Pro Bowl Experience Day Two

Through the Jaguars, my dad and I were fortunate enough to win a contest where we got to attend the Pro Bowl after explaining in 100 words why we deserved to attend. The trip included hotel accommodations, tickets to the game and a meet and greet with Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew who was there for his first ever Pro Bowl selection. This along with a part one that has already been posted originally appeared on Jaguars.com.

Yesterday was game day and my dad and I had another awesome experience.

In the morning we visited South Beach. ESPN and the NFL Network had their temporary stages set up but not much was going on then. We walked around and took a few pictures before heading back to Ft. Lauderdale.

At the player hotel I ended up meeting Jared Allen, Logan Mankins, La’Ron McClain, Josh Cribbs, Johnny Knox and Mike Jenkins. Jenkins and I talked about USF as that is one of the colleges I am considering and he is the school’s first ever representative at the Pro Bowl.

The player busses left around 4:30 PM and we headed to the stadium as well. It is a good thing we headed out early as the traffic around the stadium for parking was terrible. Eventually we along with many others parked at a dog track that was a “nice” walk from the stadium. Crowd control was also a hassle as everyone had to walk through a huge serpentine line in order to get to the security checkpoint. This was a huge wake up call from the easy access we have at Jaguar games.

Around 20 minutes before kickoff, we eventually made it to our seats and they were awesome. They were on the 50 yard line 15 rows behind the NFC bench. After player introductions and an F-18 flyover the game was underway.

The scoring started right away as three minutes in Texans quarterback Matt Schaub found his favorite regular season target Andre Johnson wide open in the corner of the end zone. Later on in the quarter Schaub hit Brandon Marshall for a touchdown which gave the AFC a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

At the half the score was all tied at 17 and the Bethune Cookman marching band performed. They have played at Jaguars games before and they always put on a great show for the fans.

David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew made most of their contributions in the second half. Garrard played very well as he was distributing the ball downfield and was hitting receivers in stride. This was evident on his 48 yard touchdown pass to Vincent Jackson as he found him over the middle and Jackson did the rest. While there wasn’t much running in the game, Jones-Drew made the most of his opportunities running for 30 yards and a touchdown. While he still hadn’t decided what end zone celebration he would do in the game when we met with him, Maurice ended up going with the “crying Mariucci”. For those who didn’t know he was spoofing NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci’s reaction to each Brett Favre retirement.

Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson is one of my favorite players but after seeing him play in person for the first time, I came away even more impressed. He scored in each half on a wide receiver screen play and attempted a long pass as well. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball and Jaguars fans are in for a treat when he comes to town next year.

The AFC ended up winning the game 41-34 and Schaub was the game’s MVP. Overall my dad and I had a great time at the game and had a father son experience that we will never forget.

Pro Bowl Experience Day One

Through the Jaguars, my dad and I were fortunate enough to win a contest where we got to attend the Pro Bowl after explaining in 100 words why we deserved to attend. The trip included hotel accommodations, tickets to the game and a meet and greet with Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew who was there for his first ever Pro Bowl selection. This along with a part two that will be posted originally appeared on Jaguars.com.


My dad and I have now finished Day 1 of our Pro Bowl experience and it was a day that we will never forget.

Around 11:00 AM we arrived at the players’ hotel. The AFC team was about to return from practice and the lobby was packed with sports writers. While waiting I had a chance to talk about the upcoming draft with Pete Prisco who covered the Jaguars for years but now writes for CBS Sports.

When the players stepped off the bus they were still in their red and white practice jerseys. Bengal receiver Chad Ochocinco accessorized his uniform with a stylish sombrero. Jaguar QB David Garrard was accompanied by his son. After spending time with the media they all went up to their rooms to relax and clean up.

A short while later the lobby began to look like a real life fantasy football team. To the left was Panthers running back DeAngelo Williams talking to fans. At my right were Titans running back Chris Johnson and Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall talking to their peers. At this time I managed to get an autograph from Ochocinco and also took a picture with Chargers tight end Antonio Gates. The hotel however was trying to limit autograph and photos so we decided to head out to lunch until we got to meet Maurice Jones-Drew later in the day.

After a traditional lunch of Buffalo wings with a side of college basketball we headed back to the hotel to meet Maurice. We were met by Renzo from the Jaguars staff who walked us to the beach where Maurice was relaxing with his family. Maurice then greeted us and took pictures with everyone. We talked about football and I asked about his end zone celebration plans (still a secret) and if he will be on the cover of next year’s Madden. He asked me about my school plans for next year. He signed autographs for us including the Pro Bowl shirt with his name on the back that I will be wearing to the game.


When our visit ended, I tried to meet some more players. I managed to obtain autographs from Texans quarterback Matt Schaub, Patriots safety Brandon Meriwether, Giants receiver Steve Smith, Broncos left tackle Ryan Clady and 49ers running back Frank Gore. We knew it was time close-up shop when my dad knew all the security guards by name. My “walk-off shot” was Bronco cornerback Champ Bailey who signed by the elevator as we left the hotel.

We chilled out at our hotel and watched the end of the Senior Bowl. Some of my favorite prospects in the game include Marty Gilyard, Kyle Wilson, Brandon Graham and Sean Witherspoon. These guys would look very good in teal.

Overall it was a very exciting day for me and the city is in full swing. The game is tomorrow night so we have some things planned for the day. I’ll let you know what we end up doing and look forward to sharing some observations from the game.