Commenter Mad Dog Mo goes behind enemy lines with Jets in Orchard Park to check out the game and share his experience. I posted up his first entry late, but you can see it here.

For over 10 years now, I have made the pilgrimage to Orchard Park with the Jets from various points on the map. Most recently the trip was an hour and half drive from Rochester, NY. Let me tell you, as much as I dislike the Bills, I respect the passion that their fans bring to the game. They don’t always leave with the same passion, but nonetheless they always bring it.

It begins at the rest stop on the NYS Thruway just outside Buffalo at 7:30 in the morning. Everyone crawling out of their vehicles, some meeting friends, others getting coffee or just stopping for one more trip to an indoor bathroom, are adorned from head to toe in Bills attire. Aside from the occasional visiting team colors that draw attention, my wife was booed in the bathroom for wearing her green and white, it is a sea of red, white and blue. As you leave the pit stop, car horns can be heard in the back ground. You don’t have to be a Bills fan or that smart to decipher the 5 honk chime as, “Let’s go Buff-a-lo”.

The tailgating in Buffalo is always worth the trip. There are several options that range from the heavily patrolled stadium lots to the many private lots just off site that claim they were the “Original Short Cut” to the stadium. Wherever you decide to set up shop, get there early and bring your “A” game. From 8:00 on, it is full tilt partying until opening kickoff. Everywhere you look there are people playing parking lot games like Ladder Golf, Cornhole (more fun then it sounds) and Buffalo’s own Kan Jam. There can even be a few folks seen tossing the pigskin.

After the food is gone and many beers have been drunk, the talk gets serious. Predictions for the game begin. Before every Bills game, the Bills fan calls for, believes in and demands victory. Scores like 42-7, 38-13 and 28-3 were flying around. Believe it or not my prediction of 23-17 Jets does not win the pool. My wife was closer at 28-17 winning the $75 booty from the locals. Good fun is had by everyone, Bills and Jets fans alike. Every passing Brett Favre jersey garners boos and hisses. But there is a sense of respect in the ribbing given to Jets fans wearing Chrebet and Namath jerseys. At this particular game I draw a lot of attention as another “Wayne”, most everyone in the stadium calls me “Gretzky” for the #99 my Bryan Thomas jersey displays.

During the game you can feel the energy. Like a beating pulse, it is hard when the Bills are on the move but flat when the other team is advancing. The EKG of the stadium moves with every score, flat for the Jets and off the charts when the Bills score. When Darrell Revis secured the final INT to send the Jet O on the field for the victory formation, all you could hear were the sounds of a thousand Jets fans cheering. It is amazing how quiet a thousand people sound when they are muffled by the defeat from 70,000. It is at this point the passion flees.

Back at the lot, there are a few that don’t want the day to end, present company included. The grills are re-lit, the footballs are back out and the coolers have opened again. However the topics have quickly changed from Super Bowls to toilet bowls. Even though both teams left the stadium with the same records, the defeat has defeated the Bills fans. The once rising Bills have now fallen. It’s a great day to be a Jets fan. I am proud of the colors on my back.

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