Super Bowl 50 Hoopla

Have you always liked the color gold? Well, then this is the year for you! In honor of Super Bowl 50 being played next February, there are many gold accents being added to the NFL in the coming 2015 season. Above, we have the official Super Bowl 50 logo, which will break the tradition of Roman numerals for one year only. Apparently, Super Bowl “L” just didn’t grab the marketing folks.

We learned from the NFL Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, this week that each stadium will have the treatment shown above to their 50 yard line. 

The NFL “Kickoff” and “Playoffs” logos will also have gold accents. 

The NFL Draft, which is at the end April in Chicago, will have the gold logo seen above.

There will also be golden outline treatment of each team’s logo, although the specifics of this aren’t clear at this point. We have heard that the schedule itself will have many re-matches of Super Bowl opponents playing each other, but there’s more to come on that.

The Pro Bowl uniforms will also have gold accents and solid-color treatments, of which we have never been fans. Can you imagine the Packers in all-green or all-golden uniforms? There would be riots in the streets of Wisconsin!

The high school of every player to have played in a Super Bowl will receive a gold football like this, inscribed with the player’s name, team, and school. 

The image seen above and the following six were provided to the media to publicize the fact that this is a big year for the NFL. 

This is sure glittery and snazzy and all, but it also emphasizes our belief that The League and most modern-day fans think that anything that happened before Super Bowl I is ancient and irrelevant. It’s tough to get old.

Better There Than Here...

We weren’t able to attend the NFL Owners’ Meetings in the Phoenix area this week (nor were we invited). But by the looks of things, we’d much rather be there than in the upper Midwest. That’s because after a week where we were teased with some Spring-like weather, Winter came back again in full force last night. Compare the first six photos from Arizona to the final picture taken out the window of the Packerville, U.S.A. offices.

Oh well, Training Camp is just around the corner… sort of. Right?

2014 Program Covers Review

Here’s a post that we’ve been planning to do since the end of the 2014 season: a review of the home game program covers from Lambeau Field this past season. We attended every single game (11 total), and compiled this gallery from our archives. Starting with the first preseason game, here are the details:

Date: Friday, August 22, 2014
Opponent: Oakland Raiders
Score: W, 31-21

Recap: Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns and Eddie Lacy ran for a first-quarter score in the Green Bay Packers' 31-21 preseason victory Friday night over the Oakland Raiders.

Date: Thursday, August 28, 2104
Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
Score: W, 34-14

Recap: Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien each threw for two touchdowns in their competition to back up starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the Green Bay Packers beat the Kansas Chiefs 34-14 in a preseason finale Thursday night.

Date: Sunday, September 14, 2014
Opponent: New York Jets
Score: W, 31-24

Recap: Aaron Rodgers threw for three touchdowns, Jordy Nelson had a career-high 209 yards receiving and the Green Bay Packers rallied from an 18-point deficit for a 31-24 win over the New York Jets on Sunday.

Date: Thursday, October 2, 2014
Opponent: Minnesota Vikings
Score: W, 42-10

Recap: Julius Peppers returned an interception 49 yards for a touchdown, Eddie Lacy ran for a season-high 105 yards and two touchdowns, Aaron Rodgers threw for three scores, and the Green Bay Packers routed the Minnesota Vikings 42-10 on Thursday night.

Date: Sunday, October 19, 2014
Opponent: Carolina Panthers
Score: W, 38-17

Recap: Aaron Rodgers threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, Randall Cobb torched the Carolina secondary for 121 yards receiving and the Green Bay Packers routed the Carolina Panthers 38-17 on Sunday.

Date: Sunday, November 9, 2014
Opponent: Chicago Bears
Score: W, 55-14

Recap: Aaron Rodgers threw six touchdown passes to tie the Green Bay game record and match the NFL record for a half, and the Packers routed the reeling Chicago Bears 55-14 on Sunday night.

Date: Sunday, November 16, 2014
Opponent: Philadelphia Eagles
Score: W, 53-20

Recap: Aaron Rodgers passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns, Julius Peppers returned his second interception of the season for a score, and the Green Bay Packers defense stuffed the high-octane Philadelphia Eagles for a 53-20 rout Sunday.

Date: Sunday, November 30, 2014
Opponent: New England Patriots
Score: W, 26-21

Recap: Aaron Rodgers threw for two touchdowns, Eddie Lacy powered for key yards in the fourth quarter and the Green Bay Packers fended off the New England Patriots 26-21 Sunday in a high-profile matchup between Super Bowl contenders.

Date: Monday, December 8, 2014
Opponent: Atlanta Falcons
Score: W, 43-37

Recap: Eddie Lacy ran for a touchdown and caught one of Aaron Rodgers' three TD passes, and the Green Bay Packers built a 24-point lead before holding off the Atlanta Falcons for a 43-37 victory Monday night.

Date: Sunday, December 28, 2014
Opponent: Detroit Lions
Score: W, 30-20

Recap: Limping Aaron Rodgers threw two touchdown passes to Randall Cobb, Eddie Lacy gashed Detroit's defense for 100 yards and the Green Bay Packers claimed a fourth straight NFC North title with 30-20 victory Sunday.

Date: January 11, 2015

Opponent: Dallas Cowboys

Score: W, 26-21

Recap: Green Bay rallied from an 11-point deficit as Aaron Rodgers threw for two fourth-quarter touchdowns to beat Dallas 26-21 Sunday in an NFC divisional-round playoff. The Packers (13-4), helped immensely by a video reversal with 4:06 remaining, went undefeated at Lambeau Field this season.

It’s a pretty good deal to see eleven consecutive games in person and never see a loss — even in the “meaningless” games of the preseason. The longest win streak we’ve seen in person at home is 18 games. Hopefully, they can establish this kind of dominance in years to come.

Patriot Place and Lambeau

This update comes after a business trip to Boston allowed us a chance to survey the World Champion New England Patriots’ facility in Foxboro, Massachusetts. When discussion of the Packers’ future development with their recent land purchases comes up, invariably the comparison is made to “Patriot Place,” the mall and entertainment complex attached to Gillette Stadium. So, as owners of the Green Bay Packers, we thought we’s better check it out for ourselves.

The view of Gillette Stadium when one arrives. 

The Patriots have their own Hall of Fame/Museum at the complex. 

The team’s Pro Shop is fine, but does not compare to the new Packers Pro Shop in size or selection. 

Leaving the stadium and Hall of Fame/Pro Shop, the way to the attached mall is up a large flight of stairs (elevators are also available). 

Turning towards the stadium, this is the view. 

Unlike Lambeau Field, visitors are able to view the field itself from the general access area. As far as we could tell, no tours of the stadium are offered. 

Looking out into Gillette Stadium’s playing field. They were still removing excess snow the day we visited. 

The health care center attached to the stadium. 

Gillette Stadium ticket windows. 

The Hall of Fame/Pro Shop. 

CBS Scene restaurant. 

Looking down from the top of the grand staircase. 

The mall area, walking away from the stadium. 

Large concourse area at the top of the stairs. 

Patriot Place stores. 

Patriot Place stores and restaurants. 

“Luxury” bowling lanes. 

The shopping area is split up with access roads. 

TB12 Sports Therapy Center — brought to you by Mr Brady. 

It’s probably really nice here when the weather is warmer. 

What says “football stadium” more than Victoria’s Secret? 

We did not stop for a burger, although we were tempted. 

The “anchor” on the far end of the mall is this Renaissance Hotel. Wonder what their game weekend rates are... similar to $250+ with a two-night minimum in Green Bay?

A smaller Patriots Pro Shop in the mall. 

They are doing construction off the side of the stadium, but we’re not sure of it’s nature.  

Inside the Pro Shop, you’re greeted right away by some Super Bowl XLIX merchandise. 

They have their own No. 12. 

We kind of like this artwork concept. 

Seems like a logical statement. 

Jerseys on display. 

Hats on display. 

Large graphics decorate the center of the store. 

Yeah, we were 3:52 away from challenging them for the title. And we had already beaten them once in 2014.

Old AFL championship banner from 1960. 

And spend money. 

The South side of Gillette Stadium. 

On the other side of the stadium, here are the team’s outdoor practice fields, where Patriots Training Camp is held in the Summer.

This is the team’s indoor practice facility — their “Don Hutson Center.” 

The North side of Gillette Stadium. 

Here is the overhead view of the Patriots’ complex, showing how the mall is connected to the stadium area. Again, it is expected that the Packers will do something very similar to this when they begin to develop the land they have purchased in the last few years.

This is a directory of the types of stores, restaurants, and entertainment options that exist at Patriot Place. We were there on a Monday morning, and it was completely deserted. But one can see how it would be much more livelier at night and on the weekends. It is, however, removed from residential and other commercial areas. The same type of development would be right in the city in Green Bay, providing much heavier traffic year-round.

The artwork above shows the areas that the Packers have purchased and where development is expected. It will be interesting whenever the team announces its specific plans, because nothing has been released so far. 

The main thing to remember on all of this is: the income generated by being the landlord over all of this development will belong to the Packers, and would not have to be shared with the other 31 teams because it would be on their overall stadium facility “footprint.” In comparison, the money from the sale of Packers merchandise sold down the street at the Bay Park Square Mall on Oneida Street has to be split 32 ways. This is the reason for the major emphasis on the Packers Pro Shop — all income from those sales go right back into helping the team win.