While autumn is not yet upon us, tailgating has commenced, and the NFL preseason is in full swing. After the Hall of Fame game several weeks ago, I threw together my fantasy football team and purchased a few preseason tickets. While nothing beats college football and the SEC, I’ll never turn down an NFL game, especially if I’m visiting a field I haven’t seen before (and if I can get in a tour of the field/stadium, even better!). Needless to say, my schedule is always full during the fall months — football takes priority at our house! On August 16, the Eagles played the Colts at Lincoln Financial Field. I had heard quite a lot about Eagles fans but had yet to witness their enthusiasm in person. While the stands weren’t packed during the scorching day game, there were still plenty of lively fans in attendance. The highlight was when Tim Tebow took the field in the third quarter, much to everyone’s excitement. I definitely enjoyed the fun atmosphere provided by the crowd and am making plans to attend a few regular-season games. A few days later, on August 21, the Jets played the Falcons at home. MetLife Stadium was impressively large, but there were a few design flaws that I didn’t care for. However, kudos to the stadium for successfully balancing a venue used by two NFL teams. I would have never known when walking through the greenly lit pro shop that the very next day the stadium would be packed with Giants fans. Some football fans disregard preseason, saying that it “doesn’t count,” but I couldn’t disagree more. Preseason is when fans get a taste of just what exactly they can expect from the regular season. It’s the prequel to better (or worse) things to come, and it’s just as enjoyable as the regular seasons with all of its ups, downs, drama and sportsmanship. — Holly Godbey, marketing & sales assistant