New England vs. Minnesota at Wembley Stadium

[Tazio]

Are any of ya'awl boys interested in the game at Wembley between The New England Patriots and The Minnesota Vikings?
Personally I'm indifferent to both teams.
I'm just curious if there are any significant numbers of NFL fans in the UK, and the rest of Europe :confused:
It has become huge in Mexico.

http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/07/sports/sp-mexfootball7

[Mixa]

But isn´t the game at Wembley this year Broncos vs 49ers ?? What I follow the NFL, I think that is the game. Pats faced the Buccaneers last year at Wembley.

Still the game with Broncos and 49ers just won´t be a big game. Its kinda a shame that NFL has booked a game like this for Wembley. Okey 49ers is a legendary team but these days them are just bad and has been that a couple of years already. Okey Broncos has started badly too but I expect them to take that game.

I really like about NFL and follow it quite much to be honest. Specially for a Finn. Okey,then again I follow so many sports. I don´t know about fan numbers at UK but you see some at the forums so there has to be atleast some. Still I guess that rugby takes the most of UK interest. The best european teams comes from Germany still I think and also there are good amount of fans at the games. Example when NFL Europa was still running, most teams were from Germany. Also Germany still these days have even multiple lower leagues.

[Tazio]

But isn´t the game at Wembley this year Broncos vs 49ers ?? What I follow the NFL, I think that is the game. Pats faced the Buccaneers last year at Wembley.

Still the game with Broncos and 49ers just won´t be a big game. Its kinda a shame that NFL has booked a game like this for Wembley. Okey 49ers is a legendary team but these days them are just bad and has been that a couple of years already. Okey Broncos has started badly too but I expect them to take that game.

I really like about NFL and follow it quite much to be honest. Specially for a Finn. Okey,then again I follow so many sports. I don´t know about fan numbers at UK but you see some at the forums so there has to be atleast some. Still I guess that rugby takes the most of UK interest. The best european teams comes from Germany still I think and also there are good amount of fans at the games. Example when NFL Europa was still running, most teams were from Germany. Also Germany still these days have even multiple lower leagues.I stand coerrerected! it is Broncos vs 49ers :confused: I had another game in mind.
So the game has some meaning to me as Denver is in the same division as San Diego.
Thanks for the input :up:
I don't know how they determine the teams that play in England, but this one is kind of a stinker. :down: ;)

[ICWS]

Still the game with Broncos and 49ers just won´t be a big game. Its kinda a shame that NFL has booked a game like this for Wembley. Okey 49ers is a legendary team but these days them are just bad and has been that a couple of years already. Okey Broncos has started badly too but I expect them to take that game.

I think the NFL schedules this type of game because the two teams are not expected to be contenders for the Super Bowl (or even the playoffs) and don't get great fan support as a result. Thus, the NFL doesn't feel bad for taking a home game from one of these teams (in order to play in England) because they're not missing the domestic fans of these two teams that much. Therefore, as long as the NFL continues this one game in England thing, I believe the two teams that play in that game will most likely be teams that aren't contenders or don't have rabid fanbases at their home stadiums.

[Tazio]

I think the NFL schedules this type of game because the two teams are not expected to be contenders for the Super Bowl (or even the playoffs) and don't get great fan support as a result. Thus, the NFL doesn't feel bad for taking a home game from one of these teams (in order to play in England) because they're not missing the domestic fans of these two teams that much. Therefore, as long as the NFL continues this one game in England thing, I believe the two teams that play in that game will most likely be teams that aren't contenders or don't have rabid fanbases at their home stadiums.

I don't think that is the criteria


Typically, the games in Europe are played on the last weekend of October. Normally this is the same weekend as Major League Baseball's World Series (although in 2009, this was not the case because the World Series is playing one week later than usual), that week has no Sunday night game, allowing for the International Series to be the featured game of the day.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series

If you look at the list of teams that have played in England you will see it includes New York and New England those teams always sell out.
Plus New England won its division that (last) season
And the year New York played in England they were reining Super bowl champions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series

Plus The 49's and the Broncos have huge fan basses. Especialy Denver.
(although the teams have fallen on hard times lately they still fill the seats)

[Captain VXR]

American Football will never take off in the British Isles just the same as Rugby will never take off in North America. Still, the more sport variety there is, the better

[Mixa]

Whatever was the case, I hope that for the spectators it offered a good game. For me it looked quite good and as 49ers somehow surprisingly even taken the game and we saw points on the board it ended up well for NFL and the fans who were there.

Still as has been mentioned by Mr Alcatraz , the teams in London previously has been quite big in modern NFL but also ICWS have a point,specially now as the London event kinda has been there some years already. Still at the future I expect these modern big teams to play in London, if them keeps going with this. Still example seeing some legendary teams in Europe what are mediocre by level or even considered as bad,I wouldn´t be so shocked to see them and them still could fill the stands.

Would also be interesting to hear the fav teams of everyone.. As in many sports,I somehow keep to like for teams what unfortunately have a rivalry :D . Example at NFL I find myself to go for Oakland Raiders and SF 49ers .

[Drew]

I think any commentator would have to be extremely patient and try to teach us the rules. Anyways, I won't be watching :)

[gloomyDAY]

Did anyone watch that game?


I think any commentator would have to be extremely patient and try to teach us the rules. Anyways, I won't be watching :) Easy game to grasp. Just give it a chance.

[ICWS]

I don't think that is the criteria


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series (http://</p>

][b]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series

If you look at the list of teams that have played in England you will see it includes New York and New England those teams always sell out.
Plus New England won its division that (last) season
And [B]the year New York played in England they were reining Super bowl champions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series

Plus The 49's and the Broncos have huge fan basses. Especialy Denver.
(although the teams have fallen on hard times lately they still fill the seats)

I stand corrected on the New York Giants in 2007 (Super Bowl champions), but they played the Miami Dolphins in that game (the Dolphins finished with a 1 win, 15 losses record that year). I don't stand so corrected on the 2008 game, though, with the New Orleans Saints (8-8, didn't qualify for playoffs) and the San Diego Chargers (8-8, went to AFC divisional playoff round). The 2009 game had an underachieving New England Patriots team (10-6, lost in AFC wild card playoff round) vs. a poor Tampa Bay Buccaneers team (3-13).
And this year's game had the San Francisco 49ers playing the Denver Broncos (both teams are 2-6, so far this season).

My point is that the England game will most likely never get the best possible matchup for the reasons I mentioned before: the teams that are sent to England are typically underachieving, non-contenders, and/or struggling bringing fans to their own stadiums in the U.S.

[555-04Q2]

I prefer rugby, a real sport played by real men who don't need body armour and don't stand around for 90% of the game doing nothing.

[Tazio]

I stand corrected on the New York Giants in 2007 (Super Bowl champions), but they played the Miami Dolphins in that game (the Dolphins finished with a 1 win, 15 losses record that year). I don't stand so corrected on the 2008 game, though, with the New Orleans Saints (8-8, didn't qualify for playoffs) and the San Diego Chargers (8-8, went to AFC divisional playoff round). The 2009 game had an underachieving New England Patriots team (10-6, lost in AFC wild card playoff round) vs. a poor Tampa Bay Buccaneers team (3-13).
And this year's game had the San Francisco 49ers playing the Denver Broncos (both teams are 2-6, so far this season).

My point is that the England game will most likely never get the best possible matchup for the reasons I mentioned before: the teams that are sent to England are typically underachieving, non-contenders, and/or struggling bringing fans to their own stadiums in the U.S. I humbly disagree!
Could you povde a link to back up your assetion
At least I presented a link that stated that the game is played on a day that would allow them to be the feature game of the day in the states.
Here it is again:



Typically, the games in Europe are played on the last weekend of October. Normally this is the same weekend as Major League Baseball's World Series , allowing for the International Series to be the featured game of the day

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series

Show me a link that backs up your assertion!
Otherwise your theory is pure speculation! IMO :)

On a seperate note:


"CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- After seeing fans jam London's Wembley Stadium the past two years to watch an NFL game, the league is considering sending a second regular-season contest overseas in time for the 2010 season.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Tuesday that the second game also could be played in London or another location in the United Kingdom. The issue will be discussed at next week's league meetings and could be included in a larger plan to add up to two regular-season games to the NFL schedule.


The fan reaction we've had in London has been extraordinary. We would like to feed that passion," Goodell said after speaking at the Charlotte Touchdown Club. "We have a great fan base in the UK. There have been discussions of taking the second game and playing it in another market in the UK. That's something that we'll evaluate."

The NFL first staged a regular-season game in London in 2007, when the New York Giants beat the Miami Dolphins 13-10. Last year, the New Orleans Saints beat the San Diego Chargers 37-32 at Wembley Stadium.

Both games were sellouts, and fans quickly gobbled up tickets for next season's Oct. 25 game between the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8104650e&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

[Tazio]

I stand corrected on the New York Giants in 2007 (Super Bowl champions), but they played the Miami Dolphins in that game (the Dolphins finished with a 1 win, 15 losses record that year). I don't stand so corrected on the 2008 game, though, with the New Orleans Saints (8-8, didn't qualify for playoffs) and the San Diego Chargers (8-8, went to AFC divisional playoff round). The 2009 game had an underachieving New England Patriots team (10-6, lost in AFC wild card playoff round) vs. a poor Tampa Bay Buccaneers team (3-13).
And this year's game had the San Francisco 49ers playing the Denver Broncos (both teams are 2-6, so far this season).

My point is that the England game will most likely never get the best possible matchup for the reasons I mentioned before: the teams that are sent to England are typically underachieving, non-contenders, and/or struggling bringing fans to their own stadiums in the U.S.
I also think you are reading way too much into this.

I'm willing to wager that the game that is played at Wembley is determined by a blind draw!

[ICWS]

I humbly disagree!
Could you povde a link to back up your assetion
At least I presented a link that stated that the game is played on a day that would allow them to be the feature game of the day in the states.
Here it is again:


[/b]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NFL_International_Series

Show me a link that backs up your assertion!
Otherwise your theory is pure speculation! IMO :)

On a seperate note:



http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8104650e&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

First of all, this year's England game wasn't the feature game of the day: the New Orleans Saints (last year's Super Bowl champs) played the Pittsburgh Steelers at night, against Game 4 of MLB's World Series (Giants vs. Rangers). Second, I suggest you use that same wikipedia link to look at the past results of the England game. Then click on the teams that played that year to look how their season was that year. You'll find that my evidence about the performance of the teams I talked about is correct.

I won't disagree with you that the England game gets good attendance, but my point is that the England game's significance seems to be fading and the teams chosen to play most likely won't be the best matchup on that day. In the same wikipedia article, it mentions that in the future, the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were identified as teams interested in playing in the England game. All three of these teams are inconsistent and underachieving and add more proof that the England game isn't expected to be the best possible game that weekend in the NFL.

The main reason why it is even called a "feature game" is because it's outside of the United States.

[Tazio]

First of all, this year's England game wasn't the feature game of the day: the New Orleans Saints (last year's Super Bowl champs) played the Pittsburgh Steelers at night, against Game 4 of MLB's World Series (Giants vs. Rangers). Second, I suggest you use that same wikipedia link to look at the past results of the England game. Then click on the teams that played that year to look how their season was that year. You'll find that my evidence about the performance of the teams I talked about is correct.

I won't disagree with you that the England game gets good attendance, but my point is that the England game's significance seems to be fading and the teams chosen to play most likely won't be the best matchup on that day. In the same wikipedia article, it mentions that in the future, the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were identified as teams interested in playing in the England game. All three of these teams are inconsistent and underachieving and add more proof that the England game isn't expected to be the best possible game that weekend in the NFL.

The main reason why it is even called a "feature game" is because it's outside of the United States.I think you are actually on to something there.
I stand corrected! :)

[anthonyvop]

The NFL's Schedule is made months in advance and is etched in stone. There is no way they can accurately predict the performance of the teams sent. The Year That the Miami Dolphins Played in England they went 1-15. The following year they won their division.
I was told by an NFL front office official that they make the schedule as to have every team play once in the UK. Makes total sense.

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Did anyone watch that game?

Easy game to grasp. Just give it a chance.

I didn't see all of the game but of what I saw it just looked like Rugby in tights with lots of tactical breaks.


I prefer rugby, a real sport played by real men who don't need body armour and don't stand around for 90% of the game doing nothing.

:up:

[harvick#1]

Easy game to grasp. Just give it a chance.

the NFL is being washed down so bad that they are gonna kill themselves, and since they will lockout 2011, the NFL is gonna fall off and join the rest of the sports that have done the same, people arent gonna bother with what GOD-del has to say and how he suspends and fines players

[Bob Riebe]

the NFL is being washed down so bad that they are gonna kill themselves, and since they will lockout 2011, the NFL is gonna fall off and join the rest of the sports that have done the same, people arent gonna bother with what GOD-del has to say and how he suspends and fines players
One can only hope so.

[ICWS]

the NFL is being washed down so bad that they are gonna kill themselves, and since they will lockout 2011, the NFL is gonna fall off and join the rest of the sports that have done the same, people arent gonna bother with what GOD-del has to say and how he suspends and fines players

I don't think a lockout will happen, but if it does, I think the NFL will recover. The league is too big and popular to fall off in the manner that other U.S. sport leagues have. Even with their declining attendance, the NFL still has the highest average attendance for any domestic sports league in the world, with an average of 67,500 fans showing up for each game. The sport itself has pretty much taken the reigns from baseball as "America's pastime" and NFL almost always end up with the best T.V. ratings of the week in comparison to the competing sports leagues and anything else that comes on T.V. when they're on. The league's T.V. rights are far more lucrative than the NBA's, MLB's, NHL's, etc. T.V. rights. The Super Bowl from last season (New Orleans Saints vs. Indianapolis Colts) ended up being the most watched television program of any kind in the history of American television (average of 105.97 million viewers), and the Nielsen net rating was 45.0 with a 68% share, which is the highest for a Super Bowl since the 1996 Super Bowl. It is also the second most watched annual sporting event in the world, after the UEFA Champions League final.

All of this is showing that despite the complaints fans may have about Roger Goodell, and how washed down the league has become, there is still a massive fanbase for the NFL that will continue to watch on T.V. and come out in droves to their team's stadium.

[Drew]

Easy game to grasp. Just give it a chance.

That doesn't make it any more interesting. I think I prefer the sports we used to play at school, football, rugby, tennis etc etc.

[ShiftingGears]

It lacks fluidity. I much prefer rugby.