ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP — In a sea of football fans, it was Patrick Haywood who stood out in the cheering crowd at Buffalo Wild Wings on Sunday.
Originally from Indianapolis, Haywood was transplanted to Ashtabula when he was 14 years old and he never forgot his roots with the Indianapolis Colts.
His rooting did little good, as the New Orleans Saints defeated the Colts, 31-17.
“I was born and raised in Indianapolis and I have been waiting for this Super Bowl for a long time,” he said.
Wearing a white and blue football jersey with the name MANNING across the back, Haywood said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning is the biggest name in football.
“I have been a Peyton Manning fan since he was in Tennessee. I knew when we got him the Colts would be a contender for the Super Bowl. I knew people would look at the Colts differently with Manning as quarterback.”
Across the room, a football civil war of sorts was raging between Gary VanBuren and his wife, Linda.
The VanBurens, of Kingsville, were on opposite ends of the football field Sunday, with Linda cheering for the New Orleans Saints and Gary taking up for the Colts.
“I honestly don’t care who wins,” Gary VanBuren said. “I am just cheering for the Colts because she is cheering for the Saints.”
“Well, I do care who wins,” Linda VanBuren said, though she later admitted no allegiance to the Saints, just to their town.
“I just love New Orleans,” she said. “I love New Orleans the city more than New Orleans Saints the football team.”
Gary VanBuren said he was just excited to get out of the house for the Super Bowl.
“We usually just stay home for the game,” he said between mouthfuls of nachos. “We wanted to see the atmosphere of a football party, take in the crowd.”
In Geneva, the crowd at the Old Mill Winery was busy with open mic night, but outside it was all about the Super Bowl.
Cooks Brando Stevenson and Aaron Radner grilled wine burgers and ribs on the covered deck outside the winery, choosing to spend most of their time outside in the cold instead of the heat of the kitchen - all because the outdoor television set was tuned in to the Super Bowl.
Stevenson said he isn’t a Colts fan or a Saints fan.
“But I am cheering for the Saints because they are the underdogs,” he said. “You always have to root for the underdogs.”
Radner said he watches the Super Bowl for the football, not the commercials.
“I am not a huge Colts fan or a huge Saints fan, but I would never miss a Super Bowl,” he said. “It is cool to be able to be cooking and just peek around the corner to see the game.”
Haywood said he would be “heartbroken” if the Colts lost to the Saints, but there would be no hard feelings.
“With the Saints coming back the way they did, the whole town of New Orleans coming back from Katrina like that, you can’t take that away from them,” he said. “If the Saints beat us, it would be a loss I wouldn’t regret.”
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