Royalty sees the Giants play the Browns at MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon!

View from Section 146 at MetLife Stadium

Sunday afternoon I went out to MetLife Stadium where I met up with my pal Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich. We went to see the Super Bowl XXXVI Champion Giants play the Cleveland Browns.

It was a cool day with a light rain falling. Thankfully Rich and I sit in section 146 in the back of the section which is under the over hang in the corner of the end zone.

As for the game we saw, the Giants won the toss as they elected to receive. The first play from scrimmage, running back Ahmad Bradshaw carried for two yards then he fumbled and he lost the ball. As a result, the Browns got the ball deep in Giants' territory. Two plays later, rookie Trent Richardson, the third overall pick in the 2012 draft out of Alabama scored on a 15 yard touchdown run to give the Browns' a 7-0 lead. The Browns held the Giants then they got the ball back and they scored again to take a 14-0 lead. This time rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden hooked up with rookie Josh Gordon from Baylor on a 62 yard touchdown pass.

The Giants fought back as they got on the score board as Eli Manning found Victor Cruz for a 3 yard pass to get the Giants within a touchdown at 14-7.

In the second quarter, the Browns extended their lead to ten, 17-7 as kicker Phil Dawson split the uprights from 32 yards out. The Giants responded with a field goal of their own as Lawrence Tynes hit a 29 yard field goal to make it 17-10. The Giants came back again as they tied the score at 17 thanks to a 4 yard run by Ahmad Bradshaw. The Giants continued to exploit the young Browns as they scored another touchdown to go ahead 24-17 as Eli Manning and Victor Cruz connected again from 7 yards. Just before the half, the Giants got a 40 yard field goal from Tynes with just four seconds to go as they headed into the locker room with an improbable ten point lead, 27-17.

After the Browns failed to score on the opening kick off in the second half, the Giants went back to work. Victor Cruz caught his third touchdown pass of the day to give the Giants' a commanding 34-17 lead with 5:14 left in the third quarter. The Browns managed to get a 41 yard field goal from Phil Dawson to pull within two touchdowns at 34-20 shortly thereafter.

In the fourth quarter, with 5:49 left in the game, rookie David Wilson from Virginia Tech exploded as he ran in a touchdown from 40 yards out to make the score 41-20 Giants. The Browns added another touchdown as Weeden found Josh Gordon for a 20 yard touchdown pass to make it 41-27. That's the way it ended as the Browns stayed winless after five games.

It should be noted after fumbling on the first play from scrimmage, Ahmad Bradshaw rebounded nicely as he wound up rushing for 200 yards on 30 carries.

As a football fan, it was another exciting game to see live.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Prince sees a thriller at MetLife Stadium with more royal company!

Giants and Buccaneers at MetLife Stadium

On Sunday September 16th, I decided to pass up the Yankee game against the Rays in the Bronx. I wasn't alone. My pal, Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich did the same. We arranged to meet up outside MetLife Stadium instead to see the Giants play the other team from the Tampa area, the Buccaneers as they were also in town to play football.

Rich and I didn't have tickets but we were able to round up a few outside. I wound up paying $40 for a ticket and I helped him get one for $50. We both paid a lot less than the face value. With that being said, we did real good.

We wound up sitting in section 146 on the lower level which is in corner of the end zone which gave us some great views of the action. In addition, we had a giant screen behind us which keep us abreast of all the other games that were being played at the same time. I felt like I was at a sports bar. It was amazing to be able to watch a live game and when we went to a commercial break I got to see the other action from around the league.

As for the game we saw, the Giants won the field goal battle in the first quarter as they lead 6-3. In the second quarter, the Buccaneers took the lead as they scored two touchdowns to go up, 17-6. The Giants answered back as Eli Manning found Hakeem Nicks for a touchdown to slice into the lead as they made it 17-13. Just before the half ended, Manning threw an interception and to add insult to injury thanks to shoddy tackling, Eric Wright of the Buccaneers ran it back 60 yards to extend the Buccaneers' lead to 24-13 at the half.

In the third quarter, the Buccaneers tacked three more thanks to a 52 yard field goal by Connor Barth to go up by a score of 27-13. The Giants added a few field goals to cut the deficit to eight points at 27-19 early in the fourth quarter.

With the game coming to a close, it was time for Eli Manning to step up and work his fourth quarter magic. He didn't disappoint the crowd as he hit Victor Cruz on a bomb that covered 80 yards that got the Giants within two with 6:48 left in the fourth quarter. With that being said, they decided to go for the tie. Andre Brown who was having a monster day due to an injury to Ahmad Bradshaw took over the spotlight as he ran in the two point conversion to tie the game at 27. As a result, the crowd at MetLife Stadium erupted.
A few minutes later with 3:59 left in the fourth quarter, Manning hit Martellus Bennett for a 33 yard touchdown pass that gave the Giants the lead, 34-27. The Buccaneers weren't done yet. Josh Freeman awoke from the dead as he connected with wide receiver Mike Williams who made a great over the shoulder catch in the corner of the end zone that we were sitting in. What a view we had of it. That tied the game up at 34 with 1:58 left in regulation.

Rich and I were thinking about a possible overtime. Eli Manning and the Giants had other ideas. They got the ball back and they marched down the field again. This time they found the end zone again after Andre Brown purposely went down at the two yard line so they could kill more time. The next play Andre Brown ran in for the go ahead score to give the Giants a 41-34 lead. That's the way it ended but it appeared from my point of view that the Buccaneers got screwed on an apparent great catch by Mike Williams again. This time he made what looked like an amazing catch at the Giants' 16 yard line. He got hit hard by Antrel Rolle who knocked the ball loose while he was out of bounds. In my eyes, it was a catch and fumble out of bounds. They reviewed and they claimed he didn't have control of the ball and he lost it so it was ruled an incomplete pass. I was furious with the decision being an astute football fan. The next play Josh Freeman threw an interception which preserved the victory for the Giants. The Buccaneers blew the lead so they didn't deserve to win but it seemed like a bad call to me. What a game we saw despite that so called non catch.

With five seconds to go, Rich and I raced out of the Stadium so we could catch the bus back to the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. By doing so, I got home in no time for a change.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty witnesses history at MetLife Stadium!

1st Ever Playoff Game at MetLife Stadium

Sunday afternoon the NY Giants who won the NFC East Division got to host a playoff game at MetLife Stadium. It was the first ever playoff game played there as the Giants played the fifth seeded Atlanta Falcons in the Wild Card game.

This time the King and I avoided any hassles by buying tickets which were available during the week on Ticketmaster. Our friend Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich was there as well. I arranged to get all the tickets for us.

Our friend Andrew Van Cleve came up from Philadelphia so he could be part of history too. Since he moved to the Northeast at the beginning of December, we've seen each numerous times. It's always a pleasure to see him.

As for the game we saw, the Giants fell behind 2-0 as the Falcons forced Giant quarterback Eli Manning into an intentional grounding in the end zone as he was trying to avoid the sack which gave the Falcons a safety. That's the only points the Falcons got the rest of the afternoon as the Giants defense totally shut them down.

The Giants' offense was slow to get started as they led by a score of  7-2 at halftime. In the second half, the offense got into high gear as they ran the ball well with their running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. In addition, their three wide receivers emerged. Victor Cruz was double covered most of the time so that gave his teammates Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham a chance to shine and they did.
Nicks scored a touchdown that covered 86 yards in the third quarter that for all intent and purposes put the game away. As a result, the crowd went crazy. The building felt like it was shaking literally. What a moment it was to be a Giant fan.

The Giants went on to win the game, 24-2. They go to Green Bay this weekend to play the Packers in the Divisional Round at Lambeau Field. It won't be an easy task but they won there on their way to winning the Super Bowl back in 2007. We'll wait and see what happens this time.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Titans take advantage of Giants miscues & lack of discipline, pull away and roll on the road, 29-10!

Sunday afternoon at the New Meadowlands Stadium, the Tennessee Titans took advantage of some sloppy plays by the Giants as well as some stupid costly penalties to cruise to victory, 29-10!

The Giants started this game well they were able to move the ball against stingy Titan defense. But Eli Manning had threw a few bad passes that killed the drives. The first was wasn't totally Eli's fault as the ball was deflected on the opening series of the game. The second one was absolutely inexcusable. On third and goal from the 6 yard line, Eli was scrambling to find a receiver, instead he had a brain fart if you will. He made an ill advised decision as he flipped the ball towards the end zone, Will Witherspoon of the Titans tipped the ball and his teammate Jason McCourty who played his college ball at nearby Rutgers intercepted the ball in the end zone for a touchback. So instead of a field goal attempt from a short distance, the Giants came away with no points.

As a result, the Titans jumped out to a early 10-0 lead. Rob Bironas kicked a 48 yard field goal to open the scoring. Chris Johnson who finished the game with 125 yards rushing scored the first of his two touchdowns from a yard out.

The Giants came back to eventually tie the game at the half at 10. Their place kicker, Lawrence Tynes connected on a 50 yard field goal to get them on the board after he missed one from 53 yards out. Ahmad Bradshaw added a 10 yard touchdown run to get the Giants even on the scoreboard despite the almost 2 to 1 margin in total offense.

The second half was the difference in this one. The Titans special teams set them up near midfield to open the third quarter which put them in position to succeed. That drive stalled but it set the stage for the Giant debacle to take place.

The Giants were pinned in at their own 1 yard line thanks to the great Titans special teams play. It appeared that the Giants got a big first down on third and long on a 44 yard pass to Mario Manningham but Ahmad Bradshaw got called for a chop block in the end zone which resulted in a safety for the Titans. The Titans took the lead for good, 12-10!

They got the ball back on the free kick and once again their special teams set them up in great field position at the their 49 yard line. That drive ended with a 13 yard touchdown pass to another former Rutgers player, Kenny Britt which gave the Titans a 19-10 lead.   

The Giants were attempting to get back into the game late in the third quarter but Ahmad Bradshaw fumbled and lost the ball at the 5 yard line killing their golden oppportunity to do so. To add insult to injury, David Diehl was called for a personal foul for unnecessary roughness which brought the ball out to the 20 yard line.

In addition, in the fourth quarter, Kareem McKenzie was whistled for two personal fouls for unnecessary roughness. The Giants had five of them for the game. As professionals, that's totally unacceptable behavior.

Furthermore, the Giants' Lawrence Tynes missed two field goals and Eli Manning threw two interceptions despite his 386 yards passing which proves that statistics don't always tell the true story. These days statistics are a fantasy football fan's dream.

Overall, it was a nightmare of a day  for the hometown Giants.

They play the Bears in prime time Sunday night. For their sake, they better get their act together. The Bears are 3-0. Royalty will be there again so check back for the details of that outcome.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman