Home Field Advantage

I will be sitting pretty close to the Raven tunnel. My new camera has an awesome stealth video option. I bought a new 2GB SD card just for that game so perhaps I can get some footage for the website.

 

Get pictures of the cheerleaders while you're at it. Stacey Keibler used to cheer for them, you know.

 

You know Collin I am only going to post the ugly ones just to prove a point.

 

Oh, you'll prove the point all right when their ugly ones still look better than our "hot" one.

 

A fan’s dilemma: See a wild finish
by Derick Moss
Gazette Sports Editor

Sunday’s game might not have been exactly chock full of highlights, but the fourth quarter was a doozy: four touchdowns, long runs, pass plays covering the length of the field, crazy penalties and an onsides kick.

Unfortunately, about 30,000 fans missed much of that.

After Jake Delhomme hit Drew Carter with a 4-yard scoring strike with less than eight minutes to play to give Carolina a precarious 14-10 lead over New Orleans on Sunday, it was surprising to see that some fans had seen enough — the crowd in the Bank of America upper deck began to thin. And when the two-minute warning sounded and the Panthers still clung to that four-point edge, it was amazing to see that hordes more had hit the exits.

Now, the game was very much still in doubt with 1:45 to play and Carolina facing a crucial third-and-7 from the Saints’ 43. Yet, those in the press box (and in the Fox television booth) noted that at least 10,000 folks had already left the building. That’s when DeShaun Foster took off on a wild 43-yard jaunt down the right sideline to seemingly seal the win.

As John Kasay booted the extra point, thousands more headed home. What they didn’t know was that, as they bragged to their mates about beating those suckers still sitting in the stands to the parking lots, New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees had hooked up with reciever Marques Colston for an 86-yard touchdown. A successful two-point conversion cut the lead to three, meaning just a field goal would send this game to overtime.

Apparently, Panthers fans weren’t worried. By the time Nick Goings recovered the ensuing onsides kick, the stadium was almost half-empty.

Memo to Panthers fans: If you want to stop being treated like a second-rate sports town, stop being second-rate fans. You don’t need to be prompted to cheer or stand up. You can yell and scream as loud as you want to, it’s OK.

Alas, Sunday’s game epitomized the way Carolina fans are perceived around the league: Bank of America Stadium is simply not a hostile environment for opponents.

That’s not just me talking. The silence on Sunday was so noticeable that Fox television broadcasters made mention of it at least twice. To make matters worse, the game was Fox’s top national game and went into the homes of millions of people around the country.

The fans did not come off well.

The most ridiculous instance occurred in the second quarter. The Saints faced a third-and-goal from the 7-yard line. Carolina players, wanting their fans to at least be a distraction to the New Orleans offense, waved their arms in the air and practically begged their people to make noise. About half the crowd obliged.

Thanks to a sack by Julius Peppers, New Orleans had to settle for a field goal. But Fox broadcasters made note of the episode.

In general, I am loathe to ever criticize fans. In most instances, they’ve overpaid for tickets and deserve to do or say pretty much what they want within reason. But part of a homefield advantage is creating a situation where the opponent feels like its 11 versus 70,000. Players and coaches know this, and know how important it is. Players talk about the difficulties of playing at places like Philadelphia, New York, Indianapolis, Seattle and Pittsburgh. No one really talks about the “mystique” of Charlotte.

Players are not happy about it, even if they speak in code.

“We really kind of lulled the fans into a nap between the first and fourth quarters,” said quarterback Jake Delhomme, admirably trying to shift the blame to the team. “I’m glad we were able to wake them up in the fourth quarter.”

To be fair, I’ve seen Bank of America Stadium rocking — last year’s playoff game against Dallas is just one example.

But Charlotte fans have no reason to get defensive when folks around the country refer to them as “bandwagon” or “wine-and-cheesers.”

Instead, just do something about it.

http://www.gastongazette.com/sections/sports/panthers/?id=652

 

more than once this was said, and yet radio feed was fairly loud with crowd noise. It's entirely possible the two levels were different, though. And no, they weren't loud throughout, but they were at least loud once the 3rd down D came to the ball.

 

That article about pisses me off. Little insignificant Derick Moss knows full well that BECAUSE the Fox stooges made the note, he would get some additional readership this week making an article that is going to show up when one googles panthers and crowd noise this week.

And the comment about the stadium half empty? Well i do not have a full stadium shot, but I do have one of the last QB knee play that shows a good portion of the south side of the stadium including the silver clubs and there were a fair amount of people still left.

 

I don't think the article is a hack job. It fits with what I've seen every time I've gone to a regular season Panthers game.

 

I was there until the last player left the field. I could care less what he wrote, I was there. I did not imagine the fact that 30,000 people DID NOT LEAVE when he said. I never saw half the stadium empty until the game was over. It was not Green Bay or Kansas City loud, but it was loud when it mattered. I know this because I sit 10 feet above the field and have the next best thing to actually being on the field from a sound perspective. This is small media feeding off big media. Recognize these truths...

 

How many have you actually gone to?