New Orleans with Noah: New Orleans Saints vs Browns NFL Game

Tracy, Chris, Kevin and Me
Mercedes-Benz Superdome | New Orleans
September 16, 2018
New Orleans Saints vs Cleveland Browns

September 16, 2018 - Home games for the New Orleans Saints always bring a crowd with a wave of football energy to the city. Living only three hours away, it is an easy trip for me and I do love going to New Orleans any chance I get. The Saints just lost to Tampa Bay the previous weekend, but they had two wins before that. I went with Kevin, Chris and Tracy. Chris and Tracy are die-hard Cleveland Brown fans.
We spent the night before in Biloxi where I lost lots of money (yea) and drove over early in the morning as Kevin got us sideline passes from Misty who he grew up with in Mississippi. Chris and Tracy had never been to a game in the Superdome and they had a really great introduction to the Dome.

Misty met us outside the Dome around Gate E, gave us our sideline passes and walked us into the stadium and down the stadium ramps to the sidelines. It was my first time on the sidelines at the Superdome and it was really impressive. The players for Browns and the Saints were all warming up on the field and the stadium seats were almost empty as the gates had not opened yet for everyone else (everyone else was still outside in the blazing heat - it was a HOT morning in New Orleans).

We had about two hours on the sidelines. The players started out in warm-up clothes, coming on and off the field at different times until eventually all of them were on the field warming up in full-uniform. We spent time on the Saints side and on the Browns' side off and on. Chris and Tracy eventually stayed on the Browns' side to watch them run out of the tunnel from the locker room. Kevin and I stayed with Misty on the Saints' side.

Chris and Tracy across the field from me.
Chris is in brown shirt. Tracy is in orange shirt.

I think they were all comparing photos of players.

Rory, who went to college with me at Troy,
was in section 129 and took this photo
of me on the sideline.
Kevin and Misty and standing right behind me.

Kevin, Chris, Tracy and me.

Chris

Chris, Tracy, Noah, Kevin

Kevin and Misty

Noah and Kevin

That's me!

As it got closer to kick-off, we left the sidelines and made our way to our seats. Along the way, we stopped at a plush club bar on the field level where we got drinks from a drag queen bartender who probably played football herself at one time and then we took the elevator to our level but got off at the press box level by accident. Chris walked right on in and we could have, too - at least for a little while - but there was no place for us to sit and we would have been escorted out soon enough anyway. Our real seats were near the very top of the stadium - very steep stairs, too. We did have, however, an amazing view of the entire field and stadium - just at a distance.

We found the big beer kiosk.
Notice Tracy in her Browns' shirt.

Kevin and Noah in the stands.

Chris, Tracy, Kevin and me
Notice Tracy has switch to her Saints' shirt.
She says she is done with the Browns always losing.
She put on the Saints shirt after the
Browns' kicker missed what could have been
their winning field goal.

Me, Kevin, Tracy (New Saints fan) and Chris
(Still a Browns fan).

It was a close game right from the start with the first quarter tied at 3. The Browns went on into the second and third quarters adding field goals and touchdowns but the Saints came back in the fourth and took the win. I think the Browns would have won if their kicker had made his kick near the end of the fourth quarter. It was after that failed kick that Tracy grabbed her Saints t-shirt and put it on over her Browns t-shirt. She is done with the Browns (or so she said).