“Death Valley” Isn’t The Superdome
September 17th, 2015
Dealing with the crowd noise at Death Valley and the well-oiled Cajuns at the Superdome are a bit different.
So now that America’s Quarterback, Bucs signal-caller Jameis Winston, has his first home game under his belt, it is on to bigger challenges. That would be a road game.
Oh, and this isn’t just any road game. It’s at one of the more formidable atmospheres in the NFL.
That would be the Superdome, where all the crazy Cajuns, after getting well-lubricated on Bourbon Street (Joe asks: is there any better tailgating spot in the NFL than New Orleans?), bring that rowdier-than-rowdy vibe indoors, where the roof rattles like a washboard in one of those small jazz haunts in The Quarter.
Consider Jameis unfazed.
Though he has never played in the Superdome, Jameis said he is used to loud crowds like at Clemson. As a Florida State freshman, he silenced a raucous throng there with one of his better collegiate games.
“We played in Death Valley, which is arguably one of the loudest stadiums in college football,” Jameis said yesterday. “So that was a good noise [test]. But in the end of the day, we don’t play against the noise. We play with each other. We do a lot of things at practice to kind of prep us for the noise.”
Another Buccaneer played at Death Valley and in the Superdome, too. That is the quarterback of the past and quarterback of the future but not the quarterback of the present, Mike Glennon.
He played in the same ACC division as Jameis at North Carolina State. While Glennon admitted, yes, Death Valley is loud, Glennon noted that the Superdome is, well, a bit different.
“I think they are both really loud places,” Glennon said. “I think the Superdome, personally, is really one of my favorite places to play. The atmosphere is awesome. The fans really get into it. It is a party for them. It is a fun place to play.
“Clemson is a similar atmosphere. The ACC has some loud places. The Superdome traps [the noise] a little more because it is indoors. It is a fun place to play.”
Jameis does make a good point. Players don’t play against the crowd. But we all saw last year how a crowd can screw up an offense. Remember the Lions’ crowd turning simple snaps into circus acts last year in Detroit? Egads!
And Joe hasn’t even factored in Bad Santa Rob Ryan’s 34 defense, which seems to give Jameis fits.
To hear more from Jameis and Glennon, click the arrows below. Audio courtesy of Joe’s friends at WDAE-AM 620.
September 17th, 2015 at 5:53 am
Been to Clemson, LSU’s Stadium is louder…..domes are always loud…
Worst place of all is Miss. State with those cowbells, used to have to cover MSU-Florida, took a week to get over the cowbells, which were banned by the SEC for a while but then allowed back….
For this Bucs team, however, after watching last week’s clown-show, noise is the least of their worries.
September 17th, 2015 at 5:58 am
I applaud Jameis for one thing: It’s good to be confident. And I believe that he is. It’s a confidence gained through several years of performing at a high level as a leader on the field against HS and college opponents.
To retain and build on that confidence, he’ll have to perform at an even higher level against much more formidable opponents at the NFL level.
I’ve seen too many good QBs ruined over the years because they were rushed into battle. Too much was expected of them too soon, and they simply weren’t prepared to deal with it. Among others, a QB named Tony Eason comes to mind, who was selected by the Patriots in 1983 ahead of Dan Marino. Started for the Patriots 1983-1987, was traded to the Jets, and was out of football 2 years later. Two problems: (1) Rushed into starting before he was ready; and (2) porous OLine couldn’t protect him and he developed ‘happy feet’.
I hope the Bucs aren’t doing the same thing to Jameis. Confidence takes a long time to build, but it’s easy to destroy.
September 17th, 2015 at 7:04 am
Bucs play a little better but it still ends up 31-17 Saints. The emotional bounce-back after a big loss gets weaker and weaker with diminishing returns as this team continues through its third incompetent head coach in a row. It won’t be long before there’s no bounce-back whatsoever after a loss, sort of like that 10-game skid to end Raheem’s tenure. Complete capitulation is on the horizon.
September 17th, 2015 at 7:19 am
@DefenseRules: Jameis may act confident but did not play confident…..after that pick six, you could look at his face and tell he was in shock….and the BS about walking up and down the bench giving his “FSU pep talk” won’t cut it in the NFL….good play will inspire the rest of the team not pick sixes.
September 17th, 2015 at 7:52 am
Oh just ask Adam Humphries about noise in the Death Valley of Clemson….trust me, he knows 😉
September 17th, 2015 at 8:00 am
“Remember the Lions’ crowd turning simple snaps into circus acts last year in Detroit?”
How could we ever forget “the divot”
September 17th, 2015 at 8:19 am
Reading this makes me think how dumb the Tampa then Bay noise made at RJS really is. Like the other team doesn’t know where they are playing. The grade school chant fits the Bucs play on the field. It’s embarrassing really.
September 17th, 2015 at 9:03 am
I’m sure Lovie will have the Muzak cranked up to 1/3 volume to help prepare the team for the crowd noise.
September 17th, 2015 at 12:56 pm
Yeah Mike Glennon would say the SuperDome is one of his favorite places.
He may be the “inferior” QB on our team but he beat the Sainst last year in October in game 5…oh wait our D couldn’t hold the lead and lost in OT.
Glennon outplayed Brees..2TD’s..1 pick Brees 2TDS THREE INT’S. The Saints outrushed the Bucs 2-1…Bucs only got 66 yards total rushing.
And so if the INFERIOR QB did it is it wrong to expect the SUPERIOR QB on our team to at least make it competitive?