In just a few days, the Patriots will be on their way to Mexico City to play the Raiders at Estadio Azteca, and while Mexican fans of the game eagerly await their arrival, two Patriots had plenty of adventures in the city this offseason.
Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola spent time in Mexico City to promote the game this summer, and while we saw their social media posts about wrestling, entering the "leopard's den" and riding hot air balloons, on Tuesday night we finally got to see their whole experience. "Going Global," an NFL Network documentary, takes viewers along with the dynamic duo as they go on adventure after adventure.
The trip started with a visit to Paprika, a restaurant in Mexico City, where Julian and Danny faced off in a cooking contest.
"This is like an episode of 'Chopped,'" Julian said. "Don't sabotage me."
Though Julian won the cook off, Danny hinted that his friend may have been buttering up the judge.
"My observation with Jules is that he was basically flirting with the head chef the whole time," Danny said.
"Was there flirting going on? I don't know," Julian said. "Dola is over there trying to cut a shrimp. He has no clue."
The second day in Mexico brought a different kind of competition. Julian and Danny entered the ring with luchadores, or Mexican wrestlers, taking on new personas: La Ardilla (The Squirrel) and El Zorro (The Fox) respectively. In this arena, Danny found redemption.
"Julian is the ultimate competitor. I noticed he came out and he was a little bit ahead of the tag," Danny said. "I'm not going to say he cheated, but he definitely jumped the rope. I won so it was good to get out there and get the victory."
No words will do this segment justice. It's honestly too good.
The next day showed just how different the two friends can be. Julian and Danny went to visit an animal sanctuary, where they had the opportunity to get in a cage with jaguars, leopards and other big cats. While Danny was excited for this "bucket list item," even rocking an awesome tiger shirt for the occasion, Julian was much less enthusiastic.
"Safe word is get me the bleep out," Julian said, half kidding.
Both Julian and Danny made it out of the gated area without any scratches and even got to pet a few of the animals, and while Julian held it together, Danny could tell he was uneasy.
"I was kind of comfortable," Julian said. "But I didn't put my guard down." "But you always were thinking of a way out of the cage," Danny said. "100 percent," Julian said.
The final day in Mexico brought some perspective. Danny and Julian hopped in a hot air balloon for sunrise, floating above Teotihuacan -- even if it wasn't the smoothest of landings.
The documentary was a chance for Patriots Nation to see the two teammates/friends outside their comfort zone and for football fans in Mexico City to see some of their heroes up close. And soon enough, the Patriots will be back to play for their dedicated fans in Mexico.
