The Dome Is An Advantage When Utilized Properly
 

I've been a Saints fan my whole life, and I've been going to Saints games since 1980. I am now a season ticket holder and have been for a few years now. I noticed something during the 1987 season that really made me enjoy attending games at the Superdome on Sundays. That season was when the Saints recorded their first winning record. The war chant inside the dome during games became Who Dat Say Dey Gon Beat Dem Saints! The noise level became deafening. Opposing quarterbacks couldn't hear themselves think much less be heard at the line of scrimmage. I remember QB's walking away from the line pointing to their ears and asking the officials to quiet the crowd. The officials would plead with the crowd, but they kept right on chanting. This would later cause the NFL to instate the crowd noise rule. The dome would be packed with rabid fans. Everyone from Moses, to the man with the big piece of fence that said d-fence, to the man with the pope hat. Let's not forget that Darth Vader attended every home game too. There were brightly colored umbrellas every where you looked, and people dancin to the Who Dat Song being played over the PA system. Opposing teams barely had a chance against the 12th man. John Madden even brought out a noise meter during one game and kept referring to it when opposing offenses took the field. The needle stayed pegged the whole time. He even said this was the noisiest stadium in the NFL.

My how times have changed in the last 6 or 7 years. Now you can hear a pin drop during games in the dome. Half the seats are empty, and it doesn't look like it is going to be any better this season. Sometimes I think opposing teams laugh at the sparse crowds in the dome. There are always alot of no shows. Rarely does the crowd get loud, and when people do try to get the crowd pumped they get little or no response. How sad it is to see what was once one of the loudest stadiums in the league become so dormant.

I think that if we had more of the type of fans like we had in the late 80's and early 90's, we could definitely turn the dome into an advantage for the home team. I would like to see more crazy's at the games. People who don't mind dressing up and showing their butt's. Let's show these other teams that they have just walked into the TERROR DOME!!! My heart is starting to pump nitro as I type. Whoo!!!! Hey Falcons, Bucs, Panthers, Dolphins, Bills, Lions, Bears, and Giants, us Saints fans ain't taking your crap anymore!!! Walk into the Terror Dome and get eaten alive!!! Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! Who Dat Say Dey Gon Beat Dem Saints! Who Dat! Who Dat! I'm putting my black and gold war paint on right now. It's time to go to war!!!! Anybody with me? Let me hear you! Reply with some thoughts of your own. Go Saints!!!!!! :twisted:

RE: The Dome Is An Advantage When Utilized Properly
 

Agree 110%. The Dome use to be one of if not the loudest stadium out there. When the Dome Patrol was still around, I can remember this place BOOMING. Team couldn't even call plays and had to use hand signals for everything. Those were the good ole days.

Best phrase ever.

RE: The Dome Is An Advantage When Utilized Properly
 

I made a post about this subject once before i agree 150% da fans do not want to get da dome pumping thats what really made me become a true saints fan going to the games in da late 80's early 90's i remember when da ref. had to try to quite the crowd dat made us get even louder we need dat back in da dome I love da new name u said TERROR DOME man what a name i hope we can stick to it i promise i will make a sign saying welcome to da TERROR DOME this year starting preseason we need to get the dome popping Go Saints Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I need somebody to hang out with at da dome i go to all da games by myself i need to be around some crazy people like me man i be getting mad at da fans when they dont get loud they piss me off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If we ever started playing like those days we would hear the noise again -- but I agree the Who Dat chant was the best saints cheer ever -- I hope we can find another one to use this year -- or just bring the old one back -- I would love to be chanting who dat -- who dat -- who dat sey dey goin to beat dem saints

Anyone ever hear the bengals chant? :wink:

Great post. I had season tickets during that time also - late 80's and early 90's. I remember it being so loud that you couldn't hear yourself. Man that was awesome. I think that the Dome gets loud, but it's usually after the O has scored on a big play or long drive or something. I don't think the fans have changed, I think the team has. You shouldn't get loud when your O is on the field. It's real easy to go nuts when the Dome Patrol is on the field. It's another story when the worst defense in the league is being butchered. What are you going to get loud about? Woo-Hooo!!! Peyton only completed 87% of his passes on that drive, that's a moral victory! Woo! :)

Nostalgia...

..there is one huge difference between those days and the past 6-7 years, well, more like the past 8-9...

.. as Papz mentioned before, in those days we had the Dome Patrol.

When the Dome Patrol was on the field, you knew the big play was coming, you knew they were going to stop that drive, you knew somebody was going to pop someone...

..also, the Dome Patrol were the defense, so you could scream all you wanted... whereas it would be kind of counterproductive if fans would scream while the Saints offense was on the field calling plays :) , and the past few years, it has been the offense that has provided the reasons to cheer really, whereas the defense has been bad... instead of expecting the big sack or the INT or the big tackle from our defense, we have come to expect the other team's big run, big catch for 3rd and long, etc... kinda hard to cheer when you are busy praying....

I'm glad someone brought this up. I've also been disappointed by the lack of noise in the dome in recent years. I leave every sunday hoarse and barely able to talk for days, but while I'm yelling and getting excited, the people around me are looking at me like I'm crazy.

Although, I can remember one game where the dome was rockin'. The defense had the panthers backed up to the goal line on the first drive of the game (Jake's first game back as a panther i think?). The dome was unbelievably loud and the panther's offense looked like they had no idea what was going on. It was amazing. Of course, after Jake got away with an obvious intentional grounding and the saints defense blew an assignment, the panther's went on to score a touchdown on the drive. I believe that was the game the league sent an apology to the Saints for three blown calls (all of which allowed the panther's to score points, significantly changing the course of the game since the saints lost by one point).

I wonder if it illegal for the announcer to orchestrate the crowd. Why can't the guy inform fans of the right times to get start yelling?

The only time I hear it get loud in the dome is when the beer man comes around and tells you how much a cold one is gonna cost ya... And normally thats just a big sigh... :shock:

I think they should play the Public Enemy anthem Welcome To The Terror Dome over the PA system, as well as the Who Dat Song from the 80's. As a matter of fact, I wish someone would make a modern version of the Who Dat Song. Maybe even some T-Shirts that say Welcome To The Terror Dome, and have a picture of the dome in the background would be a good idea.

I understand you are not supposed to get loud when your offense is on the field. When our defense is on the field we should be blowing the roof off that dome. Even if the d isn't playing up to expectations, by getting loud you can still ruffle the opposing QB's feathers. Maybe it would also cause some mental errors on the part of the opposing offense. The more the opposing team feels that it is in a hostile enviroment, the more it takes away from their focus and composure. That is the job of the 12th man to help the home team gain an advantage. It will also boost the moral and confidence of the defense. Every player on the D will take pride in stopping opposing offenses when it has a dome full of rabid fans screaming and yelling behind them. I remember Charles Grant in an interview last year asking the fans to "please not boo us when we are on the field. We are trying really hard. We are just a little young on defense right now. We will get it together before too long." I want every team that plays in the dome this year to leave saying I don't want to play there again, those are the craziest fans I've ever seen.

The league has tried to make the NFL as bland as possible over the last ten years. It has taken away all the fun celebrations that we as fans use to go crazy for. They have tried to make the No Fun League. I think it's time the fans got back involved and made it fun again. Maybe our craziness will get our team and city noticed by the national media. I can see national sports headlines now. The Fans Put The F Back In Fun In New Orleans. I say let's go crazy. What's the league gonna do? fine us?

Anybody else got any ideas on some things that will make Sundays in the dome fun again? Of course winning games is the main thing. Let me know your thoughts. :lol: