I, too, am now a lady of the turf.
The Jaguars NFL 101 for women was an opportunity to truly see Alltel Stadium and learn a little more about football.
I toured the old Coliseum before it was demolished and worked the sky and press boxes of Wolfson Park before it was torn down. I’ve even been in the belly of the Arena searching for a floor to cover the ice during hockey season. But never had I seen the innards of Alltel.
Walking onto the field, there was no grandiose smoky entrance. But cumulatively, all the ladies of my group said “whoosh” and that was our introduction to the grass of Alltel. And as if on cue, a plane flew overhead — our very own fly-by.
I thought I knew a little about football, but after NFL 101, it was clear I had miscalculated my knowledge about the game. Four players used a quasi-working Smart Screen, and like a giant TV Etch-A-Sketch, the players drew on the screen to describe recent plays. Wide receiver Ernest Wilford’s touchdown was the most enlightening, especially after second-string quarterback Quinn Gray’s commentary.
Defensive end Marcellus Wiley went a little over the top to explain a play, but quizzical faces in the crowd finally made him break it down. Seven in the box, nine in the box, defense, line drives — I was so busy laughing I don’t think I remember what he was really talking about. The players made the evening really enjoyable with their quips and dancing. Placekicker Josh Scobee’s aspirations to be a stripper drove the ladies wild and Wiley’s rear-end dance made them swoon. Overall, I’m not sure I learned too much more about football than I knew before. But I do know big John Henderson has big feet (surprise), Scobee wears a smaller shoe on his kicking foot and players pay a lot of money when they flub up.
- Miranda G. McLeod