Englishmum

I've just spent a few days in London and yesterday Regent St was closed off for an "NFL Block Party". My spouse and I took a stroll there but there were huge queues for food (burgers/wings/hotdogs etc.) so we went for brunch at the new UK branch of NYC's "Balthazar" instead at Covent Garden. there were thousands of Americans wearing their NFL teams shirts, many had flown in from the States to go to Wembley but of course many US expats resident in the UK too.

The game at Wembley has just started....watching it on Channel 4 (it is on Sky too, plus US sports channels....then Downton Abbey later lol!

Nutmegger

Guindalf is over there and at Wembley. I am a royally ticked-off Steelers fan as in the NY area we can't get the game. I thought for sure that it would be on nationwide seeing as they are making such a big deal about the NFL in London -- but nooooooo!

Englishmum

Just an idea:
download http://www.expatshield.com and you can give your PC a temporary UK ISP (ie. con it into thinking you are in the UK).

Then just go to http://www.channel4.com (you may need to provide a UK address) to watch their programmes. I don't think you can do it on MAcs though.

Alternatively try the Film On app.

Hope it helps

Nutmegger

Thanks for the advice -- unfortunately I only just got it after going away to watch the Yankees game and keep track of the Steelers on my app! And just saw the sad news that Steelers Steel Curtain great L. C. Greenwood died at the age of 67.

Bluegrass Lass

I was very surprised at seeing this game yesterday! I didn't realize any of the NFL teams would come over here to play.

SultanOfSwing

They've been having one game in London for the last few seasons as far as I know.

Guindalf

Yes, we're over here and were at the game - sellout, 86,000 people! Believe me, we became intimate with every one of them trying to get to the tube after the game.

It was a great game (except for the result, of course) and the press here are all talking about it.

There's another game here next month - San Francisco 49ers vs Jacksonville Jaguars. ...and they're talking about the possibility of a regular NFL team being based in Europe permanently. Sadly, the team that's being talked about is the Jaguars (one of the owners owns Fulham football club) and no-one here LIKES the Jags!!!

Gordon Barlow

No-one anywhere likes the Jags, except a small tribal bunch in Jacksonville itself. Even some of the national sports commentators are saying that they ought to draft Tebow just to put some more bums on seats!

Guindalf

So true.

My boss's wife is a huge Tebow fan and has a Broncos and a Jets #15 shirt. I think the next one she buys will be a WalMart shirt!!

sir_eccles

I think I read somewhere that they were giving away free beer to try and make people by Jags tickets.

Anyway, I'm still getting used to the Chiefs being 4-0 :-)

Gordon Barlow

The irony of the Jaguars' situation is that if they come bottom of the League this season - as seems pretty certain - they will get first pick a the College graduates, of whom the star (and #1 pick) is expected to be a QB. The star College QB of his graduating year was... Tim Tebow, who was and is reckoned to be not good enough for the NFL!

I don't know if you followed his career at all (In the NFL), but he was a very erratic passer, who just happened to come good in the last five or ten minutes of his games. Hence the chant of "Tebow Time!" His pass in the first play of overtime against the Steelers... Well, here's the link, in case you haven't seen it. Napoleon is supposed to have said. "I would rather my generals were lucky than clever", or something like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UV2YqyeRB40

Bob

Tebow, some good college stats and when he's good can be pretty decent...but really, he's just shit who can't throw straight.

Last chance was with the Patriots. Surprised they didn't use him as a wide receiver though as he can catch pretty well and makes some decent diagonal runs like Welker used to do for the side.

I guess having $600K base salary for not doing anything is pretty high for a third string QB and the Pats never have that many QB's.

sir_eccles

I think Tebow is indicative of a gulf forming between college and NFL, both in style of play read option v. pocket and in quality.

Look at this past year's draft and the top two picks were tackles and some fairly well regarded QB talent wasn't picked until very late.

Note the Jags had the #2 pick this year. As the Chiefs are showing, there more to rebuilding than having the #1 pick.

Gordon Barlow

You hit the nail on the head, there, though I would attribute the growing gulf mainly to the different emphases on defence (Oops! I mean "defense"), especially the defensive line.

I'm an old Rugby League fan, by the way. Just recently we've been getting to see some RL games from England and Australia, and wonderful it is to watch, at its best! You can see that American football is an adaptation of RL rather than RU, and that's interesting too.

kimilseung

Importing NFL is one thing but not all that religious nonsense that Tebow will bring with him.