I had a thought watching the game last night. What did the people going to the game do for dinner? Did they eat at home before the game? Did they tailgate the traditional way? Did they cook Thanksgiving food at home and eat it at the parking lot? Did they find some sort of middle ground and grill turkey legs like I have seen fans in Mississippi do before college Thanksgiving games? Did they reschedule the normal Thanksgiving feast for a different day? How many people didn't use their tickets to spend time with their family?

If you went, how did you handle it. If you didn't go, how would you if you had tickets?

For this week's Captain of the Tailgate post, I was able to secure a few questions with famous chef, Ted Reader on how to tailgate. He is an expert when it comes to grilling on gamedays. Click on the link to go to his website.

John B: What is the most common mistake a tailgating novice makes?

Ted Reader: Not enough pre preparation in terms of shopping, menu preparation and organization. AS well trying to do to much in a short period of time and lastly consuming too much alcohol while trying to cook
 
JB: If I just scored tickets the day of the game, what is a good thing to make that doesn't require much advanced planning?

TR: Burgers, Steak Sandwiches, Sausages (Brats) are always easy, but my planked twinkies make it all sweet and yummy
 
JB: If I realize I forgot something critical and see another party has it, what is the etiquette for asking them to borrow it?

TR: Send your leader of your pack over to the group that has what you are desire. Find their leader. Be polite and ask if they could spare a little something something that you require, and then If they say yes, say thank you and make sure you bring them a taste or at least their leader at taste of what you have made. A few shots of Jack shared among friends always works. Be nice and the doors will open
 
JB:How can a fan of a visiting team make sure they have a good time tailgating?

TR: Don’t abuse the home team and start emotions rolling. Be polite. You are in the home team's back yard. Be a fan, but be a nice fan. You are your team's ambassador, and you should be respectful of others. Wear your colors, shout your chants, have fun and maybe even offer the home team fans a little tasty treat from your booth. Make love, not war. "Have friends, not enemies," is my motto.

Thanks to Ted for his advice, and be sure to check out his website.

I'd like to open up the floor to you guys in this week's Captain of the Tailgate post. I want to know what your favorite recipes are. I'll be honest. I'm a pretty conservative tailgater. You won't get much more than hot dogs and burgers from me. Back in college, my roommate's  father used to make some great seasoned shrimp when we tailgated for our school's games, but I never got that recipe.

Please share your favorite things to cook with your friends from GGN.

I was doing a little research and found that apparently we are at the point where competitive tailgating now exists:

Brats versus burgers; team jersey versus winter coat; early departure versus post-game party in the parking lot — all are important game-day decisions for football fans and tailgaters this time of year. Today, Bing, the Decision Engine from Microsoft Corp. that provides football fans with everything they need to make these vital game-day choices, is introducing a new competition that will celebrate tailgating and crown the team that makes the best tailgating decisions in four key categories: cooking, sports trivia, parking lot athletics and team spirit.
 
The Tailgating Institute of America (TIA), led by nationally recognized Commissioner of Tailgating Joe Cahn, will host the competition. Local panels of judges will determine winners in six regional competitions, with the regional winners traveling to compete in Dallas/Fort Worth on Feb. 3 for the championship title. All competitions will take place in major football stadiums on game days in the following cities (all times local):
 
·           Houston’s Reliant Stadium, Nov. 7, 9:30 a.m.
·           Denver’s Invesco Field at Mile High, Nov. 14, 11:30 a.m.
·           New York/New Jersey’s New Meadowlands Stadium, Nov. 21, 10:30 a.m.
·           Phoenix’s University of Phoenix Stadium, Dec. 5, 11:30 a.m.
·           New Orleans’ Louisiana Superdome, Dec. 12, 12:30 p.m.
·           Seattle’s Qwest Field, Dec. 19, 10:30 a.m.
·           Dallas/Fort Worth’s Sundance Square (Finals), Feb. 3

Beginning today, fans can apply to compete at http://www.bingfootball.com. Four tailgating crews will be selected to compete in each of the six regional markets.
 

Your chance to do it at the Meadowlands is on November 21 in the game against the Houston Texans. Let us know if you plan on entering. Maybe GGN can be the home of the tailgating champion.

Captain Morgan is sponsoring a series of tailgating posts on Fridays for SBN's NFL blogs. This is our first post. I'd like to start out with a simple question. When should you shut down your tailgate to go to the stadium?

I'm the kind of guy who wants to get to the stadium early. I like to be able to watch pregame introductions. I also want to make sure a long line doesn't keep me from missing the opening kickoff. My ideal time of arriving in the stadium is about a half hour before kickoff.

With the clean up and standing in line, that means I usually like to end my tailgate about an hour before kickoff. I know this is early for a lot of people, but I'm there for the game. There will be plenty of time for a postgame tailgate, where it's more relaxed, and you can linger for a long time.Of course, if you can find a friend with season tickets, you can get all of the fun of a tailgate with a fraction of the work and linger a little longer before the kick.

How long do you think you should wait before shutting down your tailgate?

And remember if you plan on drinking Captain Morgan or any other kind of alcohol, take public transportation or have a designated driver.