Where was the crowd noise?

Mack Herron · Nov 28, 2007

I thought it was quiet at the game Sunday. I was also surprised at the increase in noice when the Pats came to hte line on offense on important plays. Most fans should know to be quiet on offense and noisy on defense, but this knowledge escapes our fans.

I have been going to Pats games for 30 years and the current crowd is consistently quiet compared to places like Denver, Seattle, Kansas CIty, Indinapolis, etc. It used to be louder in the old stadium, but I cannot tell if it was the edifice or the poeple that was responsible. I think it is the poeple becuase there have definitely been games at Gillette that were loud (but not many).

Mogamedogz · Nov 28, 2007

Mack Herron said:
I think it is the poeple becuase there have definitely been games at Gillette that were loud (but not many).

It's definitely the people. Were you at that 2004 AFCCG vs. The Colts?? That place was ROCKING for that game.

The ovation that BB got after the game on the podium was insane! :rocker:

People who blame the lack of noise on stadium design are simply in denial (sorry guys)!

Eugene Chung · Nov 28, 2007

Mogamedogz said:
It's definitely the people. Were you at that 2004 AFCCG vs. The Colts?? That place was ROCKING for that game.

The ovation that BB got after the game on the podium was insane! :rocker:

People who blame the lack of noise on stadium design are simply in denial (sorry guys)!

Yeah, but the place was rocking for the SD game this year as well. The place went nuts when they introduced Belichick.

I do agree that some of the problem is the people in the stadium now. We've been spoiled for a while. Most fans were surprised to be in a close game with a team that was believed to be mediocre.

Tunescribe · Nov 28, 2007

I'm so freaking tired of this argument. For the hundredth time, GILLETTE STADIUM DOES NOT CONTAIN CROWD NOISE LIKE OTHER STADIUMS. I've attended every single Patriots home game played at Gillette and as stated earlier in this thread, have been to games in the Meadowlands, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Washington, Houston, Jacksonville, and Baltimore. All of those stadiums are enclosed bowls (except for Pittsburgh), and ALL of them have closer proximity of seating-to-field than Gillette.

Gillette's design has five very distinct disadvantages:

(1). The upper deck is vaulted high above the field, spread out and separated from the rest of the stadium by double-tired luxury boxes. It also does not cover the end zones.

(2). The stadium floor is laid out for international-regulation soccer, NOT football, creating extra space between the sidelines and end zones, and the stands.

(3). Corporate club seating was very poorly conceived being concentrated on the mid-level sidelines. This represents thousands of prime seats that rarely are filled with rabid fans, especially in bad weather.

(4). The north end zone is open-ended to accommodate the "picturesque" lighthouse/bridge design.

(5). The open concourse view around the stadium's perimeter and the four "skylight" sections separating club seats from the mezzanine sections allow further evaporation of sound.

Bottom line: Gillette is a multi-purpose stadium with MAJOR design flaws the Krafts did not consider in terms of optimizing the football experience. They got what they wanted -- a pretty building that caters to high rollers.

fourthandmiles · Nov 28, 2007

Mogamedogz said:
It's definitely the people. Were you at that 2004 AFCCG vs. The Colts?? That place was ROCKING for that game.

The ovation that BB got after the game on the podium was insane! :rocker:

People who blame the lack of noise on stadium design are simply in denial (sorry guys)!

I was at that '04 game and that is the only time I have seen a Pats game rock. :rocker:

I did see Heidi Klum at one game and nobody really acknowledged her. I was like YEAAhh. Looking around I wondered what planet everyone was on. I mean that is Heidi Klum. Sure I am there to see a game but still Heidi Klum? The flyover gets a bigger reaction that most things.

My Father in Law tells me I yell to much and he leaves 2:00 into the 4th quarter to beat traffic. He thinks it is great that we can listen to the end of the game on the radio when everyone else is back at the stadium. I take comfort in the fact that he only goes to 2 games a year now because he only likes to sit out there if it is between 65 and 75 degrees.

There is one guy that sits one section over who trys to get the crowd going and he is regularly being lead out by the Yellow Jackets. He is usually drunk and of course I don't have to sit next to him so I don't know what is really going on over there but I get a kick out of him. Other people in the section seem to like him.

Everybody else acts like they are shopping on Newbury Street or something. I think the good crowd is home in front of the TV.

nepatz11 · Nov 28, 2007

How can you say it is the stadium. All the things you mention maybe make a 5 % difference versus most other outdoor stadiums. How important is any of the stuff you bring up? I dont think a few yards or a few openings here or there really makes much of a difference versus the fundamental issue which as I see it accounts for 95% of what we are talking about: ARe the 70000 people screaming or not?

I mean Gillette has one closed end and the 300 sections, while high, are literally right on top of the field which help bring noise to the field. Yes the disadvantages you mentioned may be a factor but I think that is a small fraction of the problem. HEinz field and Adelphia Collesieum are considered loud stadiums and they are more open than Gillette is.

Sorry but it is the fans that are the problem.

I too have been to every game in Gillette stadium. Last Year against Chicago I even brought a decibel meter in to see what I got. That was a game where the crowd was in it from start to finish. The decibel meter consistently topped 110 and even higher in the second half. I sit about 25 rows up from the field in the lower bowl. And that was definitely not the loudest game I have been to there.

I know Gillette's inability to hold in sound is not the problem. While not Qwest stadium or Arrowhead I think it is actually somewhat good at that. The problem is the fans.

To end this debate Ill refer to the 3 Games to GLory II DVD in which at the start of the game the INDY Play by Play announcer says that Gillette is louder than Arrowhead. Why? Because we were pumped to slow down the Colts. The Bottom Line is When 70000 people make noise in a stadium it will be loud, regardless of whether the field is 10 yards wider or one end is somewhat open. When they sit on their hands and spend half the game getting beers and not pariticipating then it wont be loud. All the new stadiums have the same basic design (except for Qwest) and I know GIllette is fully capable of holding disruptive noise as much as any of them but it is up to us the fans to make it!

PatsWickedPissah · Nov 28, 2007

Dozer said:
I was at the game. There are only so many 3rd downs we can yell for, and it seemed like it was doing no good. The D played like crap. Eventually yelling had no effect since Philly had no problems converting most of them.

Gotta luv the quitter mentality of the fans. It's SO darned difficult to cheer series after series.

That aside Tune is correct on his stadium design points. Designed for beautifull people to have a beautifull experience, not to rock the opposing team's offense.

Tunescribe · Nov 28, 2007

nepatz11 said:
How can you say it is the stadium. All the things you mention maybe make a 5 % difference versus most other outdoor stadiums. How important is any of the stuff you bring up? I dont think a few yards or a few openings here or there really makes much of a difference versus the fundamental issue which as I see it accounts for 95% of what we are talking about: ARe the 70000 people screaming or not?

I mean Gillette has one closed end and the 300 sections, while high, are literally right on top of the field which help bring noise to the field. Yes the disadvantages you mentioned may be a factor but I think that is a small fraction of the problem. HEinz field and Adelphia Collesieum are considered loud stadiums and they are more open than Gillette is.

Sorry but it is the fans that are the problem.

I too have been to every game in Gillette stadium. Last Year against Chicago I even brought a decibel meter in to see what I got. That was a game where the crowd was in it from start to finish. The decibel meter consistently topped 110 and even higher in the second half. I sit about 25 rows up from the field in the lower bowl. And that was definitely not the loudest game I have been to there.

I know Gillette's inability to hold in sound is not the problem. While not Qwest stadium or Arrowhead I think it is actually somewhat good at that. The problem is the fans.

To end this debate Ill refer to the 3 Games to GLory II DVD in which at the start of the game the INDY Play by Play announcer says that Gillette is louder than Arrowhead. Why? Because we were pumped to slow down the Colts. The Bottom Line is When 70000 people make noise in a stadium it will be loud, regardless of whether the field is 10 yards wider or one end is somewhat open. When they sit on their hands and spend half the game getting beers and not pariticipating then it wont be loud. All the new stadiums have the same basic design (except for Qwest) and I know GIllette is fully capable of holding disruptive noise as much as any of them but it is up to us the fans to make it!

You apparently haven't been to many other stadiums. And your decibel meter idea is silly -- what's it going to pick up beyond your immediate vicinity? If you had it at field level then maybe it would offer some standard of comparison, but that still wouldn't reflect Gillette's design flaws, which account for much more than this alleged "5 percent difference" (how'd you come up with that figure?) you're claiming.

Crowd noise feeds upon itself. If you can hear how loud it is and see how it affects the other teams' signal-calling, things only get louder. I always yell at the games but it often seems like shouting into a vacuum as there's nothing to contain the sound. I've talked to people who sit in the upper deck who feel the same way, as they physically are further removed from the action than at other stadiums.

As for your argument about things being louder for the Colts, ALL stadiums are louder when Manning does his chicken-dance routine, except, of course, in Indy.

Dozer · Nov 28, 2007

PatsWickedPissah said:
Gotta luv the quitter mentality of the fans. It's SO darned difficult to cheer series after series.

That aside Tune is correct on his stadium design points. Designed for beautifull people to have a beautifull experience, not to rock the opposing team's offense.

Clearly you have never yelled at the top of your voice on consecutive downs for an extended period.

Unless you go to the game and participate you have no clue how much people are actually cheering.

PatsWickedPissah · Nov 28, 2007

Dozer said:
Clearly you have never yelled at the top of your voice on consecutive downs for an extended period.

Unless you go to the game and participate you have no clue how much people are actually cheering.

I do go and I do cheer. Come home hoarse. Obviously that type of strenuous effort

is just too much to ask of the pink hat fans.

robd54 · Nov 28, 2007

I agree with most points, I'm usually at every home game either through family tickets or the ticketExchange, and its amazing how many people barely stand up sometimes, and you can definately tell the real fans from the "oh i got tickets to see the pats, let me put on my shirt and tie and go watch the game". I know my voice is hoarse or gone for 1-2 days after every game from yelling so much, if only half the people there would do the same it'd be definately noticeable.

Crowpointer · Nov 28, 2007

Tunescribe said:
I'm so freaking tired of this argument. For the hundredth time, GILLETTE STADIUM DOES NOT CONTAIN CROWD NOISE LIKE OTHER STADIUMS. I've attended every single Patriots home game played at Gillette and as stated earlier in this thread, have been to games in the Meadowlands, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Washington, Houston, Jacksonville, and Baltimore. All of those stadiums are enclosed bowls (except for Pittsburgh), and ALL of them have closer proximity of seating-to-field than Gillette.

Gillette's design has five very distinct disadvantages:

(1). The upper deck is vaulted high above the field, spread out and separated from the rest of the stadium by double-tired luxury boxes. It also does not cover the end zones.

(2). The stadium floor is laid out for international-regulation soccer, NOT football, creating extra space between the sidelines and end zones, and the stands.

(3). Corporate club seating was very poorly conceived being concentrated on the mid-level sidelines. This represents thousands of prime seats that rarely are filled with rabid fans, especially in bad weather.

(4). The north end zone is open-ended to accommodate the "picturesque" lighthouse/bridge design.

(5). The open concourse view around the stadium's perimeter and the four "skylight" sections separating club seats from the mezzanine sections allow further evaporation of sound.

Bottom line: Gillette is a multi-purpose stadium with MAJOR design flaws the Krafts did not consider in terms of optimizing the football experience. They got what they wanted -- a pretty building that caters to high rollers.

I've been to every game as well and I agree with you 100%. Even the so called loud games at Gillette don't compare with say the Invesco Playoff crowd noise of 2 years ago that I attended. I didn't think their fans were even as good as our fans for our home playoff games as they sat during the game (where I never remember sitting for any of our home playoff games.) but it was a lot louder because of the design combined with the aluminum under their feet that they stomped to make a thunder sound. I know my voice is shot every monday after a home game as would most around me. As you said Gillette is what it is.

PaulNEPats · Nov 28, 2007

You guys can ***** all you want, but it's NOT going to change. These threads are pointless.

Mogamedogz · Nov 28, 2007

PaulNEPats said:
You guys can ***** all you want, but it's NOT going to change. These threads are pointless.

True.

Basically, we have the best team in the NFL, but the worst live crowds. Cant have everything I guess! lol

oldskool138 · Nov 28, 2007

PaulNEPats said:
You guys can ***** all you want, but it's NOT going to change. These threads are pointless.

We can F&ck all we want? Cool!

oldskool138 · Nov 28, 2007

tombradywhines said:
You'd think you guys would have the loudest stadium in the league, being such a good team.

That's kinda sad.

In buffalo we suck pretty hard but it is LOUD as hell.

Especially when you have fans like this:

italian pat patriot · Nov 28, 2007

i think this point have been discussed several times and imho the reasons are several and not only one...

probably it is a mix of combinations

let's see @ play-offs time...

nepatz11 · Nov 28, 2007

Why is it silly to bring a decibel meter into the stadium? Ask a sound expert and they will say The loudest place in any stadium is on the field. I was 25 rows up from the field at midfield so my readings must correlate with the noise on the field.

All I am saying is that even with the one open end, the club seat problem, the 4 missing sections in the 200s and the extra field width, the bottom line is that the circumference of the field is still 85% enclosed in any stadium. Sound can still bounce from one side of the field to the other. I am not saying you are wrong I just think all those factors you brought up make a very small difference percentage wise in the noise level in an outdoor stadium because Gillette is still mostly closed in and there are still 70000 people in a relatively small space.

I also know that many many new stadiums have more open designs than Gillette, all have high and very very open upper decks, all have club seats in the middle and all have more open space and wider fields than older ones. And yet no one seems to be compaining about those places (i.e Heinz Field, the Linc, Adelphia).

I think the most important factor by far is if people are making noise or not. You put 70000 people in a structure I dont care if it is 85% enclosed or 100% enclosed it is going to be loud and sound is going to echo and be kept in. Against San Diego this year or in the fourth quarter on Sunday night the Stadium was deafeningly loud. I know it can get there.

At many games I look around on key downs and I see about 1 in every 5 people making noise and I say to myself "why do they pay 125 bucks to watch the game like it was in their living room? This is the problem!" Almost every game.

I have experienced that stadium growing deafeningly loud too many times to think that it is incapable of doing so.

Where was the crowd noise?

Mack Herron

Pro Bowl Player

Mogamedogz

In the Starting Line-Up

Eugene Chung

Practice Squad Player

Tunescribe

PatsFans.com Supporter

fourthandmiles

On the Game Day Roster

nepatz11

On the Game Day Roster

PatsWickedPissah

PatsFans.com Supporter

Tunescribe

PatsFans.com Supporter

Dozer

On the Roster

PatsWickedPissah

PatsFans.com Supporter

robd54

Practice Squad Player

Crowpointer

Third String But Playing on Special Teams

PaulNEPats

In the Starting Line-Up

Mogamedogz

In the Starting Line-Up

oldskool138

In the Starting Line-Up

oldskool138

In the Starting Line-Up

italian pat patriot

Veteran Starter w/Big Long Term Deal

nepatz11

On the Game Day Roster

Similar threads