Lions Fans Flood Local Bars Earlier Than Normal For London-Time Kickoff
FERNDALE (CBS Detroit) -- Bars across the state opened earlier than usual Sunday morning to prepare for the big Lions game in London.
The Lions stunned the Atlanta Falcons with a second-half comeback after being down 21-0 at halftime, to win 22-21 at Wembley Stadium.
Jamie D'Angelo, owner of the New Way Bar in Ferndale, said his bar opened up at 7 a.m. for a pre-game party with a live band and breakfast specials.
"The turnout was terrific. They place was just packed with great fans, everybody was having a great time," D'Angelo said. "The game was just unbelievable, especially the ending. There were high-fives everywhere, people were shouting -- it was indescribable, incredible. You couldn't have written a better script."
The win happened around 1 p.m., but D'Angelo said that the party was still going strong long after Matt Prater's game-winning kick.
Among other establishments that opened early was 24 Seconds Bar & Grill in Berkley, where manager Bernie said the crowd was enthusiastic early on.
"By the time I opened the door at 9 a.m., I probably had 30 people waiting in the parking lot come in the doors," Bernie said. "We were full before the game started."
He said that the establishment likes to open early for special occasions -- like World Cup soccer games and Olympic events -- and added that people were waiting in the parking lot to get in when he arrived at 8:30 a.m. to open-up by 9 a.m.
"They were very excitable early when they walked in here -- they didn't really have a whole lot to get excited about (early) during the game, it wasn't looking very good," Bernie said. "They were coming in here expecting the Lions to put on a little bit of a show."
The Lions delivered a show late, posting their second-straight comeback win to push their record to 6-2.
