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What's wrong with a little noise?
Sep 26, 2006, 2:51:40 AM by Jonathan Rand
The situation keeps getting worse and worse for the Chiefs. First, they get off to an 0-2 start, and now the new commissioner may want to reduce the influence of crowd noise.
Arrowhead Stadium traditionally has been among the NFL’s loudest open-air stadiums. Visiting players often describe it as the most difficult place to play. The Chiefs’ 65-15 regular-season home record during the 1990s was tops in the league and the Chiefs became the first team penalized for excessive crowd noise after the NFL adopted the rule in 1989. This penalty is called once in a blue moon.
A really loud crowd, as we all know, can make it difficult for offensive players to hear their quarterback, often resulting in offensive penalties and an edge for the home team’s pass rush.
The New York Times ran a front-page story Sunday on the issue because the Giants were returning to Seattle’s Qwest Field, where crowd noise in the partially roofed stadium contributed to 11 false-start penalties for the Giants in their 24-21 loss in overtime last year. Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren awarded the game ball to the fans.
The Giants’ performance is yet another good example why coaches discourage players from worrying about such peripheral issues as crowd noise instead of the opponent. The Seahawks were ahead 35-0 before the visitors knew what hit them. The final count was 42-30 and it’s hard to blame a blowout on crowd noise.
Still, the issue’s not about to go away. Commissioner Roger Goodell is discussing the use of microphones in quarterbacks’ helmets and speakers for his teammates so they can hear snap counts, play calls and audibles. Quarterbacks currently have devices that allow them to hear their coaches but only until 15 seconds remain on the play clock.
Goodell recently suggested that noise should encourage the defense, but not disrupt the offense or prevent it from executing its game plan.
“To some extent right now,” he said, “I think we are hindering that a little bit, because they come into an opposing stadium and they are not able to put the full offense in, they are not able to run plays in, they are not able to change the plays at the line of scrimmage.”
Funny, but crowd noise didn’t seem to bother the Bengals when they beat the Chiefs opening day 23-10. Nor did it bother them Sunday in Pittsburgh, where they beat the Steelers 28-20 for their eighth victory in their last 10 road games.
Despite the Arrowhead crowd, the Chiefs managed just one sack against the Bengals. As the visitors gained control, there was less and less noise…and fewer and fewer fans.
The league shouldn’t try to reduce the impact of crowd noise. A team with loud and enthusiastic fans deserves as much of a home field advantage as it can get. And a team like the Bengals should be rewarded for its ability to handle hostile stadiums. That ability wouldn’t mean as much if road conditions were made easier for everybody.
Besides, have you ever noticed that crowd noise becomes an issue mainly in stadiums that house winning teams? Crowd noise has no more to do with a team’s success than a team’s success has to do with producing crowd noise.
NFL offenses use silent counts in noisy stadiums. The best antidote for noisy crowds, of course, is to get ahead of the home team. No matter how rabid fans are reputed to be, it’s amazing how quiet they get after 15 minutes of disappointment. Often, they start booing.
The Chiefs might want to think about getting some points early against the 49ers on Sunday if they don’t want to experience that first hand.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/09/26/rand_whats_wrong_with_a_little_noise/
Sep 26, 2006, 2:51:40 AM by Jonathan Rand
The situation keeps getting worse and worse for the Chiefs. First, they get off to an 0-2 start, and now the new commissioner may want to reduce the influence of crowd noise.
Arrowhead Stadium traditionally has been among the NFL’s loudest open-air stadiums. Visiting players often describe it as the most difficult place to play. The Chiefs’ 65-15 regular-season home record during the 1990s was tops in the league and the Chiefs became the first team penalized for excessive crowd noise after the NFL adopted the rule in 1989. This penalty is called once in a blue moon.
A really loud crowd, as we all know, can make it difficult for offensive players to hear their quarterback, often resulting in offensive penalties and an edge for the home team’s pass rush.
The New York Times ran a front-page story Sunday on the issue because the Giants were returning to Seattle’s Qwest Field, where crowd noise in the partially roofed stadium contributed to 11 false-start penalties for the Giants in their 24-21 loss in overtime last year. Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren awarded the game ball to the fans.
The Giants’ performance is yet another good example why coaches discourage players from worrying about such peripheral issues as crowd noise instead of the opponent. The Seahawks were ahead 35-0 before the visitors knew what hit them. The final count was 42-30 and it’s hard to blame a blowout on crowd noise.
Still, the issue’s not about to go away. Commissioner Roger Goodell is discussing the use of microphones in quarterbacks’ helmets and speakers for his teammates so they can hear snap counts, play calls and audibles. Quarterbacks currently have devices that allow them to hear their coaches but only until 15 seconds remain on the play clock.
Goodell recently suggested that noise should encourage the defense, but not disrupt the offense or prevent it from executing its game plan.
“To some extent right now,” he said, “I think we are hindering that a little bit, because they come into an opposing stadium and they are not able to put the full offense in, they are not able to run plays in, they are not able to change the plays at the line of scrimmage.”
Funny, but crowd noise didn’t seem to bother the Bengals when they beat the Chiefs opening day 23-10. Nor did it bother them Sunday in Pittsburgh, where they beat the Steelers 28-20 for their eighth victory in their last 10 road games.
Despite the Arrowhead crowd, the Chiefs managed just one sack against the Bengals. As the visitors gained control, there was less and less noise…and fewer and fewer fans.
The league shouldn’t try to reduce the impact of crowd noise. A team with loud and enthusiastic fans deserves as much of a home field advantage as it can get. And a team like the Bengals should be rewarded for its ability to handle hostile stadiums. That ability wouldn’t mean as much if road conditions were made easier for everybody.
Besides, have you ever noticed that crowd noise becomes an issue mainly in stadiums that house winning teams? Crowd noise has no more to do with a team’s success than a team’s success has to do with producing crowd noise.
NFL offenses use silent counts in noisy stadiums. The best antidote for noisy crowds, of course, is to get ahead of the home team. No matter how rabid fans are reputed to be, it’s amazing how quiet they get after 15 minutes of disappointment. Often, they start booing.
The Chiefs might want to think about getting some points early against the 49ers on Sunday if they don’t want to experience that first hand.
The opinions offered in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/2006/09/26/rand_whats_wrong_with_a_little_noise/