Royalty is joined by USRT for Jets/Bills football on Curtis Martin Day at MetLife Stadium!

Curtis Martin Day #28 

When the NFL schedule came out back in April, I circled September 9th on my calendar to be at MetLife Stadium for the Jets Opener with division rival, the Buffalo Bills. Apparently I wasn't alone. Shortly thereafter, I was contacted by my pals from Buffalo. I'm referring to Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell aka USRT who also wanted to be there to see their Bills open the season.

When they informed me, I told them you're welcome here with open hands. Like Bob Barker used to say on the Price is Right, come on down.

I'm glad they did. Unfortunately they didn't get the outcome they were hoping for.

The Bills picked up Mario Williams as a free agent in the off season. On this day, he was non existent as the Jets shut him down all afternoon.

I felt bad for them. We met up before the game and we caught up on our recent travels. I told them I don't know who's going to win but I hope it's competitive. It turned out to be anything but.

For them, it was a disaster. For me, it was just what the doctor ordered.

As for the game we saw, the Jets shined bright for two and half quarters as they build a 41-7 lead. They slacked off the rest of the way knowing they had the game won. It turned out they did as they won, 48-28.
Mark Sanchez looked like the quarterback of the future we all hoped he would be. He played great thanks to his offensive line who give his great protection all day long. As a Jet fan, I hope this wasn't an aberration. Time will tell.

I got to enjoy the festivities on the field with my pals Larry Peim and Ira Lieberfarb aka Ira from Staten Island in section 312.

At halftime, the Jet organization honored a recent Hall of Famer as they retired the #28 jersey that was worn by Curtis Martin when he played for the Jets starting in the late 1990's. Curtis was a consummate professional and a class act on and off the field. He was a fan favorite. CM as he was called by my pal Jimmy Lieberfarb who's also Ira's Cousin always worked well in the PM. Curtis was a legendary football player and he finally got his just due. The speech he gave to the crowd was so touching. He told us how hard work pays off. He said he never made excuses for failing. He always planned to succeed and he certainly did in his football career. My most memorable moment was back on November 22, 1998 when I saw the Jets play the then Tennessee Oilers at Vanderbilt Stadium. The Jets won and Curtis Martin was the star of the game. He got interviewed after the game and when he was done he threw me his elbow pad. I was so elated. I loved watching Curtis run. He will always have a special place in my heart of hearts.

Thank you Curtis for all the memories you gave to me and the Jet organization.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty sees the latest Battle of New York on Christmas Eve!

Jets and Giants in Battle of NY

The one and only time I saw the Jets play the Giants in a regular season game was way back on November 1, 1981. On that day, the Jets tossed the Giants a beating as they sacked Phil Simms nine times as they won the game, 26-7.

This time things were different in more ways than one.

First and foremost, this time the game was played in a different stadium that being MetLife Stadium which is shared by both teams. This game was a designated "home" game for the Jets.

In 1981, the Giants were the home team. The game was played at old Giants Stadium that day. The Jets were still playing their home games at Shea Stadium then.

This time the result was different as well. The Jets with their coach Rex Ryan opening his big mouth early in the week got beat on the field as the Giants showed Rex who owns this town and it's not his Jets. The Giants whipped the Jets, 29-14 as they made life miserable for Jet quarterback Mark Sanchez who wound up throwing 59 passes in the defeat. Thanks to the Giant defense that was led by Jason Pierre Paul and Justin Tuck who made Sanchez feel very uncomfortable most of the afternoon.

The win set the Giants up to possibly win their division if they beat the Dallas Cowboys in their season finale Sunday night in prime time.

The Jets on the other hand, have to beat the Miami Dolphins and they'll need three other teams to lose just to get in the playoffs as a wild card team.

On the bright side, the King and I did get a special visit from Steve Cirvello who's from the FDH Lounge. Steve is Rick Morris' business partner. It was great to see him again.

It was frustrating to watch the Jets lose a game they really needed to win but being able to see Steve softened the blow.

In reality, both teams don't deserve to make the playoffs but the bottom line is the Giants have the bragging rights in the area for the time being.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty witnesses the 2011 Boston Massacre‏ in Foxboro!



I'm in the house



After seeing the Jets get embarrassed back on December 6th against the New England Patriots it was time for a payback.

The King and I found our way into the building with a little help from my good friend James Gabriele who was there with his son.

I was able to get us one ticket for the game on Ticketmaster when they went on sale.

We still needed another ticket so we both could be in.

James went out of his way to do whatever he could to accomodate us. At the last minute, he called us and he said his NBC station, WHDH, in Boston had an extra ticket. I wound up getting in touch with Marcy and Chris who had the ticket. I met them by the gate and I went into the building.

The King wound up sitting upstairs and I lucked out into a seat just 14 rows from the field behind the Jet bench by the 25 yard line.

What a view I had. I can't thank James, Marcy and Chris for making this happen. Needless to say, I'm very grateful.

During the week, Jets coach Rex Ryan talked all week long and on Sunday night his team executed his game plan to perfection as the Jets got their revenge on the Patriots.

For the second year in a row, Royalty was in the house to lock the doors on Gillette Stadium.

Last year the King and I saw the Baltimore Ravens and Ray Rice run all over the Patriots as they ended their season.

This time the Jets confused Tom Brady most of the game after he started out on fire. Then David Harris picked off a pass and put the Jets in position to score.

Unfortunately Nick Folk missed a 31 yard field goal that would have gave the Jets the early lead. The Patriots came down the field and had to settle for a field goal after Alge Crumpler missed a pass in the end zone for a touchdown.

After that the Jets went to work, they pressured Tom Brady a number of times and they sacked him 5 times. He was forced into making bad passes. In addition, he didn't seem in sync with receivers on a number of occasions. His receivers went one way and the ball went another.

Rex Ryan wrote a masterful blueprint that the Patriots couldn't figure out.

On offense, Quarterback Mark Sanchez was brilliant. He had no turnovers and he got everybody involved.

There were great catches by Jerricho Cotchery, Braylon Edwards and Santonio Holmes.

In addition, there were timely runs by LaDainlian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene which enabled the Jets to control the clock as they dominated the line of scrimmage.

It was an amazing performance as they beat the best in the business in their own building.

Next stop: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the AFC Championship Game

To quote Jets coach Rex Ryan "Same Old Jets".

It's going to be the Jets year. After seeing all those miracle wins, they're destined to win it all.

We'll wait and see.

One step at a time.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty attracts attention at Cleveland Browns Stadium as Jets stun Browns in OT!

Prince at Cleveland Browns Stadium

 

After an eventful Saturday night in Buffalo, the King and I continued our road trip to Cleveland, Ohio to see the Jets play the Browns Sunday afternoon.

We were supposed to be joined by our friend from Cleveland, Bessanne Hustosky but unfortunately she told us she couldn't make it due to not feeling well. Her company was missed.

Even though Bessanne wasn't up to the test, the King and I weren't alone. We wound up seeing Ira from Staten Island who sees every Jet game home and away. In addition, he's a regular caller on sports radio shows home and away also.

Speaking of out of town sports radio, Ira introduced the King and I to a guy named Rick Morris who runs a sports talk show on the internet. He instantly wants to put the King and I on a future show.

His website has been added to my blog list so I strongly suggest that you check it out.

We were privileged and honored that Rick was so willing to hear about our past and future adventures.
He said and I quote "you guys are living the dream". He was left in awe of the overview we briefly gave him.

As for the game we saw, it was a thriller indeed. In the end, it turned out right for Ira, the King and I.

The Jets once again found a way to win the game. The Browns with their quarterback of the future now in place in Colt "the real" McCoy who gave the Jets everything they could handle.

We were willing to accept a tie then all of a sudden Santonio Holmes deked and slipped through a tackle and he found his way into the end zone for the winning touchdown with just 16 seconds left in the extra session to give the Jets an incredible 26-20 victory.

It was another stunning ending on the road for Gang Green.

Mark Sanchez was amazing as he alluded would be tackles for sacks and on numerous occasions he completed passes to sustain drives with his ability to buy himself extra time.

As a result, Jerricho Cotchery wound up catching a touchdown pass and a huge pass on third and nine to get a first down in overtime.

What a performance it was for Sanchez and company.

Royalty can proudly say we we're there.

Thank you for reading and following along.

If you're tired of reading about it, then you should do something about it. Talk to me so I can make it happen for you.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty leaves Ford Field in disbelief!



Prince at Ford Field



















Sunday in downtown Detroit was a memorable one. Christmas came early for Jet fans like the King and I. Unfortunately for our friend Frank his Lions literally gave this game away.

The Jets who didn't show up until late in the fourth quarter left the Motor City with a W thanks to the Lions blowing a 10 point lead with 4:26 left in regulation.

Mark Sanchez led the way running the no huddle offense to perfection getting the Jets in position to go into overtime.

In the extra session, the Jets won the coin toss and they proceeded to march right down the field as Sanchez hit Santonio Holmes over the middle and he ran into the red zone which set up the game winning 30 yard field goal by Nick Folk with 12:42 left in overtime to snatch the victory from the claws of defeat.

The key play was just after the two minute warning when the Lions had the ball with 6 yards to go on third down. Instead of running the ball which would have killed another 30 seconds of precious time, they decided to pass and they wound up throwing an incomplete pass which gave the Jets more time to stage their comeback.

Wisely the Jets were fortunate and they took advantage.

We walked out of the building in stunned disbelief. The Jets found a way to win again. That's what championship teams do.

In this case, I'll gladly take the W.

Stay tuned as the last leg of this adventurous weekend is still to come.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty finally sees the Jets win in Denver, 24-20!



I'm in the building at 5,280 feet



It took three tries but I finally saw the Jets knock the Broncos off their horse.

Back on 11/8/92, the King and I saw the Jets there for the first time at Old Mile High Stadium. Browning Nagle was the Jets quarterback that day. Needless to say, they lost.

On 1/19/99, they had a 10-0 lead at halftime, then came the endless third quarter when they totally collapsed with a trip to the Super Bowl awaiting the winner. Even on John Elway's worst day as a pro he still found a way to win. He completed only 13 out of 34 passes that day.

Now with the Broncos in their new stadium, Invesco Field at Mile High which opened in 2001, we saw the Chargers play there in 2002 but it was time to see the Jets there.

In Broncos Country on this day, it was Orange Sunday. They told everybody to wear Orange. I was going to see the Orange get crushed.

In the end, I finally got my way much to the chagrin of the natives who were on hand.

Unlike Carlos Beltran, Alex Rodriguez or Ryan Howard, the Jets survived a scare and found a way to win the game in my third visit to Denver to see them play. It made their record 5-1 which is nice but it didn't earn them a trip to the Super Bowl just yet.

As for the game, it was a see saw battle through out. This game had some history to it as Nick Folk of the Jets kicked a team record 56 yard field goal. Matt Prater of the Broncos booted one from 59 yards out. That was the longest field goal I've ever seen in person. The altitude helps when you're a mile high.

With the Jets down 20-17 late in the fourth quarter, Mark Sanchez marched the Jets down the field with possible help from the officials but he was able to scramble and buy time as Santonio Holmes was able to get in position to catch a pass at the 2 yard line. Holmes missed the pass but the yellow flag flew out indicating there was pass interference on the Broncos.

Earlier in the game, the Jets were called for three pass interferences.

With the ball at the Bronco 2 yard line, a familiar foe and former Charger, LaDainlian Tomlinson got the ball and he put the Jets ahead as he scored a touchdown with 1:13 remaining.

The Broncos had the ball near midfield with 43 seconds to go. They called a timeout. The next play their quarterback Kyle Orton couldn't handle a bad snap and the Jets recovered the ball to preserve the 24-20 victory. What a sigh of relief that was.

The monkey was finally lifted off my back.

What a way to end a great weekend.

It should be noted before the game I was able to meet up with a friend of ours, Dick Harding, whose from the Denver area. He came to the game with some friends so he couldn't join me for a post game dinner this time. It was still nice to be able to meet and greet him.

Another great weekend adventure is in the memory bank.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Ravens make a "Bold"in statement in first Monday Night Football game at New Meadowlands Stadium!

I'm in the house

After the Giants played the "first game"  at the New Meadowlands Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Jets opened their regular season by playing the first MNF game there.

The Jets started this game well on defense they brought the pressure early and often but it was Ray Lewis and the Baltimore Ravens who in the end came out on top in this one, 10-9!

The Jets forced turnovers but even when they had great field position they wound up settling for 3 Nick Folk field goals.

That's disappointing for a team with Super Bowl expectations.

The offensive game plan was horrible and way too conservative. I personally think Mark Sanchez is a good quarterback but that's when he's allowed to attempt to succeed. Monday night the Jets forgot to take the training wheels off.

Sanchez wasn't allowed to stretch the field. He threw too many short dink and dunk passes. He has a strong arm unlike Chad Pennington. Let him air it out. He has a potential big playmaker in wide receiver Bralyon Edwards. They need to utilize him. The one time they did, they committed an untimely penalty which nullified the big play.

The "L Train" LaDainlian Tomlinson was running well when he was given the chance to do so. Shonn Greene on the hand, fumbled a few times and they kept him on the sidelines too long. He finally came back in the game ice cold and he proceeded to drop a pass that was thrown to him.

The defense played well for the most part but they were forced to be on the field way too long since the offense couldn't stop sputtering.

I hope this was an aberration and the real Jets will show up to play as a team against the Patriots. We'll wait and see about that.

The team needs to be more disciplined going forward. They committed too many foolish penalities at inopportune times. The were flagged 14 different times for 125 yards. That's inexcusable and totally unacceptable. Rex needs to crack the whip.

The team took many dumb penalites on defense such as defensive holding and pass interference which were critical and gave the Ravens first downs when the defense could have been getting off the field.

Even with Darrelle Revis back on his island, his teammates were exposed all night. In particular, rookie Kyle Wilson and newcomer Antonio Cromartie who had a big interception that he returned for 66 yards to put the Jets in great shape to overcome their deficiencies on this night.

The Ravens in the off season made a bold statement when they traded for Anquan Boldin who played for the Arizona Cardinals. By adding Boldin they now have the depth on offense to spread the field for quarterback Joe Flacco.

Boldin in his Raven debut made his presence felt all night. He wound up with 7 receptions for 110 yards. In the process, he made life miserable for the Jets secondary and he forced them to have to pay close attention to his supporting cast too. It proved too much even for this great Jet defense to handle.

The Ravens now have many weapons in their arsenal. In addition, they recently picked up wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh who was released by the Seattle Seahawks. They join veterans Derrick Mason and tight end Todd Heap who looked like the Todd Heap of 5 years ago according to my friend and Raven fan Peter Agnew who joined me for this game. Heap was a beast. He finished the game with 6 catches of 72 yards.

When the Jets made a last gasp effort to try to overcome their mistakes,  Ravens middle linebacker Ray Lewis delivered a thunderous hit on Dustin Keller over the middle helping to seal the deal for the Ravens.

Lewis talked a big game beforehand and he backed it up as his team came out with the narrow victory.

Stay tuned all season to see if the Jets can rebound from this false start.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman