slightly damp, and above all organic.* <em>* If only I had more space in my story, I would have described what the field smelled like to my paper\u2019s subscribers. I would have asked players for their views on the subject. \u201cSo, you got your asses handed to you, but what about that wet-dog smell?\u201d<\/em> So that was fun. Thanks to the beauty of AT&T\u2019s lightning fast 3G network here in Indy,* I was able to track college scores from the press box and on my walk to my car after the game. I was home in time to follow most of the KU game. UTEP seemed kind of scary when the schedule came out. A road, night game against a team that can score a lot of points. When KU has rarely scheduled this kind of opponent in the past, they\u2019ve tended to get their asses handed to them. Thus, this seemed like a big test. Or maybe not. It\u2019s clear UTEP wasn\u2019t as good as advertised, although I think KU\u2019s defense had something to do with that. <em>* Apparently it pays to live in a medium-sized city. 3G in Indy is awesome. So good I\u2019ve shut off my iPhone\u2019s wifi access completely. Even on my home network, it takes several seconds to connect, so I stick with 3G. I\u2019ve heard less-than-great things about the networks in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York, among other places.<\/em> Amazing how much of the post-game discussion centered around how Todd Reesing was off all night. Yet we still racked up over 500 yards of offense. The defense has been solid, and is now getting pressure on the quarterback. The coaching staff showed a willingness to mix things up after some of the breakdowns in week one, and those changes seemed to work. Jake Sharp looks, ahem, sharp. Dezmon Briscoe was back on the field and putting up huge numbers.* <em>* It\u2019s entirely possible this year\u2019s All-American receivers could be Dezmon Briscoe and Dez Bryant. Briscoe is 6\u20193\u2019\u2019 200. Bryant 6\u20192\u2019\u2019 215. Both are from Texas. Both are juniors. Both play in the Big 12. Wacky, wild stuff.<\/em> A nice win, not unexpected but easier than anticipated. Now we have to be careful not to start looking too far ahead, to say the Oklahoma game, and stub our toes like tOSU did on Saturday. Onto Sunday and the first full day of NFL action. The Colts opened at home, under an open roof, against nemesis Jacksonville. Yes, all afternoon I kept looking to see where I was standing less than 24 hours earlier and telling the girls all about it. \u201cDaddy was standing right where that cheerleader with the massive fake breasts is standing.\u201d The good was Joseph Addai running hard again. He didn\u2019t rack up a lot of yards, but he looks like a different back than he did a year ago. The new defensive coordinator is already paying dividends. A blitz on third down? Unheard of in these parts. And it worked! You can\u2019t complain too much about the Tony Dungy era. He did win a Super Bowl. But things had gotten stale, and while Jim Caldwell seems to be very much in the mold of Dungy in terms of personality, mixing things up on the field should pay dividends. Oh, and my man Reggie Wayne is going to have a huge year. The bad: Anthony Gonzalez collapsing in a heap without being touched. That\u2019s never good. Not being able to tackle Maurice Drew-Jones for the 180th straight game. Not creating consistent space to run on offense. And of course, since it was a Colts-Jags game, the Colts had to play a little sloppy, the Jags had to hang around, and it looked like Josh Scobee might get a chance to kick his third game-winning field goal in Indianapolis in the last five years. Fortunately the defense held and it never came down to that. 1-0 is a better start than last year. As I was running some errands Sunday evening, I listened to a local sports talk station. I was amazed that one of the big subjects was Lucas Oil stadium. The hosts and people at the game were complaining that it isn\u2019t nearly as loud as the RCA Dome was and the open roof ruined the game for some. It\u2019s a gorgeous building, designed as it is so that it can be easily adjusted to host the Final Four every fifth year. It has all the amenities you could ask for. And in year two people are turning on it. It\u2019s funny how many communities have spent loads of money on these fancy new stadiums, built to be luxurious and offer endless outlets for people to spend any money left in their wallets after paying for parking and tickets, and while they end up being wonderful to look at and comfortable, something is lost in the transition. The RCA Dome wasn\u2019t that old, it\u2019s not like it was Wrigley Field or Fenway Park, but it was small and generic and its upper deck was entirely bleacher seats. People were cramped next to each other. It was hot and ugly and uncomfortable and loud. Lucas is comfortable and pleasant and the sound gets lost in the much higher roof when closed, or escapes to the city when opened. So the team and city got their new jewel, and a Super Bowl in 2011 as reward, but perhaps ruined some of their home field advantage in the process. Hey, 27 new Peyton Manning commercials. Great. I\u2019m not sure there will be a better play this year than Brandon Stokley\u2019s game-winning touchdown against Cincinnati. It was so good I sent my brother-in-law in Denver, who is a huge Broncos fan, an email that only said \u201cHoly shit!\u201d I was feeling a bit under the weather in the afternoon, so I slept through the late games. In the five or so minutes I watched the New York – Washington game, the Giants looked awesome. I\u2019m feeling pretty good about my Super Bowl pick one week in! The Brett Favre Sears commercial is pretty great. I\u2019m also enjoying Southwest\u2019s \u201cIt\u2019s On!\u201d campaign. Genius. The referees in this Sunday night game could have used a few more preseason games. They\u2019re not in their best form. Hey, let\u2019s make this a tradition. 1500-2000 words about football every week! \u2756<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[67,13,70,177],"class_list":["post-1603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-football","tag-high-school-sports","tag-indianapolis-colts","tag-reporting"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1603"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14994,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1603\/revisions\/14994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dsnotebook.me\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}