Living in the Valley for almost nine years, it's safe to say that I've lost my faith in professional football, at least until Monday night.
I guess the Arizona Cardinals will do that to you. Growing up in New Jersey, I had the luxury of following the Jets and Giants and spending Sundays in the friendly confines of Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
In Arizona, I've been stuck with Jake "The Snake" Plummer, the king of the three-yard pass on third-and-7. Throw in Tom Tupa, who the Cardinals drove to become a punter, along with forgettable quarterbacks like Tim Rosenbach, Kent Graham and Stoney Case, and you have yourself a few reasons why it's tough to be an NFL fan in Arizona.
All of this changed Monday night when the Chargers-Dolphins game was moved to Sun Devil Stadium because of wildfires in Southern California. I saw what real football felt like, in front of a real crowd.
For only the fourth time ever, Sun Devil Stadium hosted MNF, and as a bona fide fan of the pigskin, I knew it was my duty to be there to absorb every ounce of what real football was like. This had to be the biggest crowd in Tempe for a pro game since Rod Tidwell donned a Cardinal's jersey.
Armed with my press credential and notepad, I stood on Frank Kush Field and watched one of the best teams in the NFL, the Miami Dolphins, beat the snot out of one of the worst, the San Diego Chargers, in front of a capacity crowd, a rarity in Tempe.
I saw players with arms bigger than my waist hit, kick and fight their way down the field. All of this while I stood next to a Charger cheerleader, asking her how her trip to Tempe was going.
Kristina "with a 'K,'" she reminded me, was excited to be away from the fires and have a chance to cheer for her team. While the 22-year-old rookie cheerleader didn't have much to cheer about, she always had her Charger Girl smile on.
I spoke with David Boston, the former Arizona Cardinal, about the boos he heard every time his name was mentioned, and I debated the ASU football team's last loss to UCLA with Miami linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, a former Bruin.
If only every Sunday in Tempe could have the same feeling and emotion that Monday had.
Reach the reporter at jeffrey.hoodzow@asu.edu.
