Jets to Host Giants in First NFL Game at $1.6 Billion Meadowlands Stadium
Jets Host Giants in First NFL Game at New Meadowlands
Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Construction workers stand in the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford.
Construction workers stand in the new Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford. Photographer: Peter Foley/Bloomberg
Aug. 16 (Bloomberg) -- The New York Jets host the rival New York Giants in the preseason opener for both clubs tonight in the first National Football League game at the $1.6 billion venue at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey. While home to both the Jets and Giants, the exterior of the 82,500-seat stadium will be lit in green tonight instead of Giants blue since the Jets are the designated home team. Bloomberg's Michele Steele reports. (Source: Bloomberg)
New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez said he was anxious to see what the team’s new stadium looks like filled with fans.
He’ll get the chance tonight when the Jets host the rival New York Giants in the preseason opener for both clubs. It’s the first National Football League game at the $1.6 billion venue at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
While home to both the Jets and Giants, the exterior of the 82,500-seat stadium will be lit in green tonight instead of Giants blue since the Jets are the designated home team.
“I’m excited to see how the fans react, to see how the locker room is on a game day, to get out on the field and see that stadium,” Sanchez said after practice two days ago. “It looks great with nobody in it. I think it will look even better with people. It will be a big time rivalry game -- us against the Giants. That will be fun.”
This is the first time since the 1983 season that the Jets and Giants have met for their opening preseason game.
“I’m definitely excited about being in the new stadium,” Giants quarterback Eli Manning said last week. “We haven’t even been in our own locker room yet.”
Each team has its own locker room that’s identical in size, and signage for the Jets and Giants can be changed with the push of a button. The as-yet unnamed venue is the first built expressly to serve as the home of two NFL teams, though the Giants and Jets have shared a stadium for the past 26 years and other NFL teams have had similar arrangements.
Regular-Season Games
The Jets host the preseason contest since the Giants get to play the first regular-season game at the new stadium, on Sept. 12 against Carolina. The Jets open the regular season the following day at the new stadium against Baltimore.
The only time the Giants and Jets both opened the regular season at Giants Stadium during the same week was in 1991.
After several weeks of training camp practices, Sanchez said he’s looking forward to playing another team for the first time since losing in last year’s conference championship.
“I can’t wait,” Sanchez said. “I think both sides of the ball are ready to play another opponent. The dog days of camp start to set in (and) you’re ready to move on and play a different uniform. It will be good for all of us.”
While there have been other events held in the stadium, from college lacrosse tournaments and soccer exhibitions to concerts, this will be the first NFL game.
The teams said the stadium’s bowl design maintains the intimate feel of Giants Stadium, with seating as close as 46 feet from the sidelines.
There are a dozen 16-foot wide video displays spread throughout the concourses and outside plaza, while video screens measuring 40-feet by 130-feet are located in each of the stadium’s four corners.
“We’ll be excited to play,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. “And of course being in the new stadium will be an exciting experience in itself.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in New York at matuszewski@bloomberg.net
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