Soldier Field vs. Arrowhead Stadium.
Both venues conjure up devoted fans packing the stadium and cranking the decibel level whether it’s the conference title game or the fourth preseason game. But that can apply to more than a few stadiums across the NFL. So what are the criteria that make a stadium a tough place to play?
Comcast Sports Net reporter William Jackson, who worked in Kansas City before coming to Chicago, said there’s an energy at Arrowhead that can’t be topped.
“I could have sworn I was at a college game,” he said. “It’s a sea of red. … It is probably the best place I’ve seen where the fans interact with the players. The fans will be with the players drinking beer in the parking lot after the game.”
But neither the college atmosphere in K.C. nor the noise by Lake Michigan is enough give either the title of toughest place to play. Both crack the top 10, but it turns out Midwesterners have too much class to be No. 1. So what are the toughest places to play? Here’s our list.
1. Anywhere the Eagles have played
From booing Santa Claus at Franklin Field in the ’60s to the present, the City of Brotherly Love is just the opposite. But nothing tops Veterans Stadium, which had its own holding cell. The other highlights:
* The notoriously bad turf was responsible for tearing both patella tendons of Bears receiver Wendell Davis in 1993, ending his career.
* Fans chucked snowballs at the Cowboys in 1989, forcing the city to suspend beer sales at the stadium for the next two games.
* And don’t forget the 700 level, from where visiting jerseys floated down on almost a weekly basis after they were torn off the fans wearing them. Seriously.
2. The Meadowlands
JETS/GIANTS
Giants fans jumped on the snowball bandwagon six years after Philadelphians started it, hurling them at the Chargers during a December 1995 game. Toss in artificial turf, swirling winds and Jets fans who cheer when their own quarterback is injured.
3. Soldier Field
BEARS
As if the wind off Lake Michigan weren’t enough, the new design traps sound like a dome. Extra credit to Bears fans for packing the stadium no matter where the Bears are playing. Fans at Super Bowl XLI turned Dolphins Stadium into Soldier Field South, and last week’s season opener sounded like it was at a neutral site, not in San Diego. Asked if there was a road trip he particularly disliked, receiver Muhsin Muhammad said, “Not with the Bears, no.”
4. Lambeau Field
PACKERS
Like Arrowhead’s college atmosphere — the stands are mostly bleacher seating — plus fans frequently moon the visitors’ bus after the game.
5. McAfee Coliseum
RAIDERS
“Just Google Raiders fans,” instructs Tribune columnist Mike Downey. “They’ve got the KISS makeup, the Harleys in the parking lot. Crazy.” And all this continues while the Raiders are the worst team in the NFL.
Best of the rest
6. Arrowhead
CHIEFS
See Jackson’s comments in the intro.
7. Metrodome
VIKINGS
God-awful venue and that annoying horn.
8. Invesco Field
BRONCOS
Thin air and loud fans.
9. Heinz Field
STEELERS
Travel almost as well as Bears fans.
10. Monster Park
49ERS
Circular winds at “Candlestick” not so fearsome now that the Niners stink.
