Cornerback TJ Carrie
Members of the Oakland Raiders took an excursion to Mexico City this offseason for the 2016 NFL Draft and among those to attend was cornerback and punt returner TJ Carrie. While in the city, the players in attendance got a feel for the culture and what to expect when they travel south this weekend for their Monday Night Football game against the Houston Texans. The matchup will take place at Estadio Azteca and should be filled with a lot of passionate fans.
Carrie expressed that the trip was an all-around great experience and truly didn't know what to expect. The NFL's determination to expand the game's fan base is a joy to see and from Carrie's comments the people of Mexico certainly seem ecstatic about hosting the matchup. Here's what he had to say about his overall adventure.
First Impression:
"I actually didn't know what to expect, you know. Just going to a new environment, like I said, out there football is soccer to them. Not knowing how much of an influence the National Football League has been around within the country, so being able to go out there and experience a crowd that was phenomenal, who knew a lot of the players, the Nation is very largely wide out there… being able to experience that to me was awesome."
Coolest Part of the City:Boating and Culture
"Just the cultural things that they have out there. One of the things they do for fun out there is, it's not kayaking, but you get on a boat and you're able to do this. They have a large strip out there where they have a lot of variations of their foods, their best foods, the activities, and live bands."
Favorite Food:Empanadas
"Empanadas, they have some good empanadas out there. The variations of their sodas is a lot different, so being able to get their live culture of sodas and things like that is different. Their regular liters, they don't sell liters, they sell like three liters… That was kind of big in and different in itself."
Most Memorable Moment:The Culture
The Raiders held a fan fest on Day 3 of the NFL Draft at Estadio Azteca and attended various events in Mexico City.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico City.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico City.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico City.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico City.
The Raiders and Raiderettes attended a media day at their hotel in Mexico City.
Raiders President Marc Badain poses with Director of Mexico City's Institute of Sport Horacio De La Vega.
Felix Aguirre, Operations Director, Estadio Azteca, announces the Raiders 6th round pick.
Expectations for Monday's Game:It will be rowdy.
"I don't think we're going to be able to control them, I think it's just going to be so much of an experience for them out there. When you're with a home crowd, when the offense is up, defense is up, you're kind of able to dim them down, control them, but I think the fans are going to be so excited and stoked to be there and have that environment. It's just going to be loud the whole game."
In case you missed it, here's a look at running back [Taiwan Jones' travel guide from Mexico City. Stay tuned for tomorrow's travel guide with Raiders defensive lineman Justin "Jelly" Ellis.
