This is Part Three of his account of a day in a football fan's paradise. - Click any picture for an expanded view -
Halfback Option: We left Doug Flutie to hit the really fun stuff. First up was "Halfback Option," a game where you were pitched a ball, then you'd run up to a barrier. The barrier had two arrows - right and left. Depending on which arrow lit up, you'd run through that side of the barrier. You had to navigate as quickly as you could. Little kids would ignore the arrows, but adults would challenge themselves by running as fast as possible, then charging off in whatever direction the arrows told them. My brother went first, sprinting nimbly through the obstacles. At the end of the run, you were supposed to throw the ball through a hole in a Priest Holmes cutout. This made no real sense, and most people bounced it off his face anyway. When it was my turn, I summoned power from my Barry Sanders jersey, first following the arrow to the right, then jumping to the left when the arrow instructed me. In very un-Barry fashion, I took the opportunity to smash full-bore into the tackling dummy that threatened to impede me. My brother's excellent fast-shutter photography shows the punishment leveled against the helpless obstacle. Also note how I switch hands to keep the ball away from my defenders. It was an excellent start to the day.  Larger Running Pictures: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 Training Camp: One of our next stops was the Training Camp obstacle course. A benefit of this game was that the volunteers passed out Gatorade as we waited in line. (More on that later.) It was cool, because the drinks were passed out in green wax-paper cups, just like on the sidelines. Also awesome was the fact that they had those huge orange Gatorade coolers. I envisioned a perfect run through the course, followed by a Gatorade bath from the volunteers. (While that would have ruined my jersey, I could have first donned my emergency poncho.) This was another fun exhibit. First, you'd shove a blocking sled, then you'd run through two dangling bags. After that, you had to show off quick footwork by running through two of those net things designed to help you get your knees up when you run. After that, you'd punch through two tackling dummies to land on a big pad signifying the end zone. Amazingly, I eeked out a victory against my younger and far-more-in-shape brother. I think he was way more concerned with pushing the blocking sled, while I gave it a massive shove and threw it aside. I also had some nifty footwork through the nets. Again, my Barry jersey probably infused me with power. Shawne Merriman: NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Shawne Merriman made an appearance, talking to people at some lame kids exhibit. While toddlers threw footballs four feet into the astroturf, Merriman talked about being a rookie in the NFL. He wasn't the only player we saw in that part of the hall... Todd Heap: The Ravens TE was signing autographs, again, at the front of a crazy-long line. Our time was precious, so we just snapped pictures and moved on. My brother mentioned that he wanted to thank Heap for helping him to his first-ever fantasy football championship. I wondered if Trent Green, Clinton Portis and Cedric Houston were around so I could thank them for smoking me in our Super Bowl.
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