FanHouse in the Stands: Colts at Texans, A Great Tailgate, Not-So-Great Game

This season, FanHouse writers take their cameras to NFL stadiums to document what happens when you stop being polite and start getting real. Or something. We've cleverly titled it "FanHouse in the Stands."

Okay, in large part, I would like to get a brain eraser out, and eradicate the last 5 minutes of the Texans-Colts game. I'm sure that backup quarterback, Sage Rosenfels would like to do the same. But we can't, so I will pretend that didn't happen and think happy thoughts, and just show you some flavor of the game you can't see on TV. (And for those of you who enjoy this sort of thing, I've also included dancing Texans cheerleaders).

Me and the Commish

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was at the game to make a donation on the NFL's behalf to Hurricane Ike relief for the region. The above picture, however, is not of me and Roger Goodell. It is Joe Cahn, the Commissioner of Tailgating.

Joe is a professional tailgater. I feel ripped off that the high school guidance counselor never mentioned that as a future profession.

He tells me that he believes that Houston is one of the top five locations for tailgating in the NFL. The Oilers didn't have tailgating, and I have to say that if you are supporting a struggling team, it is better to do so if you have a tailgate community. Or, as I learned from my long suffering New Orleans Saints friends, "Win or lose, we still booze."

Joe is originally from New Orleans and told me that he was there for the first Saints game after Hurricane Katrina. He wanted to be in Houston for the first home game after Hurricane Ike. I appreciate him coming into town for the game.

Some Bets You Should Not Make

This gentlemen wearing the children's size small David Carr jersey and holding the David Carr for MVP sign lost a bet. He's a Colts fan by the name of Shawn Royer.

A few years back, Shawn made a bet that there was no way that the David Carr/Ron Dayne-led Texans would beat the Colts in 2006. He was wrong. He couldn't pay up on the bet last year, so he did it this year.

He had to wear that outfit and hold up that sign during every commercial break. His seats were in the Bull Pen, the endzone rowdy fan section, so I am sure that he got some measure of abuse.

This would be a totally hilarious story except that the diehard Texan fan he made the bet with, Andrew Scott Horn, died of brain cancer. I'm not sure what Andrew would have thought about having his initials written on his buddy Shawn's belly, but I'm guessing he'd find it pretty funny given he made that bet in the first place.

Please note for all you mittens aficionados, he wore the gloves during the game to complete his ensemble.

Hurricane Ike Relief

Like I discussed with Joe Cahn, people used the tailgates to see how their friends were doing after the storm. At each of the entrances to the stadium, there were volunteers holding out buckets to get donations.

Throughout the game on the jumbotron, they made announcements about Ike relief efforts and showed videos of Texans players doing things in the community. In a way, you could sense how badly the players wanted to win this game for the fans. And it is almost like if it weren't for bad luck, Houston would have no luck at all.

If you care to make a donation for Ike Relief, there are thousands of people in need. Click on this link to make a donation and tell them I sent you.

Here's Your Houston Texans Cheerleader Moment

This is the dance the cheerleaders did at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Perhaps this jinxed the team, so I am warning you of this video's jinxing potential before you view it.