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METAIRIE — The more you talk about playing in the thin air of Mile High Stadium, the worse it’s going to be.

At least that’s the view of Saints’ linebacker Scott Shanle about the team’s first trip to Denver in four years coming up Sunday.

“To me, it’s more mental than anything else,” he said.

“I never really noticed the difference the last time we played there,

“Sometimes, you’re better off not being told about it. If too much is made of it, guys let that creep in.”

Still, as to help the players adjust from going below sea level to 5,280 feet above the team probably will leave on Friday, a day early, and have a walk through on Saturday, something they don’t always do for road games.

“The theory is if you are going to take a team to Denver, take them two days in advance to adjust,” interim coach Joe Vitt said.

“There are a lot of excuses you can find to lose a game, altitude being one of them.

“We are going to need our best performance this week to beat a good football team.”

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UK_WhoDat

Well Denver Broncos has the best home record in PRO football (I think).

This year they are 2-1 at home, losing to Houston (43 foot elevation). So we are at a disadvantage inNew Orleans with our sub-aqua elevation; jajajaja.

For me, Denver are a really average team. A 7 win to 9 win team. Seriously though folks, Denver will be a challenge. Manning still has some of his skills and has Willis McGahee and RB Demaryius Thomas to help him out. And then there is Saints' D....

jeanpierre

Agreed. Playing in Mile High is more mental than physical...

It's sort of like driving along the bayouside by a cemetary on cool, fall night with the swamp gas dancing and one of your buddies starts the "Ja-Ja-Ja-Ja" sound from Friday the 13th...

You're completely distracted the rest of the night at the bonfire party looking at the swaying moss in the oaks despite Marie B's most awesome display in a Bauer sweater!

skymike

mental my azz.

I went to CO and went snowmobilling..... (crashed down a cliff, but thats another story.)

I stayed in Denver for a few days.... couldnt breathe deeply enough to sleep.
I was there for a week, and never got used to it.

Then we went up into the mountains.... thought I was gonna die. Some guy looked at me in a store, could see my obvious altitude sickness, and said, "What altitude you from?" (Up there, thats like saying, "Whats your horoscope?") I sickly replied, "SEA LEVEL."

Also, after driving thru the Rockies, with my pothead cousin at the wheel, I got really tired of the sensation that I was about to fall a long way down. I even slept on a bunk bed, to make that matter worse. Then the small detail that I actually did fall, when my snowmobile gave out running up a cliff. I rolled about 150 feet down the cliff, before sticking my boots in the snow. Good thing for snow.

Colorado's a lovely state, but it seriously needs an atmosphere, and somewhere you can just stand, sit, or at least not fall off of things.

I flew back into Houston, and wanted to kiss the FLAT ground. And breathe in the normal air--- I must have heat, humidity, & pollution--- so my gills can work again.

Has anybody counted how many Saints have Southern roots?

saintsfan1976

Peyton Manning > Altitude

TheOak

Shanle didnt have problems in Denver... Try moving Shanle.

Marlboro Man

When I first moved here the altitude was killer. I could walk about 10-15 yards and had to stop because I couldn't breathe and I was not in bad shape. I was doing 100 push ups a day and 700 sit ups etc but I had to adjust that because I just couldn't breathe. It took me about a month to 6 weeks to get adjusted. These guys will have the benefit of oxygen and if I were them, I'd be using it like crazy.

73Saint

You sure it was the altitude, and not the Marlboros??

Beastmode

Vitt is right, 2-3 days. Plenty enough time for them to adapt. They'll be fine. If anything, it may just help Brees sail out the long ball a little further and hit Morgan and Devrey in stride.

pumpkindriver

I"ve been in Denver many times, and while I"m not exactly doing a lot of physical stuff when I"m there, I don't really notice the altitude and thin air all that much. I guess it hits everyone differently. And yeah, I'm smoker too.