GILLETTE STADIUM AND OUR FOOTBALL PATRIOTS

  

GILLETTE STADIUM AND OUR FOOTBALL PATRIOTS

My first excursion to a New England Patriots NFL game was way back in 1979. Then teaching at Groveton High School, I made the long journey to Foxborough with the GHS soccer coach to watch the Patriots crush the Colts 50-21. The next day the Boston Globe ran a major story about drunken and lawless fan behavior accompanied by numerous arrests in and around Foxborough and Shaefer Stadium.

This, of course, invited comments from our fellow GHS faculty members.

“We should have known you guys would cause big trouble down there!”

We pled innocent.

Shaefer Stadium was a no-frills edifice built in 1971 for a mere $6 million. It later was renamed Sullivan Stadium after the team owners. When the Sullivans sold the team it became Foxborough Stadium. The last game played there was in January of 2002—the infamous snow game when Adam Vinatieri kicked a last-second 45-yard field goal in a blizzard to force an overtime against Oakland. It was arguably the greatest kick in NFL history. Vinatieri then kicked another field goal to give Tom Brady and the Patriots a 16-13 win. They went on to win their first Super Bowl.

The team moved to Gillette Stadium the next year, which cost a lot more than $6 million. Actually over $325 million. But the next 20 years saw an unprecedented run of football success at a true jewel of a stadium. It’s probably the only major stadium that’s not located near a major highway, meaning that Pats fans must plan accordingly and get to Foxborough early on game day.

And so it was that N.H. State Representative Tim Lang and I headed to Foxborough on Dec. 26 to watch the showdown between the Patriots and their AFC East rivals from Buffalo—the dreaded Bills.

We got to within three miles of the stadium when we were stuck in the inevitable traffic jam. We paid $40 to park on a homeowner’s lawn and hoofed it the rest of the way to the stadium.

Even at my age I still love the energy and excitement of a big game in front of 65,000 fans with millions more watching on television.

Despite the cold. And the COST.

If you haven’t been to a Pats game lately, then brace yourself and get out a credit card. All the seats cost at least $135, and most cost much more than that. If the Pats end up hosting the AFC Championship game on January 30, then the cheapest ticket will cost $516. Heaven knows what the choice seats would go for. 

But that January 30 scenario became unlikely after the Bills beat the Patriots. Buffalo led throughout—although the Patriots made it interesting when they cut the lead to 26-21 in the fourth quarter. But Bill quarterback Josh Allen then hit tight end Dawson Knox for a late score to seal the Pats’ doom. Final Score: 33-21, Bills.

Neither Allen nor Pats quarterback Mac Jones had great passing stats. But Allen led his team in rushing and even scored a touchdown. A mobile quarterback creates so many opportunities as opposed to a QB like, well, Tom Brady, who never moved all that well. Though Brady may well be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), imagine how much better his record and stats would have been if he could have scrambled a bit.

Anyway, Tim and I had reasonably good seats near the field on the 30-yard line. But I didn’t realize that the fans stand there throughout the game. Tiring! Although as I’m over 6-foot-3 watching the action wasn’t a problem for me. Tim, however, is a bit shorter.

At halftime we scanned the stadium and saw two empty corner seats at the very top of the upper deck behind the west end zone. The two worst seats in the stadium.

“You want to check them out?”

“Sure.”

It was a long and difficult journey but after ascending many ramps, passageways, and stairs we made it. The wind was blowing hard up there on the two worst seats at Gillette, but at least we didn’t have to stand up to see the field. And, as a “Man of the People,” Tim wanted to hang out with the non-pretentious fans in the “cheap” seats.

“How much did you pay for your seat?” Tim asked a fan who was sitting next to the two worst seats at Gillette.

“Only $135!”

(I couldn’t help but to think back to my first game at Fenway Park, when I paid $2 to see the Red Sox beat the Indians.)

Of course, being social media aficionados, Tim and I shared Facebook photos and videos of our Gillette sky-views from the stadium’s worst seats.

Oddly, there were consistent responses to our posts.

“You guys are at the Patriots game? That’s definitely TROUBLE!”

We pled innocent.

(Mike Moffett and Tim Lang at their seats at Gillette Stadium's 30-yard line.)

(Mike and Tim's original seats, are circled in red, seen from Gillette Stadium's worst seats.)