Something Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said on Tuesday caught my attention. It was near the end of the press conference when he was asked about what he expects from the crowd at Mile High during their Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills.
He focused on the noise level of the crowd, but that he is hoping the noise starts a little sooner than what you typically see from crowds at games.
“Absolutely they can,” Payton said. “I think—I keep saying this—for years we were conditioned to raise
the noise level when they break the huddle. The noise level needs to be loudest when they enter the huddle. Then can you do that… Can we do that collectively for 120 snaps… No, I just need it for half the snaps in the game. So say 65 snaps of 10 seconds. That’s a huge advantage.”
He’s not wrong. The crowd instinctively wants to generate a false start, which means the noise level is always loudest when the opposing offense lines up for the snap. Payton, though, correctly identifies when the noise level matters the most: when they enter the huddle.
If Josh Allen cannot hear the calls through his headset or communicate the play effectively to the other ten guys on the field, then it will become advantage Broncos defense on that given play.
Having been around as a fan for decades, its rare to get caught with an obvious statement that I never thought about. This is one of those times. Yes, be loud, but be loud when those guys are trying to communicate the plays. But also be loud when they snapping the ball. Hopefully every fan is hoarse and can’t talk on Sunday.
