Jerry World to me was this mythical place full of stars and oversized jumbotrons. Up until this point, the nicest and newest football stadium I’d been to was Mile High in Denver, so it didn’t have a ton to compete with, but it blew away even my wildest expectations. First off, the sheer size is astounding. But better is the beauty of it. The windows, video boards, structures around the stadium, and jumbotrons all contribute to an environment where it feels like wherever you look, there’s a cool new view you hadn’t noticed before. Jerry did it right for sure.
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When I first started getting into football, I was a big Colts fan, and primarily because of Peyton Manning. The things I really liked about him were 1. He played college ball at Tennessee (every female basketball player in my generation dreamed of playing for Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols); 2. He was hilarious whenever he'd do anything off the field like commercials or SNL; and 3. He was really really good. Unfortunately, Jim Irsay got rid of him, so my love of the Colts left me with the along with the tears I shed during the press conference where it was announced (not exaggerating). And even more unfortunate was that he went to the Broncos. In Montana, you either love or hate the Broncos, and I certainly wasn't a fan. Despite that, though, I still wanted him to succeed and was excited to see him play live. So naturally he got hurt a few weeks before this game (hurt, benched, who's to say) and so I was instead watching a quarterback who I had already seen play at the high school level, Brock Osweiler. For the record, he lost to my high school.
What redeemed this game was that we were seeing a whole new Raiders team from the last game we had gone to. New fun young quarterback (Derek Carr), new stud pass rusher (Khalil Mack), and a new coach (Jack Del Rio). Joel had never seen the Raiders win in all his times at Mile High, so what better time to break that slump than his first game there with me? Looking back, both of the NFL stadiums we visited on this trip were doomed, but at least this one was planned. The 49ers were upgrading and moving their stadium, and honestly, it was definitely time. Candlestick was dated, especially for the always changing San Francisco area, and the part of town it was in didn't exactly scream safety. But unlike Qualcomm, there was so much great history there. Jerry Rice had caught touchdowns there. Joe Montana and Steve Young had taken snaps there. The 49ers had so many wins within those bleachers, and while they had a span where winning seasons were only memories, Jim Harbaugh had lead a rebuild and they were finally good again. Candlestick deserved a proper send off, and it was an honor to be a part of it. It was a perfect last game at Candlestick, last Monday Night Football game of the season, and last game of our trip!
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