TMS Game Log: Falcons at Cardinals 12/23/2007

One of the Five Pillars of Cardinal Fandom is that every able bodied Cardinals fan must make a pilgrimage to the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. On 12/23, I completed my hajj.

The Cardinals were taking on the Falcons, and as a result of Michael Vick's incarceration, I got a good deal on field level tickets. The Cardinals won 30-27 in OT, but rather than giving a play by play game recap, I'll just give you some thoughts.

1. University of Phoenix Stadium is a fantastic venue.

After years of languishing at Sun Devil Stadium, two years ago the vagabond Cardinals finally got their own home. While the team made the unfortunate decision to sell the naming rights to a for-profit diploma mill, the magnificence of the stadium cannot be denied. It was recently named the best stadium in the NFL and justifiably so.

From the outside, its kind of an eyesore. Its supposed to look like a barrel cactus, but it looks more like jiffy pop on the stove. Once you're inside though its a different experience entirely. It is enormous, but doesn't overwhelm you. Food and restrooms are readily available and the jumbotron has the sharpest picture of any I've seen. Cardinals gear is generally hard to find, but the team store had so much selection it blew my mind. The stadium also has a weird British streak. Signs tell you to "queue here" and give directions to the "car park".

2. The Fans are really into the game.

You don't expect a lot of passion from Arizona Cardinals fans, what with the two decades of disappointment and all but the fans really get into the game here. For the Cards, the game was only for pride, but everyone in the stands (save for the handful of Falcons fans like the douchebag with the "Stay strong Mike Vick" sign) wanted the victory. As the Cards began to fall apart and go conservative in the 2nd half, the boos started to rain down. Two punts at the Falcons 35 and repeated 2 yard runs by James up the middle garnered a cascade of boos that would make Eagles fans proud.

3. The damn roof was open.

Fifty degrees may sound borderline warm to those of you scraping frost off your cocks in the midwest, but those of us who are native to America's great western deserts aren't used to it. Fifty degrees celsius maybe... They really needed to close the god damned roof.

4. Chicks love Matt Leinart.

There are tons of Matt Leinart jerseys out there and 90% of them are worn by chicks under 27. Underrated: Girls wearing football jerseys

5. The seats I bought were great.

I bought tickets on ebay after the Vick fiasco, so I got a deal. We sat in row 11 in the endzone corner near the "Red Zone" (where the field slides out). I guess they could have sucked if the action was all at the other end of the field, but fortunately most of the Cardinals' scoring was at this end. Two TDs, a Rod Hood INT of Redman, and the game tying and game winning field goals by fugitive War Criminal Neil Rackers were all at our end of the field.

While I would have liked to see Arizona kill Atlanta (like they did with the Rams yesterday), I can't complain about the game. Anquan Boldin caught everything the Sultan of Stubble threw in his direction. If Whisenhunt wasn't an old school smashmouth guy at heart, the Cards probably could have put 40 up on Atlanta (what could this offense do with a crazy run-n-shooter like June Jones running it? Jesus...). It was a good time had by all and I shall make another pilgrimage to a Cardinals game perhaps as early as next season.