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NFL Playground Proves To Be Bonding Experience

Tribune photo by SCOTT ISKOWITZ

Jeff Houck tackles the NFL Experience with his son Brian,13, Saturday during the opening day of the event.

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By JEFF HOUCK | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 24, 2009

Updated: 01/25/2009 03:41 pm

The NFL Experience, the interactive exhibit that lets football fans play like the pros, was supposed to be a bonding opportunity for me and my 13-year-old son, Brian.

There we were, lined up Saturday morning across from each other at the Training Camp exhibit in a three-point stance, ready to race. We had to push a sled, run through two orange pylons, tip-toe across a rope ladder, duck under a cross-bar, scale a hurdle and then blast through two heavy bags to make a tackle in the padded end zone. All while being timed.

Brian shot out of the gate, pushed, zig-zagged, tip-toed, ducked, hurdled and tackled, all in a time just over 5 seconds. Impressive.

Me? Having just come off injured reserve with a hip flexor, I decided to be prudent. After all, I didn't want to spill the cup of Gatorade handed to me at the starting line. I did all those things Brian did, just at a more glacial pace. Only spilled two drops in 17.1 seconds. I took a second victory cup at the end. I'm all about the beverages.

For kids, The NFL Experience is like an 850,000-square-foot fantasy camp, planting in the head visions of growing up to be the next Ben Roethlisberger or Larry Fitzgerald.

For those older than NFL stars, it provides a refresher on what makes the game so much fun.
Hundreds of school-age children waited their turn to punt, pass and kick a football while decked out in the jersey of their favorite team. Not far away, an equal number of adults waited in line to get autographs from Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Luke McCown and Clifton Smith.

A steady stream took turns walking through an aluminum-walled exhibit for a glimpse of the Lombardi Trophy, the Super Bowl victor's prize, as it glimmered inside a glass case. In the Card Store memorabilia tent, a Baltimore Colts game helmet worn by quarterback Johnny Unitas was equally protected behind glass, awaiting bids in an auction next Saturday that could soar as high as $30,000.

Ah yes, the prices. This was not, I should note, The Cheap NFL Experience. To get in, adults ponied up $18.50 for themselves and $12.50 for children under 12 years old after paying $10 to park. A barely warm Philly cheese steak sub at the food court dented the wallet at $8. At the Super Bowl Store, a golf shirt with the official XLIII logo was ready to go home for the tidy sum of $129.

For Brian and I, the fun came from the doing, not the watching and shopping.

Over at the Quarterback Challenge, we tried throwing footballs at a target 15 feet away while the outstretched arms of a defensive lineman tried to bat them away. Brian hit his target. I went 0 for 2.

Even a third pass I was granted out of pity went wayward. Apparently my arm thought the target was in Lutz.

The Run to Daylight, a timed 40-yard dash sponsored by Under Armour, was equally problematic.

Brian again showed remarkable foot-speed, but both he and I were smoked by a child who looked too small to see out of a backseat window. I daintily hopped the finish line so as not to damage its pristine painted surface.

The Speed and Mobility Challenge lived up to its name. "Mobility is not your strong point," my wife, Grace, gently pointed out. Yeah, well, neither is speed.

After dodging more pylons and tackling dummies – and while dropping a few Heisman trophy poses – I gained newfound respect for NFL ironman Brett Favre. He's five years younger than I and has played through more pain than I care to think about.

Then again, he didn't have to play against his son.

THE NFL EXPERIENCE AT RAYMOND JAMES STADIUM

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. today; 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday (The NFL Experience After Dark runs from 9 p.m. to midnight Thursday); 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Jan. 31

TICKETS: May be purchased on-site, by calling (866) 849-4635, or going online to SuperBowl.com.

Reporter Jeff Houck can be reached at (813) 259-7324.

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