Denver Broncos: Full capacity allowed, will benefit certain players in 2021
Things appear to be returning to normal regarding attendance at Denver Broncos games in 2021.
The team announced that Empower Field was cleared to have full capacity in 2021.
Cardboard cutouts, you are no longer needed. It was nice knowing you.
You hear time and time again by players and coaches about how fan attendance is important during home games and the Broncos had that luxury for the past 50 seasons, having sold out every game in that time.
Despite the fact that their record hadn’t shown in very well over the past five seasons, every player will tell you the same thing: Denver Broncos fans, come on down.
I personally have been to many games during my time as a fan of the team and it is true: The atmosphere is absolutely incredible. You can hardly hear the person next to you.
On Wednesday, Broncos defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones spoke about the news regarding full capacity at home games:
Broncos DL Dre'Mont Jones on return to full-capacity crowds: "Hell, yeah. We need that. The fan aspect is huge. Last year was really weird. We got a piece, a small capacity for a couple games. When we lost that I think that brought morale down a little bit because (1/2) #9sports https://t.co/TkbUzJA6fW
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) June 2, 2021
This news greatly benefits both offense and defense…
Home teams already have an advantage, being that they don’t have to travel for those games, and they are familiar with certain aspects that may seem small to some but are significant to them.
Off the field, it’s the familiarity of the stadium, the locker room, etc.
On the field, the opposing offenses can have a difficult time with calling plays. In practices leading up to away games, they will have to add new elements to their pre-snap adjustments, such as silent counts and different hand signals.
Of course, the home team won’t know what those hand motions actually mean, unless, of course, they’re the 2007 Patriots…
According to this article from TheRinger.com, when it came to records in 2020, home teams went 127-128-1. That consisted of teams pumping artificial crowd noise into their stadium.
Another reason this is great news is that it will give the younger players—primarily the rookies, that full experience that they long have dreamed about. Players typically thrive during those games in which fans make it known that the opposing teams are not liked. They are not welcome. Of course, there’s a fine line between that and respect.
Whether you are a fan attending your 100th game, or a fan attending your very first, it is going to be an incredible opportunity and a sign things are getting back to normal.