Fans know the drill. When the opposing team has the ball, get as loud as possible. It hinders the offense by making communication between quarterback, linemen and receivers that much tougher.
So playing in front of no fans, which is a very real possibility during the 2020 NFL season thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, would be a radical change for everyone. That includes the players themselves.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford doesn’t have a problem with having it quiet while he’s orchestrating the offense.
“I’m the quarterback, quiet’s great. I love that,” Stafford said during his conference call this week. “I can talk, I can hear what they’re saying on defense. I can probably try to use that to my advantage. It’s like playing a home game everywhere you go, I’m fine with that.”
Stafford admitted the energy from the crowd would definitely be missed, however.
“…feeding off that energy. There’s definitely a feel. It would definitely feel different, I would think,” Stafford declared.
Detroit opens with four road dates in the first six games, plus a bye week. If the early-season games are without fans, the Lions stand to benefit from the scheduling quirk.
