By Tom Greene, Guest Columnist.
Monday Night, Nov. 24, was a great night in Detroit. With an NFL Game at Ford Field and Wings-Sens at the Joe, Woodward Avenue in Downtown Detroit was a great place to be… Until after 9 P.M. The Decision in Ferguson led to riots and unrest in many areas of the United States. I cannot confirm nor deny that Detroit was one of them, because I had left immediately after the Jets-Bills game due to possible protests.
But with that being set aside, it was another grand night in Detroit. With an accident on South 75, Traffic Buildup forced me to be late for the game, not being at the gate until after the first quarter. At that point, the Bills led 7-3.
Ford Field tried to make it feel that you’re at Ralph Wilson Stadium, because the Bills had lost a home game due to the snow in Buffalo. The Bills logo was at midfield, along with “BILLS” painted on both endzones.
Once I got into the stadium, my first move was to head to the lower deck. Since the Tickets to Jets-Bills were free and general admission, we could sit anywhere we wanted. I was surprised that the lower bowl was full- even though it was a game that really didn’t matter to the city of Detroit, but it meant a lot more to the people of Western New York.
So I had to move up to the Upper deck, into a similar seat to where I will be for Lions-Bucs on Dec. 7, Week 14. The view was still excellent, but for a little while, a Bills fan spoiled it. She was standing for the time, and fans behind her wanted her to sit. Well, after some taunting from the fans, Security made her sit down, at which she left the stadium. But, I didn’t let that bother me from enjoying the game.
A TD Pass from Kyle Orton to Scott Chandler before halftime made it 14-3. He makes a great TD Dance, and then halftime came. After riding in heavy traffic down to the game, I had to get some food.
By the time I got my pizza and refillable pop, the game was in the middle of the Third. By then, it was 28-3. The Bills scored on a blocked punt and another TD from Orton. Even though the Bills had a lack of practice due to the snow, it was the Jets who look like they hadn’t practiced enough.
In the fourth quarter, people were starting to file out of Ford Field. The game was out of reach by then, but it disappointed me that people left a free game to, “Beat the Traffic.” Oh well! I stayed, moved up to the Lower Bowl, and even took a selfie at the same time someone else was taking a Selfie (Look closely at the picture at left).
The Bills scored 10 more points in the last 15 minutes and won 38-3. Over 56,000 people attended the free event, which is very impressive to the city of Detroit, in my eyes. Overall, it was a very fun experience, minus the traffic. I look forward to going to Ford Field Next week for Lions-Bucs, and if the tickets are cheap enough, again for Lions-Vikings!
