Richard David Smith III
“Panic on the Streets of London!”
Those words come the song “Panic,” as written by one Stephen Patrick Morrissey, the former front man of The Smiths and famous Brit crooner known for his perpetually melancholy lyrics and celibate lifestyle. Hmm, incessantly depressing and doesn’t score—sound familiar?
If the Jaguars weren’t panicked before they crossed the pond, then they certainly should be now. The Jaguars were shellacked 42 – 10 in front of the Englishmen and women in another lifeless, embarrassing loss. A packed house at Wembley Stadium watched–presumably in Halloween-embellished horror—as San Francisco 49ers laid waste to their new “home” team. Despite the pitiful outcome of the game, the Jaguars still seemed to regard the game as a positive experience in front of a shiny new fan base.
Now this from the Guardian
Despite a disappointing result the Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny hailed the Wembley crowd, declaring he would gladly come back. “Playing in the stadium was unbelievable,” he said. “The amount of people here, the fans, the fact that the game got out of hand in the fourth quarter and everybody stayed and was loud. The crowd was unbelievable.
“It was one of the best NFL atmospheres I’ve ever been a part of. If [Jaguars owner] Mr. [Shahid] Khan says, ‘Paul, we’re playing in London,’ I’m going to say, ‘Yes, sir, and I can’t wait to get there.'”
Even with the likelihood of a blow-out and the threat of approaching gale force winds, 83,559 spectators packed Wembley Stadium for the contest. Only one of the 31 NFL stadiums in the US has held a bigger crowd this season and it offers proof that expanding the NFL International Series to include a second game has not diminished the passion for American football in London.
At some point the league will need to make a decision that goes beyond sending teams with stadium problems to play here.
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