Some numbers say maybe not. At least the numbers gathered by Observer reporter Steve Harrison, who wondered which NFL crowds were loud enough to rattle opposing teams into false start penalties on offense.
Where did Bank of America Stadium rank from 2006-2008? Dead last.
Of course, home field advantage is about more than false starts, and false starts are caused by more than home field advantage. But the numbers offer a fun quantifier of an abstract source of pride.
Steve's story will be appearing in the Observer and on CharlotteObserver.com this week. We caught up with him today for a quick preview of what he found.
Panther Tracks: The Panthers were unbeaten at home this year. What did you find regarding a correlation between a team's record and the false start home field advantage?
Harrison: There are a lot of factors that go into a team having false starts. A team's offensive line might be bad, for instance. The Bank of America crowd against Tampa Bay on Monday Night Football was very loud, but the Bucs didn't commit any false starts. In Week 2, the Bears had three, and the crowd was psyched for that game. In 2008, Carolina opponents had 7 false start penalties at Bank of America stadium. That's near the bottom of the league. In general, there isn't a strong correlation between a team's won-loss record and how many false starts opponents get. Look at the teams that have drawn the least false starts at home since 2006 - the Bengals, Browns, Jets, Jaguars, Colts, and Panthers. The Colts have been great. The Bengals and Browns have stunk. The Jaguars, Jets and Panthers have been in the middle.
Panther Tracks: It would makes sense that dome crowds prompt more false start penalties. Did a dome stadium lead the league in false starts? Any domes do poorly?
Harrison: Qwest Field in Seattle had the most false starts by visiting teams for the last three years. It's not a dome, but it was designed to trap noise. But there are a lot of domes near the top of the list. The Metrodome has the second-most false starts, and several Panthers said it is the loudest stadium they have played in. The Cardinals, Lions, Rams and Falcons all play in domes or retractable roof stadiums, and they are all near the top. Surprisingly, the Colts are near the bottom. They have had good teams in the last three years, and the old RCA Dome was known as a tough place to play.
Panther Tracks: Any other surprises/interesting findings?
Harrison: Miami was near the top of the list. Dolphins Stadium is outdoors, and Miami fans aren't known as particularly raucous. Miami's opponents have had 43 false start penalties in Miami since 2006 - and 19 of them were in 2008. Miami this season went 11-5 and won the AFC East, a year after going 1-15. Their fans were jacked.
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8 years ago
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More than a loud crowd, I'd attribute false starts to having feared/respected players on your defense (primarily the pass-rushers.) That would explain the Dolphins (Taylor/Porter), Seahawks (Kearney), Vikings (Williams Wall/Allen) at the top.
ReplyDeleteGood point Michael. I'd say, among other things, the three mian factors are:
ReplyDelete1) Crowd Noise/Not hearing the snap count
2) Trying to get a step on a good/feared defender
3) Just being a sucky player
Does Steve Harrison even cover the NFL? He said Miami went 5-11 last year...
ReplyDelete"Miami this season went 11-5 and won the AFC East, a year after going 5-11"
Um, how about 1-15.
How about verfiying something before printing it?
Fixed. Thanks.
ReplyDelete8-0 at home
ReplyDelete4-4 on the road
I guess there is no such thing as home field advantage for the Panthers and their fans
Or how about the stat that in the NFC South, when a team played a division game, the home team had an 11-1 record! As we all know, that 1 loss came in the Panther's last game of the season. The game in New Orleans could have gone either way. And that was against a Saints team that the Panthers dominated when they came to town. That stat alone proves to me that there is more to home field advantage than false starts.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is more to home field advantage than false starts. It may play a small factor, but I personally believe that the real advantage is both in concentration of the visiting offense and the psychological state of the home team. If you are cheered on (given encouragement,) there is proof that you will perform better in general.
A visiting offense, on the other hand, will have less concentration in a loud stadium when fans cheer against them. It's extremely obvious. While we could say that the Panthers defense does better at home, it might be more accurate to say that the opposition's offense as a whole is not in tune when in BoA Stadium.
-Luke
just win the game and move on to next one Cats... the fans don't call/execute plays.
ReplyDeleteThe fact of the matter is that the Panthers crowd is primarily wine and cheese. We sit in the lower bowl, are not obnoxious and simply root for the home team (especially on defense). However, we are constantly told “Down in front” and have actually had ushers ask us to sit down. We always retort “Is that what Jerry wants us to do? Sit down?” The only game in five years we have not been ask by someone to sit down was the Tampa Monday night game this year.
ReplyDeleteThen, we get this horrible blog (http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/2009/01/beason-noisy-cr.html) from the sports guys saying loud crowds are bad. Some Wachovia, PSL-owner Nancy’s are going to read that and tell their wives to sit down and be quiet or their Pottery Barn credit cards are going to be revoked. So much for trying to throw off the Cardinals during a drive.
On a side note Jefferson and Peter, have you and the editors at the Observer noticed how much attention by readers all of your Panthers coverage is receiving? Finally, you are giving people what the want. Try that on an everyday-basis and see how it works out. And not just during obvious times when a sports team is doing well. Try covering something positive about the community. Try not to be so unabashedly liberal. I am not saying it is going to save your dying industry, but maybe it will slow it so that you can retire and my grandkids will actually see a real, live newspaper outside of a museum exhibit.
Luke, you make a valid point...sort of. The NYG won it all last year and finished the season 3-5 at home and 7-1 on the road. That could be an anomily, of course, given that their home IS in NJ. ;) Simple fact is that concentration is critical. If you're distracted you're not likely to execute as assigned.
ReplyDelete-Jerome
And there's also been some thought that the Panthers have performed better on the road in recent years (prior to this one) because their focus was increased in being away from the comforts of their homes with their families. Plus, they probably got more jacked trying to quiet a road crowd than to win the support of the always-fickle BoA bunch.
ReplyDelete