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View Full Version : Paige: Thundering herd must be heard at Mile High



Denver Native (Carol)
01-12-2014, 11:02 AM
The thundering herd must be heard Sunday afternoon.

The Broncos don't have a 12th man, or The Barrel Man, anymore.

Mile High Stadium once was the most hostile, intimidating milieu in pro football because of altitude and attitude, but the anodyne replacement is a hospitable, docile domicile.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_24893536/paige-thundering-herd-must-be-heard-at-mile-high

Denver Native (Carol)
01-12-2014, 11:05 AM
from same article:


In bygone years, Hank Stram ordered an onside kick to keep his Chiefs from the rabble in the South Stands. John Madden told me that he loathed bringing his Raiders here. An Oakland offensive lineman waded into hoi polloi after being pelted by snowballs. Opponents dreaded listening to 75,000 screeching voices and 150,000 stomping feet. They couldn't hear their quarterbacks call audibles, or hear themselves think.

While discussing noisy stadiums last September, New England coach Bill Belichick cited old Mile High. "The seats were aluminum and fans would beat on those, and it was like 60,000 sets of cymbals going off at the same time. Literally, the whole stadium was sort of reverberating."


The Broncos had the most boisterous fans and the most successful home winning percentage from 1977-98. There was a correlation. They were an amazing 11-2 at Mile High Stadium in the postseason during that span. Since moving to the star-trek edifice with the corporate appellation, the Broncos are 2-2 in home playoff games, including the loss to Baltimore a year ago.

http://www.denverpost.com/paige/ci_24893536/paige-thundering-herd-must-be-heard-at-mile-high

Slick
01-12-2014, 11:09 AM
The old stadium was magical. So many good memories.

Tned
01-12-2014, 11:23 AM
not sure i completely buy it. I've been to multiple games where it has been so loud you basically had to scream for the person next to you too hear you. Also, Lombardi and others have commented after several games about how loud the crowd was and hire kits it was in the press box.

Is it consistent? That's one problem. I've seen plenty of false starts caused by noise, but also periods where it is far too quiet.

GEM
01-12-2014, 12:01 PM
The South Stands are still loud and crazy. Ive sat in the upper deck and have been asked to sit down and be quiet. Those that go to the game for social status and an afternoon out need to stay at home. Those that dont know to shut the hell up when the Broncos are going for it on 4th and 1 neede to stay at home. Honestly we jave a lot of people at the stadium who dont know a damn thing about football. Add that to binge drunks. Add to that the jackasses who sell their tickets to opposition fans. I love the lady I used to work with, they had 2 tickets and they would stubhub games they didnt go to, they would sell to anyone. All they cared about was top dollar...**** that . I would take less just to have broncos fans sit there.

Slick
01-12-2014, 12:10 PM
Hell yeah!

Timmy!
01-12-2014, 01:08 PM
Fans are gonna bring it today.

Denver Native (Carol)
01-12-2014, 01:46 PM
not sure i completely buy it. I've been to multiple games where it has been so loud you basically had to scream for the person next to you too hear you. Also, Lombardi and others have commented after several games about how loud the crowd was and hire kits it was in the press box.

Is it consistent? That's one problem. I've seen plenty of false starts caused by noise, but also periods where it is far too quiet.

Tned - were you ever at a game at old Mile High. To me, there is a difference between the two as far as crowd noise. To me, the major mistake made at the "now" stadium was to completely eliminate the 3rd level, as it was at Mile High, which had just "ordinary" people attending the games, and to replace it with the club level. We had great seats at Mile High, knew everyone in the section, same people for years, etc. When they changed our tickets to the new stadium, we were in the 5th level!!!!! Since then, our tickets are now in the lower south side. I went to a few games at the new stadium, and did not care for it. Since then, one of my sons and dauinlaw, go. My son said that you never know who will be sitting in the seats in front of them, and most of the time, it is fans for the visiting team. My son also agrees that there is no comparison between the two stadiums, as far as noise. He has said, in regards to some particular games, that the crowd noise was great. But in Mile High, that was every game, not just certain games.

sneakers
01-13-2014, 07:34 AM
The only time I went to the new Mile High was in 2006 for a Sunday Night game (which the broncos of course lost because I was there) and my ears rang for a few days afterwards

Tned
01-13-2014, 08:25 AM
Tned - were you ever at a game at old Mile High. To me, there is a difference between the two as far as crowd noise. To me, the major mistake made at the "now" stadium was to completely eliminate the 3rd level, as it was at Mile High, which had just "ordinary" people attending the games, and to replace it with the club level. We had great seats at Mile High, knew everyone in the section, same people for years, etc. When they changed our tickets to the new stadium, we were in the 5th level!!!!! Since then, our tickets are now in the lower south side. I went to a few games at the new stadium, and did not care for it. Since then, one of my sons and dauinlaw, go. My son said that you never know who will be sitting in the seats in front of them, and most of the time, it is fans for the visiting team. My son also agrees that there is no comparison between the two stadiums, as far as noise. He has said, in regards to some particular games, that the crowd noise was great. But in Mile High, that was every game, not just certain games.

I was never at the old mile high, but based on what I saw on TV (havoc wreaked on opposing QBs) and stories like yours, I have no doubt that the old Mile High was far better in terms of crowd noise.

The problem with Paige's article is that he makes it seem like Denver is the only team that replaced their old stadium with a new one that has lots of club seats. I think virtually every team has that now. The NFL considers that progress.

We live in a different time than the old Mile High days. Back in the 80s, I had to use a modified big satellite dish (not really what the Sat company would consider kosher) to watch Broncos games, and had a 100' longwire antenna strung in the backyard to pick up KOA near and then after dark (back then, KOA was pretty much Broncos all the time).

Now, if you are out of town you can buy an NFL package and stream all the local Denver sports stations on your smart phone or PC.

On the people changing in the seats, that's also part of the new world we live in. In the old days, season ticket holders would either go themselves or give it or sell them via word or mouth or break room bulletin board at work, or suppose possibly in paper classifieds (not sure about this one). The advent of the internet, which has completely changed the way we exchange our goods and services. Everything from health care services to car purchases and everything in between.

Selling tickets online is just one of the ways our wold has changed. As ticket prices and the overall prices of a game (parking, food, beer) have gone up, along with rough economic times, it's not surprising people sell some of their tickets. In addition, a lot of seats are purchased by ticket brokers.

I was curious, so about a year ago I checked some other big teams, considered to have awesome fan bases (NE, GB, Pitt and others) and found all of them had as many or in most cases more, tickets for sale on the open market as Denver did.

So, I think a real comparison needs to be done against other stadiums in the present day, rather than comparing it to what was arguably a better time, but one that not only doesn't exist in Denver, but apparently not in any NFL stadium.

At least the Broncos didn't do what Dallas and many other new stadiums are now doing, which is charging one time seat license fees that range from $2k per seat to $16,000 or more for non club section seats ($16k - $60k+ on field level and club seats). It's still possible for some old school fans to afford to keep their season tickets in Denver, many teams have gone to a models that makes it hard for anyone not making a really good salary to buy tickets, or results in mostly corporate purchased seats.

As a side note, after halftime, it looked to me that something like 25-35% of the club seats behind the visiting team were empty (didn't have clear view of the Broncos side). By the fourth quarter, it seemed to pretty much be filled in, but there is no question that it appeared that more of the club seats took a longer halftime break than the rest of the stadium.

spikerman
01-13-2014, 08:44 AM
Yesterday Mile High was rocking. It was definitely the loudest game I've been to at that stadium. The fans had an obvious effect on the game.

VonDoom
01-13-2014, 09:04 AM
Yesterday Mile High was rocking. It was definitely the loudest game I've been to at that stadium. The fans had an obvious effect on the game.

It sure looked that way on TV. Glad everyone brought it - they'll need to keep it up this week. That shot of Rivers screaming for the snap before the delay of game brings a happy tear to my eye.

OrangeHoof
01-13-2014, 10:01 AM
The old Mile High had that cheap metal second deck and the stadium, itself, was built on an old landfill. The dang thing literally felt like it was moving when the house got rocking. That and the altitude really made it disorienting for the visiting team. I also think the old stadium was more upright so the noise had less room to escape while the new one is more terraced so there is a bigger bowl the sound needs to fill.

Anyway, it seemed to rattle Phyllis several times yesterday so "good job". Now let's turn it up a few more notches for the Patsies. Ask Peyton if he kept those amplifiers they used in Indy...

GEM
01-13-2014, 10:13 AM
It's also based on how the stadium is built. The aluminum seating, the fishbowl effect that caused complete reverberation. I wish they would have just rebuilt the old stadium but made it newer. But they didn't. :( Seattle stadium...do you really think the fans are just that loud....no, their stadium was built with noise in mind.

MasterShake
01-13-2014, 10:18 AM
not sure i completely buy it. I've been to multiple games where it has been so loud you basically had to scream for the person next to you too hear you. Also, Lombardi and others have commented after several games about how loud the crowd was and hire kits it was in the press box.

Is it consistent? That's one problem. I've seen plenty of false starts caused by noise, but also periods where it is far too quiet.

I've seen several games both at the old and new stadium. I think the new stadium can get just as loud crowd-wise, but the big difference as the article pointed out was the absence of the "Rocky Mountain Thunder" from the aluminum floors in the stands (and the fact the stadium would creak, especially in the expandable sections). The crowds can match the vocal level of the old ones, but the stadium itself is quieter.

The loudest I've ever heard that place was the divisional game vs the Patriots in 2006. Now was it as loud as the old Mile High? Nope, but like you said you still could not hear a thing at certain times and THAT is the important thing. Maybe the next big improvement would be putting the metal back in the stands for us to stomp on again.

Krugan
01-13-2014, 10:33 AM
Ive been to 7 games at the new stadium, and the floor would be just fine for thunder, if people stomped like they used to.

My father had season tickets all through the 80's we rarely missed a game, usually only if he had company need of the tickets, shoot we even went to the strike games. the crowd was different, maybe because half the world was high, I dont know :)

The new place is nice, its just not ever going to be the same, but there is no reason it cant be as loud.

GEM
01-13-2014, 11:06 AM
The old Mile High had that cheap metal second deck and the stadium, itself, was built on an old landfill. The dang thing literally felt like it was moving when the house got rocking. That and the altitude really made it disorienting for the visiting team. I also think the old stadium was more upright so the noise had less room to escape while the new one is more terraced so there is a bigger bowl the sound needs to fill.

Anyway, it seemed to rattle Phyllis several times yesterday so "good job". Now let's turn it up a few more notches for the Patsies. Ask Peyton if he kept those amplifiers they used in Indy...

One of the sides of that stadium actually was movable for baseball games. Think about those old school movable bleachers we used to use in music for school programs. With fans up screaming and stomping their feet, the stadium did actually move. Raiders used to say they hated their locker room because it sat underneath all the metal and the fans would stomp, scream during halftime and they couldn't think straight. That stadium was made to get into the opposing teams head.

OrangeHoof
01-13-2014, 11:41 AM
That stadium was made to get into the opposing teams head.

Didn't they used to have the altitude posted on the door to the visitor's locker room at the old Mile High? I haven't seen it at the new stadium but I can't say it's not there.

Tned
01-13-2014, 11:52 AM
It apparently doesn't work as well, but they built the stadium with all seats on what is essentially sheet metal risers (vs concrete in most stadiums) so that stomping fans would create thunder.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Forum Runner

GEM
01-13-2014, 12:12 PM
Didn't they used to have the altitude posted on the door to the visitor's locker room at the old Mile High? I haven't seen it at the new stadium but I can't say it's not there.

The only altitude thing I'm aware of is one of the stadium walls says.....As the air gets thinner, Broncos pride gets thicker.

OrangeHoof
01-13-2014, 12:59 PM
Back in the (very) old days, there were two doors that led under the south stands to the dressing rooms. They were painted to look like fence gates and once was labelled "Broncos Locker Room" and the other said "Visitors Locker Room, Altitude 5,280 feet". Love to see little mind games like that.

MOtorboat
01-13-2014, 07:35 PM
One of the sides of that stadium actually was movable for baseball games. Think about those old school movable bleachers we used to use in music for school programs. With fans up screaming and stomping their feet, the stadium did actually move. Raiders used to say they hated their locker room because it sat underneath all the metal and the fans would stomp, scream during halftime and they couldn't think straight. That stadium was made to get into the opposing teams head.

You sure it just wasn't a piece of junk that lent itself well to making noise?

:wave:

Pudge
01-13-2014, 08:14 PM
I lose my voice every time I go to a game. Except when we lost to the lions, not much to cheer about

Tned
01-13-2014, 09:45 PM
The only altitude thing I'm aware of is one of the stadium walls says.....As the air gets thinner, Broncos pride gets thicker.

When we did the stadium tour we saw they have a sign in the visiting locker room with the altitude and something about a mile high. Tour guide said it was one of the many things made to enhance home field.

NightTrainLayne
01-13-2014, 11:33 PM
You sure it just wasn't a piece of junk that lent itself well to making noise?

:wave:

This.

But I loved that piece of junk.

GEM
01-13-2014, 11:40 PM
Id take that piece of junk over the new shiny shit in a heartbeat!!

CrazyHorse
01-13-2014, 11:43 PM
We need extra noise this week to make it impossible for Brady to audible.

Broncolingus
01-14-2014, 01:41 PM
I miss (the old) Mile High...

...I've been to a few games at the diaphragm, but it just doesn't seem to be as loud or intimidating...

...getting old I guess.