PITTSBURGH _ It is a sensation unlike any other, running out of the tunnel at Heinz Field, hearing the thunderous ovation of the fans, seeing them twirl their Terrible Towels in rhythmic salute to their heroes. For Ben Roethlisberger, who gets the loudest salute of all, it's almost indescribable.
After missing most of last season with an injury that might have ended his sterling career, the thought of getting to run out of that tunnel again, getting to feel the passion of the city that relies on him, was downright intoxicating for the Steelers quarterback.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say I wasn't excited to be running out of the tunnel after last year," Roethlisberger said. "There's nothing better. I'll never be able to put into words to describe to someone who hasn't been able to do it what it's like to run out into that stadium here at home with the fans screaming and going nuts and the Terrible Towels waving. I was looking forward to that."
Not now. At least, not for the first month of the season. And, who knows, maybe longer.
The Steelers will not allow fans for their first two regular-season home games, Sept. 20 against the Denver Broncos and Sept. 27 against the Houston Texans. They have not said what will happen when they play the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 11 at Heinz Field.
Even if there are fans, they likely will be limited in numbers, perhaps 25% of capacity. It will not only be a different dynamic for Roethlisberger, but the rest of his teammates, especially Pro Bowl linebacker T.J. Watt, who seems to get his energy from the crowd the same way a flower feeds from the sun.
"There isn't going to be a lot of hype in the stadium that you will be able to physically feel," Watt said. "You have to get yourself up for these moments."
Players in other sports, especially those accustomed to the adulation of the fans, have talked about the difficulty of being motivated without the roar of the crowd. Tiger Woods, arguably the most popular and well-known athlete of his generation, said he has lost some of his edge because the usual swarm of people that follow him on the golf course, trampling over each other to get a look at the 14-time major champion, is not there.
"Anyone who has played in front of thousands of people, it is very different," Woods said. "Usually between 20,000 and 40,000 people screaming and yelling. That's always been one of the things I've become accustomed to."
For some, playing in front of a large crowd is what they live for, the opportunity to get instant and vociferous feedback from fans who respond to their big plays. For others, playing in front of a large crowd can be neurologically debilitating, making them so nervous they can't function the way they might when nobody is around. In football, as in other sports, this is known as the stage being too big for them.
"I think players either fit into two categories," tight end Vance McDonald said. "There's different extremes of those categories. Either the crowd, the noise and the anxiety, and all the arousal that brings, is good for the player and they thrive with that energy and excitement. Or it's a huge distraction."
For McDonald, he admitted it's the latter.
"When I'm playing in front of a huge crowd, it only hurts me," he said. "Not to say that after a big catch or a physical hit where I come out ahead it's not electrifying to have a stadium roar for you in that moment. But I just think overall, you're going to have players that really suffer from that because you have players that really rely on that kind of excitement, rely on that momentum from the stadium, crowd and fans.
"Then you're going to have other players that it's going to allow them to play in such an objective space where their assignment is sound, their technique is sound because literally all they're thinking about is the man in front of them. They're not having to fight noise and this and that."
The NFL is considering using low-level crowd noise in stadiums where there are no fans. The Steelers experimented with the background noise last week during their night practice at Heinz Field. But that noise will merely prevent a stadium from sounding like a YMCA gym. To the players, it will simply be elevator music: They can hear it, but they won't be listening.
"I don't think there will be any lack of motivation because when I go out there, I'm a competitor," said All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. "I go out there and compete at a high level no matter what the circumstance or condition may be. We are going to miss the fans, and it's going to be different going out there and playing without people in the stands. For me, I know I'm going to be motivated just as much if not more because I know that it's a different environment. Other people might need that for the most part or whatever. If I have to be more vocal, if I have to be more on fire for my teammates, that's what I'm going to do."
And Watt said the place to develop that is right where the Steelers find themselves _ having training camp at Heinz Field, not at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, in front of fans who come out daily to watch them practice. Nowadays, the only people watching their practice are the six to 10 media people allowed in the stands.
It might be a good dress rehearsal for what lies ahead.
"You are not always going to feel like playing football or that you are going to be 100 percent out there being super-hyped," Watt said of training camp. "So, I think it is important to feed off each other. For me, I want to be one of those energy guys and lead by example, just to try to carry the team as far as having an emotional, get-ready-to-play-football type of atmosphere, even though the fans aren't going to be in the stands necessarily."
So, when Roethlisberger is introduced before the home opener against the Broncos, he will still run out on the field the same way, white towel wrapped around his neck, pointing to the sky with his right index finger before running the gauntlet of his teammates.
But there will be no cheers, nobody going nuts, no Terrible Towels waving in unison. It will not be what he was anticipating.
"Obviously, that's going to be different now," Roethlisberger said. "Playing as long as I have, it's going to be a unique situation. All that being said, after missing last year, I'm just going to be happy to be on the field playing the game."
Even though there are no fans to welcome him back.
