NEU » he option year of his contract with the Lions in 2

LONDON -- Hot dogs, cheerleaders, tailgates, touchdowns and the most remarkable pick-six -- Twickenham had never experienced anything quite like Sundays inaugural NFL game at the famous old rugby stadium.For 107 years Twickenham had only played host to one sport. But that pureness was shattered by the biggest sporting show in town as the hosts Los Angeles Rams fell to the New York Giants. It was gridiron on rugbys hallowed turf, but on-field, it was the perfect marriage.On Sunday morning walking around south west London, shirts adorned with Eli Mannings No. 10 and Odell Beckham Jr.s No. 13 were seen in cafes, bars and on train platforms, with all heading toward this corner of the capital. While for so long NFL has been a Wembley experience -- Manning played in the first game back in 2007 -- the horizons have now been expanded to Twickenham with this the first of three games there.Its great to be back, Manning said. The experience was smoother this time, with all the logistics. Being here at Twickenham, its a great facility, stadium and the fans were wonderful. I think they had a better understanding of the game than back in 2007. It was a great environment to play in.It was not without its logistical difficulties -- the train network was stretched by the 74,121 who journeyed to Twickenham, bringing back memories of the Rugby World Cup where it was similarly tested. In many ways Sundays game rekindled recollections of last year when the rugby-focused world had attention solely trained on Twickenham and the tailgate party was a similar experience of sporting joy and anticipation.Supporters adorned shirts from all 32 NFL franchises, while legendary players past and present featured on the back of shirts pristine and well-worn. They waited patiently in the long queues for bars and to get into the tailgate party -- something which needs to be addressed ahead of next years match -- but the feeling of excitement, the impending experience of something alien to these shores yet so popular meant there was a palpable enthusiasm on the cool, autumnal air.It took us a while to get in, said Geoff, a Dolphins fan of 20 years experiencing his first London NFL match. But its a small thing to get through when you have this to look forward to. To watch this with my son is a special thing.Figures from other sports featured in the match coverage with Bayern Munichs David Alaba pitchside as was Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew whose take on the match was: Its so different, its almost like its a foreign sport.For rugby aficionados -- those who have spent their Novembers, Februaries and Marches paying their annual pilgrimage to Twickenham to take in the traditional west car park, singing Swing, Low and then assessing Englands triumph or failings back in the comfort of over-crowded pubs complete with plastic pint glasses -- this may have felt like sacrilege to see NFL here.But at intertwined within this games DNA was an appreciation for where it was being played. World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson was introduced to the crowd, complete with a version of Land of Hope and Glory, and received a cheer to rival Beckham. Then current England players James Haskell, Anthony Watson and Jonathan Joseph received similar treatment.The week running up to the match saw players from the Rams asked about their rugby knowledge while their punter Johnny Heckler was given a kicking clinic from Danny Cipriani at Englands team base Pennyhill Park which had been completely taken over by the Los Angeles franchise for the week.Such nods to Twickenhams history may become less frequent as this match becomes more ingrained in the annual programme. Other than the various rugby cameos, this was a grand, NFL occasion.Twickenham had been completely taken over for the occasion with the various megastores switched entirely to NFL merchandise. The various pre and mid-match entertainment saw Craig David ditch his usual routine of chilling on a Sunday to perform the pre-game show with Nicole Scherzinger singing the U.S. anthem. Mid-match cheerleaders patrolled the outskirts of the field while t-shirts were fired into the crowd by the Pepsi Girls.Within the bowl -- coined Twicker-bowl -- the pitch was pristine with various tweaks made to the old stadium to ensure no supporter would have a bad sight line and the teams had every luxury theyd be used to back stateside.The on-field interest seemed to peak around the Giants wide-receiver Beckham and for the week running up to Sundays game, social media was predominantly awash with three letters OBJ rather than NFL. Having nursed a hip injury during the week, it was touch and go to whether he would be fit but, in his own words, God gave me the strength to get through it. He failed to get on the score sheet, but whenever he caught the ball, the old stadium erupted.I love London and the atmosphere was great, Beckham Jr said. Hopefully well be back here next year.Rather than Beckham it was Rams wide receiver Tavon Austin who had the honour of the first touchdown at Twickenham while Giants Landon Collins scored his first career touchdown here in London after a remarkable 44-yard pick-six.I caught the ball and when I looked up I saw a lot of blue and saw my guys on the left so I headed for them, Collins said. The last time I scored a touchdown was in College so it feels fantastic to get my first one today. Ill never forget it.But in the fourth quarter, the Giants started finding their rhythm. Collins turnover and Beckhams 22-yard pick-up incrementally increased the volume from the stands with Rashad Jennings touchdown triggering high-fives aplenty. It felt like the moment the sport truly arrived at Twickenham.There was a lot of energy out there, Giants head coach Ben McAdoo said after the game. The field was great but the energy from the stands really helped us.Now comes the question over what happens next in this corner of London. Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, said during the fourth quarter on the BBC he expects to see more games here and, while continuing to learn from series on series, was pleasantly shocked by just how many families had come along. Its what he sees as a continuing development of a position of strength in this part of the world.For Twickenham this was a brave new world but it looked to be a comfortable, reciprocal marriage. Like Goodell said organisers will learn from this but they have a wonderful platform to build on. Expect to see it bigger and better next year. Where Can Buy Cheap Jerseys . Datsyuk will miss Tuesdays game against New Jersey and could be sidelined longer, while Cleary will likely miss at least the next three games. Its been an injury-plagued season for Datsyuk, who has suited up for just 39 games. What is the best Chinese web site for cheap Jerseys .C. Lions has come to an end. Banks told TSN on Jan 2 that he had no interest in playing out the option year of his contract with the Lions in 2014, and he again made that clear in a conversation with Lions GM Wally Buono last week. https://www.wheretobuycheapjerseys.com/ . Boucher previously coached the Tampa Bay Lightning and had a 97-78-20 record over two-plus seasons. He was dismissed by the team last March after the Lightning struggled in the lockout-shortened season with a 13-18-1 record. Where to Buy Cheap Jerseys . -- Damian Lillard and LaMarcus Alrdridge were again the go-to duo for the Trail Blazers against the Kings. What is a good website to buy sports jerseys .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. RICHMOND, Ky. -- Kiante Northington, Corey Glass and Luder Jean Louis each returned interceptions for touchdowns in the third quarter and Eastern Kentucky beat NAIA Pikeville 55-14 on Thursday night.Eastern Kentucky (1-1) scored the final 48 points after trailing by a touchdown early in the second quarter. Jared Sanders ran 16 times for 100 yards to lead the Colonels, who finished with 284 yards on the ground.Tyler Swafford connected with Ryan Markush for a touchdown pass onn the opening score and Henry Enyenihi, Raynaldy Gustave and James Smith Jr.dddddddddddd added TD runs.Pikeville took a 14-7 lead when Jordan Mattingly recovered a fumble and returned it 16 yards for a score in the middle of the second quarter. Xondre Willis ran 17 times for 71 yards and Austin Pray had three catches for 69 yards to lead the Bears. ' ' '