Living the dream on the sidelines at the Broncos-Texans game

For most people the pre-season game between the Houston Texans and the visiting Denver Broncos would be an evening’s entertainment – a ho-hum affair.

The game on Aug. 22 at NRG Stadium meant the world to me. Sure, the game itself was dull as NFL games go. It was a low-scoring bout with my beloved Broncos besting their hosts 14-10. But it was a rare opportunity for me to see my two favorite teams not only live, but from the sidelines.

I was able to obtain a photo credential to take pictures of the game from the field. My poor publisher, Karen Lopez, was stuck high up in the press box. She even sent me a text during the game saying how bored she was. Trust me, her perspective changed during the post-game interviews. You’ll have to ask her about it. I’m not going to steal her thunder here.

Just getting the passes was a challenge in itself. I made it perfectly clear that I wanted to be at the game just as soon as the schedule was released a few months ago. I scoured the Texans’ website until I found an email address for Charles Hampton, the person in charge of media credentials. I emailed him early and often.

The published pecking order for credentials begins with TV and major newspapers and magazines and goes down from there. Small, weekly newspapers aren’t even on the list. Still, we had local boys Emmanuel Sanders from Bellville playing for the Broncos and Shane Lechler from East Bernard punting for the Texans.

Once the link for single-game media requests went live, I put in for passes for me as a photographer and Karen as a reporter. In the meantime, while we were waiting for approval, my wonderful in-laws gave me a pair of tickets to the game for my 50^th birthday. (Did I say how wonderful they are!?) A week later the approval was granted and the press passes arrived. We invited my wife Sandy’s best friend Alison to join us for the game.

On the sideline, I met a former colleague and uber photographer Patric Schneider who was shooting for The Associated Press. In the stands I saw friends Scott and Caryn Wolfe. It was beginning to feel like a family affair with so many friends there.

The biggest surprise – and I don’t know why I didn’t anticipate it – was having John Elway walk down on the field during pre-game warm-ups. The biggest disappointment was having Sanders as a no-show due to injury. Still, getting to see the likes of Payton Manning, J.J. Watt and other football gods was incredible.

Shooting from the sidelines of an NFL game is always a challenge. This was my fourth game and easily the one with the most crowded sidelines. NFL Films and the Hard Knocks crews dominated the sidelines and frequently pushed their way in front of the rest of us. It only took me half of the game to realize that they were staying mostly on the Texans side, so I camped out on the Broncos side, which is where my heart was anyway.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of being at the game – especially one with my two favorite teams. The big bonus came at the end of the game while the players were milling about on the field. I nearly plowed into Watt. I turned around and had the number 99 in my face. I stepped back, shook his hand and wished him luck on the season. It was clearly my lucky day.