My first ever father-son chat occurred within an hour after my son Bradley was born in December 2005.

I filed that chat away in my mental notebook just in case I never needed to do it again, and that became reality in June 2010 when Jared was born. The conversations were similar and very much to the point.

Four and half years apart, Bradley and Jared were wrapped in the typical white hospital baby blanket with red and blue stripes. To this day, that bothers me because they should have been green stripes.

That’s because we’re a New York Jets household.

Call me a child, but I felt it was necessary to have a little chat with the boys after they came into the world. With each of them, I waited until the crying subsided to the point where I felt they could hear me. It was my obligation to tell them that I loved them very much and that they were Jets fans.

I told them if Daddy had to suffer and Mommy had to suffer, then you have to suffer. So welcome to Jets Nation.

Both of them began to cry again.

It got louder and louder. You can’t tell me they didn’t know what they were getting into. As it turns out, football would become an important bond between me and both of my boys.

At the time Bradley was born, I was the radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Dragons of the Arena Football League. After my wife went back to work, Bradley would accompany me to practice from the time I hauled him around in a baby carrier to the point where he was running around the field and horsing around with the players.

During our home games at Nassau Coliseum, my family would sit in the stands, but a halftime ritual quickly began that would see Sheryl and Bradley make their way up to the press box for a quick visit. In between plays, while the color analyst was speaking, I would take a look behind to see if they were there, and it was always an amazing feeling to see those smiling faces.

There were a few times when I’m sure that listeners could hear “Daddy, Daddy!” on the radio.

Coupled with my wife’s love of the sport, Bradley developed a strong affection for the sport, and that prompted my sister-in-law to give us a special gift – a wooden sign that hangs in our den to this day.

“We interrupt this family for football season!”

When the Dragons folded in 2008, the football bond between Bradley and myself was limited to watching Jets away games and other NFL games on television. He really became a big fan and always asked me questions so I knew something special was going on here.

In 2010, our pigskin weekends extended to pee-wee football when Bradley started playing. I remember his first game like it was yesterday, and I was a nervous wreck. It wasn’t because I was afraid he would get hurt. I just wanted to be a good football dad, and I wanted him to do well.

How about this for a first game?

He scored on an 80-yard touchdown run, and then on defense he ran about 30 yards and tackled a guy from behind to save a touchdown.

I flipped out. I shouldn’t have because I was an assistant coach on the team, but that was my boy making two great plays, and I let everybody know it. I’ve learned to calm down a bit, but it was just so cool to see him playing, doing well and having fun.

Now that I no longer cover the Jets, I’ve been able to take Bradley to his first few NFL games. I remember the excitement that I had when my dad took me to my first game, so I couldn’t wait to be able to take Bradley to a game. Having played for a few years, Bradley could relate to what he was seeing in person.

Jared does not play football, but we still have a football bond in that he knows we’re a Jets family. His room is filled with football memorabilia, including autographed helmets and footballs along with a collection of bobbleheads.

At Bradley’s practices and games, Jared often lends a helping hand. At practices, he’ll bring a water bottle out to Bradley during a break, and at games he’ll help give out oranges to Bradley and all of the players at halftime.

At 5 years old, Jared isn’t ready to go to his first NFL game just yet, but we’ve taken him to some training camp practices, and he’s had a good time. He’s probably more enthused about the activities at the fan fest, but it’s still an important connection to football, and I’m glad to be able to share it with him.

I’m banking on Jared to be ready for his first trip to MetLife Stadium next season.

It’s been awesome to have a football bond with my two sons, and the great thing is that I get to experience the bond in different ways. Bradley loves to play and watch football, and we share those experiences both at the field or stadium while also enjoying conversations at home.

With Jared, the football talk generally centers around identifying logos, colors and numbers and sometimes just even having a playful catch if he’s up to it. That’s fine with me because any connection to football at his age will eventually transform into a bigger one down the road.

A father and son can have a chat or share an experience with just about anything. When that chat or activity relates to football, it creates a bond that is as solid as a strong offensive line.

Peter Schwartz is an anchor and reporter for CBS Sports Radio and WFAN Radio in New York. You can read his general CBS New York sports blog at http://newyork.cbslocal.com/tag/peter-schwartz/. You can follow him on Twitter @pschwartzcbsfan. Peter’s son Bradley plays for the Levittown Red Devils of the Nassau Suffolk Football League on Long Island in New York. His son Jared cheers on Bradley and then Bradley returns the favor when Jared is playing soccer.