the game

, originally uploaded by pr9000.

I felt as though I was an extra in a movie -- the snow fell in slow motion, floating gently down against the bright lights just a few feet above me. I twittered that it was like a being in a Scorcese movie, because the setting was picture-perfect gorgeous, but the main scene was all violence.

And it was violent. Even from section 514 -- technically, as close to the top of the stadium as you could get -- you could see how bone jarring the hits were, and how fast the athletes are ... from that high up, you could see every play happen before it happened -- kind of like watching coaches' film in real time. If you watched it a certain way, you could see the receivers run their patterns and get open (or not), or watch runners line up their blocks ... the seats were meant for fans of offense.



I was impressed by the sheer number of people in black and gold, all streaming into Heinz Field, well behaved and excited for the game. My brother in law was smart -- he'd done this a hundred times, so he knew when to troll the parking lot to watch the tailgaters, and when to enter the stadium to avoid the major crowds. We got in early, got to the seats and settled in for a long afternoon.

By the third quarter, I think everyone knew the game was over -- especially when the Steelers kept the ball for all but, I think, three plays over the fifteen minutes. With four minutes to go and the lead safe, we started out toward the car. We missed a meaningless final score by the Chargers, which might explain how quiet the crowds were as we walked toward PNC and the Clemente bridge. Or maybe everyone's vocal chords were tattered from cheering.



Either way, it was a very satisfying walk, and suddenly I wasn't as cold as I'd been just a few minutes earlier.