Although a few teams are still holding out hope for fan attendance, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is among those that is already getting used to the idea of playing the 2020 NFL season in empty stadiums.
There has been plenty of speculation regarding the competitive advantages teams will try to maintain in terms of crowd noise. Belichick admits the new atmosphere will serve as the biggest adjustment for players, via the team's official website:
“We’ve played when it’s quiet at home, we’ve played when it’s loud on the road and vice versa, depending on what side of the ball we’re on,” Belichick said. “So, I think we’re ready if it’s somewhere in between, which is probably what it will be, then we’ll adjust to that. I mean, we can only control what we can control. So, really, the crowd noise and then I would say if there if there isn’t much energy in the stadium, which we’re not expecting, then obviously it’s up to us to not count on the fans to give us that energy boost, which we don’t have on the road anyway, but now we have to obviously bring our own energy at home.”
Belichick's comments are indicative of some of the more overlooked aspects of having fans in the stadium. Although teams like the Patriots lose a competitive edge by not being able to play in front of their usual raucous crowd at home, they also gain one with no fans on the road.
This feature could serve to level the playing field in many ways. While home teams will do what they can to simulate the crowd noise of a home game, it is safe to say that there is no replacement for the real thing.
As with anything, Belichick will likely find a way to use the circumstances to his advantage in both home and away games.
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