TAMPA - We thought the Eagles were going to take over Tampa this weekend.
We were right.
No, Eagles' fans probably won't completely overtake Raymond James Stadium, but they're going to let their presence be felt. Hours before the game, Eagles fans were milling around the stadium. I even saw a couple guys in Birds jerseys riding up to the stadium with a charcoal grill in the back of a truck.
During warmups, Eagles fans flocked to the first row near the Eagles' tunnel:
#Eagles takeover in Tampa pic.twitter.com/8UQ4wOWrv5— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) September 16, 2018
They were everywhere:
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Eagles fans taking over Tampa. Thousands of fans in the parking lots!#TampaTakeover#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/NdMlU3RAiN— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) September 16, 2018
Even the owner took some time to chat with fans and sign autographs.
Jeff Lurie greeting some of the many #Eagles fans here in Tampa. pic.twitter.com/H92U4e83IB— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) September 16, 2018
Here's what Doug Pederson said Friday about fan support on the road:
"We do feel it. We do feel the fact that there are Eagles fans in the stadium and in the city and around our hotel. And it's great to see. It's great to see that sea of green in the stadium; how they can be loud and kind of disruptive for the home team is great.
"I think our fans travel extremely well. We've got them all over the country, all over the world, and would expect a pretty good crowd in Tampa this weekend."
The Eagles have a pretty exciting road schedule in 2018 for fans looking to take a weekend trip. They still have Nashville, London, New Orleans, Dallas and L.A.
Expect to see a lot of green each stop this year.