Will fans returning affect team play?

[major]

Reading this book (below). Got me thinking, will fans returning in mass to stadiums this season affect certain teams overall play? Last season was fascinating to watch with most stadiums being empty or near empty. Curious to see which teams play better or worse in normal setting. Do you feel fans returning will affect team play?

[H2o]

Home field advantage will be a legit thing again, especially in Buffalo. 

[Seasons1992]

If you think it was loud during the Taron pick-6 with 6700 people, imagine that exact moment with 75k in there. Earthquake-level shaking. 

[Mark Vader]

Maybe, maybe not.

[transplantbillsfan]

So I am thinking (or maybe more that I'm hoping...?) that 2020 was a blessing in disguise for Josh Allen.  I always thought that Kyle Brandt's "Sugar High Josh" was more likely to show up in home games because he was always so damn excited about the fan support and eager to please them.  I thought the fans not in stadiums for most of last season may have served as a little bit of a calming factor for Josh.

 

Now that he's older and has his year of massive success, I'm thinking/hoping that the homefield advantage will be a true homefield advantage for everyone on the team, including Josh.

[Buftex]

If I am being honest, for some reason, this is one of my bigger fears for this coming season, as far as the Bills are concerned.  Of course we don't know...but last year was so (near) perfect during the regular season.  I realize there are a lot of factors involved (including the fact that the Bills are just damn good), but the PTSD from drought era Bills still creeps in, now and then. They didn't play as well with a crowd...but they were also playing better teams.

Edited May 13, 2021 by Buftex

[mushypeaches]

Trust the process

[Augie]

3 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

So I am thinking (or maybe more that I'm hoping...?) that 2020 was a blessing in disguise for Josh Allen.  I always thought that Kyle Brandt's "Sugar High Josh" was more likely to show up in home games because he was always so damn excited about the fan support and eager to please them.  I thought the fans not in stadiums for most of last season may have served as a little bit of a calming factor for Josh.

 

Now that he's older and has his year of massive success, I'm thinking/hoping that the homefield advantage will be a true homefield advantage for everyone on the team, including Josh.

 

This was my very first thought and you beat me to it. We don’t need Josh getting any more pumped up. Listen to your Sinatra music pre-game, be calm and skip the (bad parts of) Hero Ball. The magical parts are still  welcome.   

[Buffalo_Stampede]

7 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

So I am thinking (or maybe more that I'm hoping...?) that 2020 was a blessing in disguise for Josh Allen.  I always thought that Kyle Brandt's "Sugar High Josh" was more likely to show up in home games because he was always so damn excited about the fan support and eager to please them.  I thought the fans not in stadiums for most of last season may have served as a little bit of a calming factor for Josh.

 

Now that he's older and has his year of massive success, I'm thinking/hoping that the homefield advantage will be a true homefield advantage for everyone on the team, including Josh.

No fans probably helped Josh some, but Diggs getting open helped the most. 

 

Josh is going to produce either way. Either with his arm or his legs. People forget he was top6-7 in total TD'S the season before. Josh will be fine. 

 

I think Josh will probably end up being somewhere between 2020 and 2019 consistently. 

[Southern_Bills]

This question is similar to "should I have another beer?" 

 

Maybe, maybe not, but we are definitely going to find out.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

I'm not worried about it.  Allen's growth occured at every level of QB - Throwing accuracy, poise under pressure, pre and post snap reads.  I don't see how fans will affect it.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

50 minutes ago, major said:

Reading this book (below). Got me thinking, will fans returning in mass to stadiums this season affect certain teams overall play? Last season was fascinating to watch with most stadiums being empty or near empty. Curious to see which teams play better or worse in normal setting. Do you feel fans returning will affect team play?

i will have to check out this book.

 

not to get political, but I believe in-person sporting events is one of the great unifying things, and without it this past year, it hasn’t helped with all the divisions in society. It’s only at a bills game where you have people from all races, classes, jobs, socio economic classes wearing the same jerseys, sharing the same ups and downs, and high fiving and hugging each other. 

[Buffalo Boy]

No one is talking D???

Our D is about to get an extra man on each play for 8/9  games. This is huge in my opinion. 
31 other teams have NO recollection of what Rich/ The Ralph/ Bills Stadium sounds like she it’s rocking. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

2 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

No one is talking D???

Our D is about to get an extra man on each play for 8/9  games. This is huge in my opinion. 
31 other teams have NO recollection of what Rich/ The Ralph/ Bills Stadium sounds like she it’s rocking. 

Defense definitely gets a boost but that goes both ways. 

[BuffBillsForLife]

It couldn't get any more buffalo bills for them to finally have a franchise QB in Josh Allen only to find out he's only elite with no fans in the stands.  Hopefully entering his 4th year all jitters and being excessively amped up have gone out the window for him and he's a stone cold killer.

[SCBills]

38 minutes ago, Buftex said:

If I am being honest, for some reason, this is one of my bigger fears for this coming season, as far as the Bills are concerned.  Of course we don't know...but last year was so (near) perfect during the regular season.  I realize there are a lot of factors involved (including the fact that the Bills are just damn good), but the PTSD from drought era Bills still creeps in, now and then. They didn't play as well with a crowd...but they were also playing better teams.

We had fans in the stands against the Colts and Josh Allen was absolutely phenomenal sans one late fumble.  
 

The Baltimore game was straight up weather shenanigans.  
 

KC was a team failure, but it did seem like Josh struggled a bit with the call changes at the line due to crowd noise.   That’s normal though.. probably just a bit more jarring not having dealt with it all season. 

Prior to this past year, his best game was arguably Thanksgiving Day in Dallas. 
 

Edited May 13, 2021 by SCBills

[transplantbillsfan]

3 minutes ago, Buffalo Boy said:

No one is talking D???

Our D is about to get an extra man on each play for 8/9  games. This is huge in my opinion. 
31 other teams have NO recollection of what Rich/ The Ralph/ Bills Stadium sounds like she it’s rocking. 

 

100% agree.  Homefield advantage will be a HUGE benefit to our Defense!!!

[Buffalo Boy]

3 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Defense definitely gets a boost but that goes both ways. 

    Some of the  Stadiums we will play in won’t be anywhere near as loud as ours. Because of crappy teams or Josh and the Boys taking the fans out of the game with a large lead.

    Also, I feel like our O skill personnel is full of cagey vets who will be good with noise and silent counts. The biggest question mark will be the O line IMO.

[transplantbillsfan]

3 minutes ago, SCBills said:

We had fans in the stands against the Colts and Josh Allen was absolutely phenomenal sans one late fumble.  
 

The Baltimore game was straight up weather shenanigans.  
 

KC was a team failure, but it did seem like Josh struggled a bit with the call changed due to crowd noise.   I’m sure he’ll be fine adjusting though.  

 

 

Yes the Indy game is what gives me hope that "Sugar High Josh" won't show up too much even with fans in the stadium.  With that said, that late fumble was a pretty accurate representation of "Sugar High Josh" and who knows what the outcome of that game is if DW doesn't fall on that ball.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

3 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

 

Yes the Indy game is what gives me hope that "Sugar High Josh" won't show up too much even with fans in the stadium.  With that said, that late fumble was a pretty accurate representation of "Sugar High Josh" and who knows what the outcome of that game is if DW doesn't fall on that ball.

I just think that's Josh. He has to work on the fumbles. 

[Buftex]

17 hours ago, SCBills said:

We had fans in the stands against the Colts and Josh Allen was absolutely phenomenal sans one late fumble.  
 

The Baltimore game was straight up weather shenanigans.  
 

KC was a team failure, but it did seem like Josh struggled a bit with the call changes at the line due to crowd noise.   That’s normal though.. probably just a bit more jarring not having dealt with it all season. 

Prior to this past year, his best game was arguably Thanksgiving Day in Dallas. 
 

No, I hear you...I didn't say it was a rational fear.  But, over the season, I heard various NFL sideline reporters comment about how different it felt down on the field, with no crowd.  Some even said it felt more like an inter-squad scrimmage at training camp, than a normal NFL game.  Watching Inside the NFL every week, where they used NFL films highlights (no piped in crowd noise), it really was striking how quiet it sounds without the crowd. 

 

Different sport, but during the NHL playoffs last year, Bruins goaltender Tuka Rask opted out of the playoffs, saying he needed to be with his family, as the NHL was doing the bubble thing. He faced a lot of criticism from NHL pundits and fans...at one point, addressing the criticism he said something to the effect of "that wasn't real hockey anyways...it just doesn't mean anything in an empty arena" Other players admitted it was hard to get their adrenaline going like they would with fans in the stands. 

 

I know from my own experience playing various sports in school, I never performed as well when my father or brother showed up for a game.  Silly I know (and I realize, being a pro athlete isn't the same as playing ball in Juniour high or high school)  just saying I don't dismiss the notion that it could affect players both negatively and positively. It is just an element that wasn't really part of the 2020 season, for the most part.

Edited May 14, 2021 by Buftex

[Don Otreply]

Yes, and our guys will adapt,😁👍
 

Go Bills!!!

[Ross Murdock]

This is one topic no one talks about is how will Josh handle fully attended loud road games? Road games last year were basically the same as home games which was a big advantage to newish players . Josh gets very excited sometimes, I can see him getting flustered. I predict a few road loses just based on the road game crowds Vs. last years mausoleums . It's a lot easier hitting Diggs on a seam pattern on the road when you were playing in virtual silence. I think the Bills scratch out 10/11 wins, get one wild card home game, and lose in the second round. You can't win on the road with a virtually non-existent running game. Having a solid running game helps control crowds as well...... GO BILLS!

 

[3rdand12]

2 hours ago, Mark Vader said:

Maybe, maybe not.

So , It's possible ? That's what I am hearing right now

[3rdand12]

2 hours ago, mushypeaches said:

Trust the process

The process should be coaching up for noise.
 Hand signals and able to manage NOISEY.
I think Hometown Regular Fans affect the emotions for each Team.
But Bills are most passionate and expert at knowing when to ramp it up>and Rivals have to Coach specifically for you Crazies in the stands when Bills play at Home.

and on the Road has to be pretty awesome too for players to se you Folks all Bills-ed Up

[Putin]

2 hours ago, dneveu said:

I'm not worried about it.  Allen's growth occured at every level of QB - Throwing accuracy, poise under pressure, pre and post snap reads.  I don't see how fans will affect it.

Allen did say that the crowd noise at the Arrowhead did have a big affect in that game , I can’t remember if he meant him or the entire offense 

[Cheektowaga Chad]

The joke before Allen was drafted was that he looked great in shorts aka practice and the games last year without fans were compared to a practice atmosphere. So hope he continues to disprove draft doubters 

 

No fans probably hurt the bills more than it helped. As a home bills crowd is a huge advantage to the team overall

[klos63]

57 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

The process should be coaching up for noise.
 Hand signals and able to manage NOISEY.
I think Hometown Regular Fans affect the emotions for each Team.
But Bills are most passionate and expert at knowing when to ramp it up>and Rivals have to Coach specifically for you Crazies in the stands when Bills play at Home.

and on the Road has to be pretty awesome too for players to se you Folks all Bills-ed Up

You think other fans don't know when to make noise, like when the other teams offense is trying to call out signals at the line of scrimmage? Come on.

If the Bills win at home, it will be because of the fans. If they lose, the fans did not have an effect on the game.

                                                                                                         Signed, Most Bills fans.

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

This will garner negative reactions, but the truth often does. Josh has struggled in the past with being too keyed up in front of home fans. Not only is this obvious, but he has also said so publicly. It is a legitimate concern for this season, so I hope he's taken action in the offseason to improve in the psychological areas as much as in the physical areas of his game.

[teef]

8 minutes ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

This will garner negative reactions, but the truth often does. Josh has struggled in the past with being too keyed up in front of home fans. Not only is this obvious, but he has also said so publicly. It is a legitimate concern for this season, so I hope he's taken action in the offseason to improve in the psychological areas as much as in the physical areas of his game.

It’s not the truth. It’s your paranoia. You were, “depressed” because you felt this coaching staff couldn’t take us anywhere.  Instead of thinking your negative thoughts are, “truth”, why don’t you see how things play out a bit?  Some posters truly try to see the worst in everything. You’re one of them.    It’s not reality.  It’s just you. 

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

51 minutes ago, teef said:

It’s not the truth. It’s your paranoia. You were, “depressed” because you felt this coaching staff couldn’t take us anywhere.  Instead of thinking your negative thoughts are, “truth”, why don’t you see how things play out a bit?  Some posters truly try to see the worst in everything. You’re one of them.    It’s not reality.  It’s just you. 

Josh Allen literally said he gets too keyed up. And the proof is in the pudding. So... unsure what your issue is. It's definitely not just me. How many other people in this thread brought up Josh's play? My post was very reasonable, but some people react negatively any time psychology is brought up. They also tend to react negatively to realism when it doesn't paint a rosy picture.

 

And yes, I made an ill-advised post once, a post that, I suppose, forever invalidates anything else I ever say. What a thing.

[billsherd]

6 hours ago, Buftex said:

If I am being honest, for some reason, this is one of my bigger fears for this coming season, as far as the Bills are concerned.  Of course we don't know...but last year was so (near) perfect during the regular season.  I realize there are a lot of factors involved (including the fact that the Bills are just damn good), but the PTSD from drought era Bills still creeps in, now and then. They didn't play as well with a crowd...but they were also playing better teams.

I am also hoping that having crowds back in the stadium won't affect Josh's play. 

[RyanC883]

7 hours ago, major said:

Reading this book (below). Got me thinking, will fans returning in mass to stadiums this season affect certain teams overall play? Last season was fascinating to watch with most stadiums being empty or near empty. Curious to see which teams play better or worse in normal setting. Do you feel fans returning will affect team play?

 

this has to be fake.  watching the bills is not possibly good for anyones health. 

[machine gun kelly]

I agree Josh benefited from no fans, and one can hope with that calming music he listens to before games, etc. he’ll be comfortable with the success.  The other excellent point is 9 + home games as we’ll be in the playoffs will definitely amp up our defense.  The noise alone will be so deafening here, opposing defenses in OP will be on a silent count all year.

 

Several years ago, I started flying up my boys for a game in September each year while my daughter hung out with my sisters and their daughters.  They were surprised as they’ve been to so many Bucs games they told me how in tune Bills fans are with the game.  In Tampa, there is definitely like most stadiums more noise when the defense is on the field, but my boys couldn’t believe how quiet OP is on offense and how much of a headache the loudness of the stadium when on defense.  They always woke up on Monday morning when we were flying home to soar throats given all the screaming throughout the game.

[nucci]

it won't be as quiet and easy for Bills offense on the road this year as it was last year

[teef]

7 hours ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

Josh Allen literally said he gets too keyed up. And the proof is in the pudding. So... unsure what your issue is. It's definitely not just me. How many other people in this thread brought up Josh's play? My post was very reasonable, but some people react negatively any time psychology is brought up. They also tend to react negatively to realism when it doesn't paint a rosy picture.

 

And yes, I made an ill-advised post once, a post that, I suppose, forever invalidates anything else I ever say. What a thing.

Nah dude.  You look for drama. 
 

anytime someone makes a comment along the lines of posters not being able to handle negativity because it’s “truth”, it’s drama town USA. Also, it’s not a truth at all. 

Edited May 14, 2021 by teef

[Mr. WEO]

they hadn't won 13 games with fans in the stands the previous 28 years....

[Greg S]

10 hours ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

Josh Allen literally said he gets too keyed up. And the proof is in the pudding. So... unsure what your issue is. It's definitely not just me. How many other people in this thread brought up Josh's play? My post was very reasonable, but some people react negatively any time psychology is brought up. They also tend to react negatively to realism when it doesn't paint a rosy picture.

 

And yes, I made an ill-advised post once, a post that, I suppose, forever invalidates anything else I ever say. What a thing.

 

Josh is now going into his 4th year in the league. Two of those years had packed stadiums. Maybe Josh did get keyed up but he is a young veteran now who has gotten better every year. Fans or no fans I think Josh will continue to improve. He is also maturing as a player (one would assume) so he should do a better job keeping his emotions in check to the point where it doesn't hurt the team. Everything you hear or read about Josh from coaches and teammates is all positive.

[Orlando Tim]

One thing I heard past year is that Josh would listen to hype music the first two years before a game and last year he switched to more mellow music pregame. I think that is a good sign for when crowds return

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

14 hours ago, Putin said:

Allen did say that the crowd noise at the Arrowhead did have a big affect in that game , I can’t remember if he meant him or the entire offense 

 

I personally think Clark and Jones had more of an effect than anything else.