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RFK Stadium omitted for "The Vet"
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00:06That was almost a touchdown to 10 points advantage for that football team every week.
00:10It's everything you would want as a home field advantage in every place you would never want to take your
00:16daughter to.
00:31In the NFL, a great home field advantage begins with the obvious.
00:35Best teams have the best home field advantage. If you've got a good team, you've got a good home field
00:40advantage.
00:40If you've got a great team, you've got a real advantage.
00:43Team aside, there are other factors to consider when making a list of the NFL's all-time home field advantages.
00:50Nothing compares to the crowd. You have to have a crowd that's there to go, scream, go nuts.
00:54Is there an element of weather? Is there an element of noise?
01:00I like to get that home and field thing. You know what it's like coming in here?
01:03It's the field. It's the place.
01:06It's the crowd. Everything goes into it to create what is home field advantage.
01:13After taking all that into careful consideration, we've plotted the perfect top 10 road trip through both the past and
01:20the present.
01:21So hang on.
01:22Better put your feet down on.
01:23Our first stop, the North Star Stadium.
01:26The number 10 home field advantage of all time, Minnesota's Metropolitan Stadium.
01:33Younger fans think of the Vikings as this carpet team, a team with a high-powered passing offense that plays
01:38in boars.
01:39And at the Met, it just wasn't like that.
01:41In the land of the midnight sun, opponents know it can quickly turn cold for voting.
01:47That stadium was a huge home field advantage.
01:49Howard Cosell called up the icebox.
01:52That was the biggest home field advantage.
01:55You'd go to Minnesota.
01:56It'd be 79 degrees below zero.
01:58You'd run out of the tunnel.
01:59And you'd automatically become a frozen obstacle.
02:02When we played outside in Metropolitan Stadium with the snow stacked up on the sideline, that was Minnesota.
02:09That's what we were about.
02:10This is never going to be.
02:11While at times, Metropolitan Stadium seemed more conducive to hosting the Winter Olympics than pro football,
02:18the cold weather was a catalyst that helped the Vikings reach four Super Bowls during their 21 seasons outside.
02:24Exactly.
02:25I think one of the reasons why the Vikings went to all those Super Bowls.
02:28And they've never been to one since.
02:30In the last...
02:33It's about to be 50 seasons next year.
02:36They got home field advantage in so many of those years.
02:39And teams would just be terrified about going up to Metropolitan Stadium in January.
02:45They felt like they were playing in Antarctica.
02:47And whenever you saw a sideline shot of the visiting team, they all looked like they wished they were somewhere
02:53else.
02:54I can't believe my hand's on feet, man.
02:55I'm freaking out.
02:59Perhaps the most significant aspect of our number 10 home field advantage
03:03was the way long-time Minnesota head coach Bud Grant prepared his team for winter.
03:09Bud Grant's career was based on the fact that we will make the cold our friend.
03:14Bud Grant did not allow us to have heaters on the sideline or wear gloves or any of their foul
03:20weather gear.
03:20And that was his philosophy.
03:22Being cold is something that is akin to being hot.
03:26I mean, you're uncomfortable, but you can function up to a certain point.
03:29I think I knew what that point was.
03:31They made the weather advantage into a psychological advantage, and it worked for years for the Vikings.
03:38The result of a game in Metropolitan Stadium is completely predictable.
03:42The Vikings always win, and the fans love the monotony.
03:46Truth be told, Minnesota didn't always win.
03:49It was not all the men.
03:49Takes the catch at the five, touchdown!
03:51And it wasn't always snowing in Bloomington.
03:54But win or lose, or despite the forecast, Vikings fans turned every home game into a party.
04:02There was a great mystique about playing.
04:04The fans were, I mean, they were the first fans to do tailgating before games.
04:08They had huge spreads.
04:09This wasn't a hot dog and hamburger operation.
04:12And they were always ready to invite the players to come over and sit down.
04:16We had a very good relationship with our fans.
04:18We used to look up in the stands on some of the real cold winter days and see people up
04:22there with their shirts off.
04:24And you'd think, God, these people got to really love us.
04:27Bye, oh, bye, on this bitter cold day, I don't think the fans even know how cold it is.
04:37Two have no idea how cold it is.
04:40Because following the 1981 season, Minnesota abandoned the Met, opting instead for the climate-controlled comfort of the Metrodome.
04:50When Minnesota lost the old Met, I thought they lost part of the character who they were.
04:55They've moved into the Dome, they've stunk ever since.
04:57If you look at their postseason record in the Met versus what it is in the Dome,
05:02I mean, that pretty much speaks for itself.
05:05Oh, the kick is on the way.
05:07It's up and ready.
05:08The Falcons are going down.
05:11I would not be surprised if you asked Viking fans,
05:14would you go back outside if you thought it would help you win championships again?
05:18They'd say, show me the cult.
05:20Coming up on Top 10.
05:22They never won a championship.
05:24You mean going to the championship?
05:26Yeah.
05:27They'll look at a team that found it more advantageous to play its home games outdoors
05:31rather than incest of our list.
05:33Let's take a look at which domed teams had an advantage the second they stepped on the field.
05:39The Rams were a call at the greatest show on turf for nothing.
05:42That team, that personnel, in that building and on that field, they were lethal.
05:48What about the RCA Dome in Indianapolis?
05:50They pump in fake crowd noise to make it louder.
05:53It's going to get loud.
05:55They turn up the thermostat when the opposing quarterback has the flu.
05:59I can't catch my breath.
06:00That sounds like a really rough place to play.
06:02Kingdome was pretty impressive.
06:05It was a terrible building.
06:06Is the group going to pull in on us today?
06:08I hope not.
06:10But it was conducive to being really noisy.
06:12But the Seahawks enjoyed an even greater advantage after they flew to Kingdome's Coup.
06:18Outside.
06:18The number nine home field advantage of all time, Seattle's Westfield.
06:24The fans will not sit down and they will not be quiet for the next three hours.
06:29I think Westfield's established themselves is probably the toughest place to play in the NFL.
06:36That place is loud.
06:39I mean, it's like thunder.
06:42This was before they had even won a Super Bowl.
06:48So, the 12th man would be way inside the top five today.
06:54So loud.
06:54I'll tell you, if it could be any louder in here, I don't see how.
06:57At some point, it just sounds like, you know, you're talking and I don't know what you're saying.
07:01It's almost like somebody pushed the mute button.
07:04While deafening decibels were commonplace inside the Kingdome,
07:08surprisingly, when Seattle moved to their new outdoor home in 2002,
07:13the noise followed.
07:14How they've been able to replicate an indoor sound in an outdoor building, I don't know.
07:20And this is as loud as the Kingdome ever was.
07:22The way that building is structured, it keeps all the sound in.
07:26Paul Allen took some little billions and, like, came up with some astronaut guy who went
07:31and NASA figured out how to design that stadium to make it loud and it worked.
07:36We didn't go into it with the intention of making it a loud stadium.
07:40But things that we did for weather protection, for sight lines, and getting fans close to the action,
07:46contributed to bouncing sound back down onto the field.
07:50That was a nice action.
07:53You know, our fans, they're loud.
07:56They're excited.
07:58They're over-caffeinated.
08:00Seahawks fans are certainly all that.
08:03But collectively, they are best known as the 12th man on the field, a distinguished and deserving honor.
08:10It's kind of a civic pride thing for us.
08:13You know, we retired number 12 for our fans.
08:15It was the first time in NFL history that a jersey with the number 12 on it was dedicated to
08:21the fans.
08:21Moving outdoors, the 12th man tradition has become even more celebrated.
08:26Just before kickoff at every home game, they raise a 12th man flag, and that only gets the crowd more
08:32key.
08:33All out is raising the 12th man flag.
08:35Now, what happens if your team really sucks?
08:38I mean, do you raise the 12th man flag at half-man?
08:43Fortunately for Seattle, they haven't had to answer that question.
08:47Since moving to our number nine home field advantage,
08:50the Seahawks have won three quarters of their games at Quest.
08:53Here at home, the home field advantage really has worked for the Hawks in the past.
08:58One of their most memorable victories came against the Giants in 2005,
09:03when the 12th man came ready to play.
09:05Fans are making a lot of noise.
09:08Now a flag is out.
09:10First start offense, number 77.
09:12It was as loud as any game I've ever been around.
09:14And so we did have some difficulty, obviously, with some false starts.
09:19In all, New York was tagged for 11 procedure penalties,
09:24a feat credited in part to Seattle's most famous fans.
09:28You really can't chalk it up to the 12th man and the noise.
09:32We're going to present this to the 12th man.
09:35It was never more evident than in the game yesterday with all the penalties,
09:40directly because of crowd noise and our enthusiasm of our fans.
09:46It's not a cliche.
09:47That place rocks.
09:49This place is actually shaking.
09:50If this were earthquake, it would rank about 8.0.
09:53At least an 8.0.
09:54You know, it's just an awesome place to play.
09:57Listen to the crowd at Quest Field.
09:59You have been magnificent today, 12th man.
10:11Miami's home field advantage was of paramount importance.
10:16For amidst the bedlam of the Orange Bowl,
10:19visiting teams definitely did not feel welcome.
10:24Well, I thought the Orange Bowl was the toughest place
10:26for any team I was involved with to ever play.
10:29It was hot and humid, especially in the fall in Miami.
10:32Our biggest home field advantage was playing in September and October
10:37at 1 o'clock in the Orange Bowl.
10:40For 60 long minutes, these two AFC Eastern Division foes
10:43had dueled it out in humid 85-degree Florida weather.
10:47I think that was a distinct home advantage because of the physical aspect.
10:50You knew in the fourth quarter,
10:52you better have a lot of Gatorade on the sidelines,
10:54and you were going to be cramping up.
10:57Using every advantage at his disposal,
10:59head coach Don Shula helped his team beat the heat.
11:03In the searing heat that reached 120 degrees on the floor of the Orange Bowl,
11:07the Dolphins kept their cool.
11:09We felt that, you know, playing here in South Florida,
11:12we had the choice of the jersey color,
11:14so we were always going to wear white
11:16because it did reflect the sun better than a dark color.
11:19teams that didn't like to come here to play us,
11:22and we made them sweat through it.
11:23Oh, man, if you're on the Steelers or Raiders,
11:28the best teams that you need help beating,
11:33and you have to come down there and wear black,
11:38it's going to be a long day.
11:44Inside the Orange Bowl,
11:45no one was cooler than Miami's mascot,
11:48Flipper, who was brought in to entertain the fans.
11:51Or was he?
11:52A lot of people thought that the Dolphin was stealing the signals
11:55from the opposing team by a sonar.
11:58They can talk, you know.
11:59It could be quite intimidating to look up
12:02and see an actual mammal flipping and swimming in the end zone.
12:06Even Flipper joins the fun.
12:08But I know that it certainly helped the Dolphins play with the porpoise.
12:12Ha.
12:15All kidding aside,
12:17our number eight home field advantage made our list
12:19because it still owns the NFL record
12:21for most consecutive home victories.
12:24It was way back on October 3rd, 1971
12:27that the Dolphins' last experience
12:30Over a period of four years,
12:32the Dolphins won 27 straight games at the Orange Bowl.
12:35We set that record there,
12:37and it has stood the test of time.
12:40All five of Miami's Super Bowl appearances occurred
12:43while they were tenants at the Orange Bowl.
12:46But it took more than just great teams to get them there.
12:49We had a very intense crowd.
12:53The Orange Bowl was built as a football stadium,
12:56so the stands were very close to the field.
12:59It was so noisy.
13:00You couldn't hear from myself to the left guard,
13:05which is really, you know, two steps.
13:07The fans realized they could have an effect on the outcome of a ballgame
13:11by crowd noise at the opportune time.
13:16That time came on a Monday night against unbeaten Chicago in 1985.
13:21The Bears were threatening to equal Miami's perfect season of 1972,
13:26and the Orange Bowl responded with its own brand of hostility.
13:30From the time the Dolphin team came out of the locker room until it was over,
13:35you could not hear yourself think he was set when Marino stepped up under second.
13:40The fact that he played in the Orange Bowl helped a lot.
13:42The atmosphere that night was, you know, was just incredible.
13:46Here's the snap.
13:47Back he goes to throw.
13:48Under pressure.
13:49Ball is depleted in the air.
13:51One, two, three, two, three, five.
13:54Touchdown, Miami.
13:55And it made Ditka so mad he just was beside himself.
13:59I've never seen a more drastic advantage than I saw that night.
14:03Coming up on Top Ten, a cookie-cutter stadium that was anything but warm and inviting for opponents.
14:10That may have been the toughest atmosphere I've ever seen.
14:14We continue counting down to number one.
14:16Let's see which cookie-cutters just missed a seat on our list.
14:20Do I have a favorite cookie?
14:21Wow, yeah, of course.
14:23It's the double-stuffed Oreo.
14:24Oreo cookie.
14:25A lot of people don't know this,
14:26but the architect of all these stadiums that looked exactly alike was a man named Nabisco.
14:32When RFK rocked, the Redskins rolled.
14:35I mean, you didn't want to go in there.
14:36I mean, it was so old and moly.
14:38How can I hate the Redskins?
14:41They call themselves the team in the D and the nation's cap.
14:44Me saying this has some merit.
14:46How can they not be on the list?
14:50They're 11-1 at RFK.
14:54They really could be top five on the list.
14:59It was a home field advantage.
15:01He didn't like playing there.
15:02When the Bengals were faint with hunger,
15:04they could always rely on Riverfront's concession stands.
15:08Do you think you can give me some hot dogs to have done?
15:10Yeah.
15:10Two of them.
15:11Jack Murphy Stadium's mascot made opponents cry foul.
15:15The dancing chicken in San Diego wouldn't have come joking around our sideline.
15:20It would have been a plucked chicken.
15:21But opponents really couldn't wait to see our next cookie cutter crumble.
15:26The number seven home field advantage of all time, Pittsburgh's Three Rivers Stadium.
15:34I'll bet you that most Steeler fans who are of a younger age couldn't tell you where the Steelers played
15:40before Three Rivers Stadium.
15:41They played at Pitt Stadium.
15:43That's where they played.
15:44They may have played, but the Steelers seldom won at Pitt.
15:48During the 1960s, they amassed only 11 victories at the stadium.
15:52Hopefully, the Steelers can leave this type of misfortune here at Pitt Stadium.
15:56Because in 1970, the Steelers will operate out a brand new Three Rivers Stadium.
16:04A multi-million dollar showcase for big league sports in a big league town.
16:09When we came here, it was such an uplift.
16:13I mean, it was a time that there were good things happening.
16:16Chuck Knoll was the coach.
16:17And, you know, we were a few million good players.
16:19That was the year that we had Terry Bradshaw starting.
16:21And quarterback number 12, Doreen Bradshaw.
16:26I think what made Three Rivers Stadium the home field advantage was they built this stadium in 1970, and the
16:34Steelers got good in 1970.
16:36Three, not a feeling.
16:39Pittsburgh's going to the Super Bowl.
16:41For 40 years, Pittsburgh Steelers were the NFL's least successful football team.
16:46But in the 70s, as you can see, all that changed.
16:49I mean, they had a great team, and they won.
16:50And that's why it was a home field advantage.
16:58Seasons, the Steelers enjoyed a winning percentage of 841 at Three Rivers.
17:03Well known for producing the miraculous on game day.
17:06The rest of the week, the place was quite ordinary.
17:09If you just walked in there, there's not an atmosphere there.
17:12It was a cookie-cutter stadium.
17:13It had astroturf.
17:15It was round.
17:15It held 54,000 people.
17:18You'd go into that new stadium, and it looked sort of like some kind of dentist office.
17:24For opponents, a visit to our number seven home field advantage often proved just as painful.
17:31In 31 seasons at Three Rivers, the Steelers had only one losing season, an accomplishment due in part to its
17:38loyal and dedicated fan base.
17:45During the week, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania makes the nation steal.
17:49But on Sunday, they become the Steeler Nation.
17:58This is one of the loudest ballparks for roaring, for noise.
18:03It contains noise.
18:04It's one of the most vocal crowds.
18:06Well, first of all, you know, it's a pull.
18:08The noise had nowhere to go unless it went up.
18:10It was just deafening.
18:12But Three Rivers also had a bounce to it.
18:15The fans would jump up and down, and the stands would kind of move, and that would add to the
18:20whole atmosphere.
18:20I'd like to get that home feel.
18:23You know what it's like coming in here.
18:24There was an enthusiasm and a feel in that stadium that kind of bonded everybody.
18:32That Steeler bond was forever galvanized in 1975 with a gimmick dreamed up by Pittsburgh broadcaster Myron Cope.
18:41The Steelers have that terrible town going for them.
18:43It includes great strength for the Steelers, and if need be, poses mysterious difficulties for the enemy.
18:50Everybody had a towel.
18:51They were cheap.
18:52You could bring one to the stadium and twirl it, and they did.
18:56We got the best offense, the best defense, and we got the terrible town.
19:01What more do we need?
19:03The sight of four conference championships, Three Rivers held more memories than the number of seats it filled on game
19:10day.
19:10But in 2001, success gave way to progress.
19:16Three Rivers Stadium was all about winning.
19:19They built back.
19:20The team got good.
19:21Four Super Bowls later, that's when you identify the modern era of Steeler football.
19:27It all came together in a perfect storm.
19:30The number of states' home field advantage of all time, Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium.
19:36If the vet's not on that top ten list, then you ought to just throw away the top ten list.
19:48I played here in Philadelphia for all these years.
19:51We knew teams didn't like coming into the vet.
19:53The vet is one of these abominations of modern sports.
19:57You draw a big circle, lay down some concrete in the middle of it, spread some plastic turf over top
20:02of it, and crammed 80,000 people in it.
20:05There's only one thing everybody in the NFL could agree on every year.
20:09The vet was awful.
20:10They played in three Super Bowls.
20:13Veterans Stadium is number six on our list, due in part to its reputation as a dump.
20:18To me, it was a cold, kind of colorless place.
20:21A toxic waste dump.
20:23The team comes into Veterans Stadium.
20:25They see the leaky pipes.
20:27Already, you know, this is a horrible place.
20:30Everybody talks about the field.
20:31Oh, this is the worst.
20:32You're going to get hurt.
20:33It's just, you're not going to get out of here alive.
20:36I play it on the park a lot.
20:37The other teams were really intimidated.
20:39As soon as they walked in to the stadium.
20:45I can't get to the bottom that way.
20:47You can see these guys looking at this field.
20:50The worst field ever in NFL history.
20:53Quarterbacks walk up to the line of scrimmage.
20:55They would look at the Eagles' defense, and then they would look over their shoulder to see where the soft
21:00spot in the crease was.
21:04The turf was so bad, Ravens head coach Brian Billick refused to play a preseason game there in 2001.
21:10The game has been officially canceled.
21:17A true Philadelphia fan learns to boo before he learns to speak.
21:24From cheering, emotionless Michael Irvin, to booing Santa Claus, our number seven home field, how's some of the NFL's rowdiest
21:33fans?
21:34The national perception of the Philadelphia sports fan is that they are lunatics, almost pathologically negative.
21:40And I think it is a richly justified reputation.
21:43I tell you, Lawrence, they call this the city of brotherly love, but it's really a banana republic.
21:48The fans took particular pride in making that a terrible place to play.
21:56That's why they call the city the brotherly love.
21:58They have no love for no brothers.
22:02The bottom line is, that place is a hole, and we like it like that.
22:05Well, when the Eagles were good and playing the vet, and they caught you there late in the season, and
22:10the weather was bad,
22:11and those fans got riled up, that may have been the toughest atmosphere I've ever seen in the national field.
22:18In the end, it was a horrible stadium, but it was the best thing that ever happened for the Eagles.
22:23It really was.
22:24When we return, the West Coast field of nightmares is everything you'd want to be.
22:31And the number five home field advantage of all time, Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium.
22:44Kansas City's one of the toughest places to play in the NFL.
22:48It was the best open-air crowd I've ever heard.
22:51Toughest outdoor place for me is Kansas City.
22:53Now, that's a loud place.
22:58Arrowhead Stadium has very high-sloping stands on either side,
23:00so it creates a situation like canyon walls.
23:03Sound echoes through there.
23:05Arrowhead Stadium is loud during a coin toss.
23:07Chiefs fans just like to make noise.
23:09It's our house!
23:12If visitors didn't know any better,
23:15they would wonder where the campus was located at our number five home field advantage.
23:19It's like a college atmosphere.
23:21People wear their red, they come to the games,
23:24and they're proud that they can make a difference for their team.
23:28The barbecue activities prior to the game,
23:31smoke was coming over the top of the stadium.
23:33When you're competing there, you know,
23:35you've got the biggest advantage anybody could have.
23:41So why is Arrowhead only number five on our list?
23:44Well, in the 35 seasons that the Chiefs have played there,
23:48they posted five playoff games and lost three of them.
23:53Well, everybody always says that the loudest outdoor stadium in football is Arrowhead,
23:58and yet everybody but the Chiefs, you know, wins playoff games there.
24:01So the pass is going to be knocked away!
24:04Incomplete!
24:04The mighty Chiefs have fallen to the coast.
24:09While they haven't had much postseason success,
24:12the Chiefs have the best winning percentage at home since 1990
24:16and a dedicated fan base to boot.
24:19These people in this town treat the Kansas City Chiefs as family.
24:23They live and die for the Kansas City Chiefs every Sunday.
24:29People in Kansas City have nothing better to do.
24:31They love their Chiefs.
24:32They're going to show up win or lose.
24:34Kansas City is the Kansas City Chiefs.
24:36This is the biggest show in town.
24:38This is what these people live for.
24:42More than anything else,
24:43our number five home field advantage is known for its noise.
24:47If I had to pick the loudest stadium, I would pick Arrowhead Stadium.
24:53747 rolling down the runway and you're 200 feet away.
24:58I mean, the sound is remarkable.
25:01I'll never forget playing against the Buffalo Bills in 1991 on Monday night,
25:06and this place would actually shake them.
25:08And look around, letting nobody in sitting.
25:10The entire place is standing up.
25:12Jim Kelly was calling the plays at the line of scrimmage.
25:15That lasted, I think, one or two series
25:18because the guards in front of him couldn't hear what he was saying.
25:22The noise was so loud.
25:23It's the fourth time Kelly has been it tonight.
25:26The national audience got to see Kansas City,
25:29and they could not believe how loud it was in the stadium that night.
25:34And the Chiefs are running a rough shot over the Buffalo Bills.
25:38The number four home field advantage of all time,
25:42Oakland Alameda County Coliseum.
25:45The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum.
25:50The Coliseum, a monument to the newfound confidence of the East Bay community,
25:54stands also as a tribute to the Raider organization.
25:58When we played at home, we felt like we could beat anybody at any time.
26:02Just win, baby.
26:04You had that feeling that Raiders in Oakland were unbeatable.
26:09Got it, ball.
26:11Get in.
26:12Woo!
26:13Get in.
26:14Get in.
26:15Get in.
26:15Get in.
26:15Get in.
26:16Get in.
26:16Get in.
26:17There isn't a more complete image that any team could project when the Raiders were at home.
26:22The Raiders returned to the stadium built in response to their dynamic rise.
26:2714-3 playoff record there.
26:31The Oakland Coliseum.
26:35Any conversation about the Coliseum must include the colorful fans of the Black Hole.
26:41It became almost crazy costume night.
26:43How about if we just start to dress up like Winnie the Pooh,
26:47with an axe handle on my head?
26:48It is the most bizarre place I've ever been to.
26:52What happened when you come to the Black Hole?
26:54This is what happened.
26:55It wasn't so much a feeling like you had in Baltimore,
26:58where they were for the team.
27:00In Oakland, they were against the visitors.
27:03I'll never forget turning to Dave's eye.
27:05I looked around, and there were guys that their faces were painted.
27:07They had horns on their shoulder pads.
27:09Little kids were flipping us off.
27:11They were playing Hell's Bells.
27:12And I said, we're literally in hell here.
27:15Hey, baby!
27:16That's about pain!
27:19You're going down, baby!
27:21You're an old time now, baby!
27:24Every stadium has loud fans, but the Raiders used their crowd to their advantage.
27:30Al Davis used to go down the field all the time.
27:32He'd go into the end zone telling them, we need your help tonight.
27:35We need your help.
27:35You've got to make some noise.
27:37Anything you want to help.
27:38And they would do it.
27:39It's everything you would want as a home field advantage.
27:43And every place you would never want to take your daughter to.
27:47While the Coliseum was physically intimidating, Al Davis gained advantages with psychological warfare.
27:54Al Davis was just a master at making everybody think there was all kinds of things going on.
28:00We put it out there, you know, when it hadn't rained in a month,
28:02that's why there were certain spots on the field that were very wet.
28:05Their receivers knew where the wet spots were, but ours didn't.
28:08Our field was a little weird in that it always got wet.
28:12Gorgeous California weather with a plane in a swamp.
28:16Yeah, it's pretty rough.
28:17It's muddy and you can't do what you want to do.
28:19We also had a great timekeeper out there.
28:21I was always so surprised at how those games could end so quickly.
28:25Sabler rolling to the left.
28:26Woo!
28:27Wins it in.
28:28Touchdown, Al Davis.
28:29Those footballs never, ever had a...
28:31I bet, I bet, but I bet if the Raiders had failed, they kept time on the clock, though.
28:41Enough air in them on third and long for me.
28:44There was a lot of little things going on.
28:45Behind the scenes, it made it very comfortable, plus it played on.
28:51But it wasn't chicanery that pushed the Coliseum to number four on our list.
28:56It had more to do with Oakland's 14-3 postseason record there.
29:00That's it.
29:01Reaching, recreates to the left.
29:02He goes way up the middle.
29:04Intercepted to the piano.
29:05That's a fifth.
29:06Time on the top.
29:07I guess I made it still to the house.
29:12Coming up on Top Ten, our road trip makes a stop at the world's largest outdoor insane asylum.
29:18Oh, God.
29:20Oh, God.
29:20Stay tuned.
29:25Before we swing through the rest of our list, let's take a look at which fields were the toughest calls
29:31to leave out.
29:32There's a game, all right, but the only way we'll find out where is if we play.
29:35Until 1955, the Polo Grounds were home to great catches by the Giants and the Giants.
29:42But it was their next home that made New York feel dandy.
29:45I think a lot of us automatically just started associating ourselves with the Yankees and their success.
29:51We felt a real uplift.
29:54When the Patriots called Fenway home in the 60s, they might have learned a few things from their fellow tenants.
30:00And at Wrigley, the Bears were known for tight spending and even tighter crowds.
30:05George Hallis, who never met a nickel he didn't like, would put folding chairs alongside the bench.
30:11And, of course, Chicago fans are capable of really colorful language.
30:14But no matter where, we're going to unseat the next stadium on our list.
30:20The number three home field advantage of all time, Baltimore's Memorial Stadium.
30:25Oh, yeah.
30:27Well, first of all, Baltimore Memorial Stadium ought to be number one.
30:29Well, good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to Baltimore Cold Football at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore.
30:34Maryland has never had a sporting spectacle quite like it.
30:36And, of course, this city has been in a frenzy for a week.
30:40Baltimore is this wonderful, football-crazy town.
30:44And the Colts had this storybook, mythic relationship with that city.
30:48I've never seen a spirit that existed in any city as it does here in Baltimore.
30:52These people, I mean, they, uh, heart and soul was the Baltimore Colts.
30:57We were their college football.
30:59Fans held a deep admiration for their Colts, and the feeling was quite mutual.
31:05I've never been so proud of my whole life to be connected with the Baltimore Colts.
31:09I'm not sure I've ever had a feeling in the sport, even winning the Super Bowls that we won, like
31:15being introduced at Memorial Stadium.
31:18I don't know if my feet touched the ground.
31:21It was time to see it.
31:23Memorial Stadium is said to have coined the term home field advantage.
31:27From 1957 to 1971, the Colts enjoyed the best home winning percentage of any team in the NFL.
31:34And the fans were a big part of that.
31:37Coming into Baltimore Stadium was coming into an outside insane estate.
31:43They created an organized cherry.
31:45They actually had cheers.
31:47It's spelled out, Colts.
31:50The fans had a great rapport.
31:52They had a great understanding of the game.
31:54And they took tremendous pride in being as loud as possible at the right times.
31:59Coming down to the horseshoe down there that closed in, the sound reverberated.
32:04You are somebody who sat in that horseshoe.
32:06You are not a passive spectator.
32:08You are an active participant.
32:10Never was the home crowd more participatory than when rookie John Elway visited Baltimore
32:16after spurning the Colts' number one selection of him in the 1983 draft.
32:21It's 100 degrees here right now, but that's nothing compared to the temperature and the stands
32:26where 50,000 fans have come before John Elway.
32:29John Elway came back for his first game there.
32:33They packed the place.
32:34It was deafening.
32:35And that's a game John Elway will never forget.
32:37I remember it was the most brutal and bitter stuff I've ever heard.
32:42While the crowd could be tough on opponents, the stadium itself had its own inherent advantages.
32:49Memorial Stadium was, to anybody outside of Baltimore's way of thinking, a really crappy
32:55stadium.
32:55It wasn't pretty.
32:57Always seemed to be a little overcast.
32:59The field was glorified dirt.
33:02You went in there as a visiting team and went in a locker room that was disgusting.
33:07They had four showers.
33:09They had no stalls.
33:10And they had the commode in the middle of the room with no partitions.
33:15So if you were somebody from the other team, you looked at Memorial Stadium as, oh, this
33:20is an awful place to come.
33:21And that's the roots of a great home field advantage.
33:25That's why they beat so many other opponents.
33:29In 1984, when the Colts moved to Indianapolis, our number three home field advantage stood vacant
33:36for the next 12 seasons until the Browns relocated to Baltimore.
33:40Hi, everybody, and welcome to Memorial Stadium, a historic afternoon here in Baltimore as the
33:46old girl is back in town.
33:48The Ravens played their final home game at Memorial Stadium in 1997.
33:53On hand were the original Colts who paid a memorable tribute to the old horseshoe by running
33:58one last play.
34:00He gives the ball to Lionel Mitchell.
34:02A reverse to Lenny Moore.
34:05He might go all the way.
34:07What is going to do?
34:10Memorial Stadium.
34:12He's pretty freaking fast for a 65-year-old.
34:15Just a tremendous home field advantage.
34:18A sense, not so much of menace, but just unfailing, unwavering support from the front row to the
34:25back row.
34:26The first fan to the 60,000th fan, they all came to cheer the Colts, and they did so very
34:32well.
34:33Up next, the home field, whose advantage was all about location, location, location.
34:40That was almost a touchdown to 10 points.
34:43Advantage for that football team every week.
34:45Manufacture a home field advantage.
34:48Whether it be pumping in fake crowd noise or having an ex-con plow a spot for your kicker
34:53to plant his foot, teams will do whatever it takes to get an edge.
34:57There are wind tunnels which prevail in some stadiums depending on whether a door is open.
35:02I recall a game at one stadium, I won't say which, where we were going towards the door,
35:07they would open it and a gale would come blowing out from that end of the field.
35:11And when the home team was going towards the door, some workmen would sidle by and pull
35:16the door down, and they did not have the wind disadvantage.
35:18But our number two home field needed no such gimmicks.
35:29The best home field advantage in the league was mile high.
35:34Every time I come to mile high, they get that money for the time.
35:39I think the mile high, when the Broncos were good, was the greatest home field advantage
35:44that I saw in my time around the league.
35:46The fans respond, listen to this crowd.
35:49The miracle is happening.
35:51Remember Broncos, that was almost a touchdown to 10 points.
35:54Advantage for that football team every week.
35:57I've been to the new, I don't even know what they call it, it's not mile high anymore,
36:01but it's not the same.
36:04You've just crossed into the mile high zone.
36:09There's the noisy presence of over 75,000 orange-clad Broncomaniacs,
36:14the air-sapping altitude, and the pressure of one of pro football's finest teams.
36:19Why is mile high number two on our list?
36:23It's all right there in the name.
36:24The stadium sits 5,280 feet above sea level, and the oxygen is hard to come by.
36:32It's a factor.
36:33We were playing in Denver, and just jogging around the field one time,
36:39I could not believe how difficult it was to get air.
36:42We tried everything, and then we'd go out there a day earlier and try to get acclimated,
36:49but it really didn't matter until you're able to adjust and your body's able to adjust.
36:57It was a distinct advantage for them.
36:59Right away, psychologically, you go, oh my God, if I'm just doing drills and my chest is heaving,
37:06I can't imagine what was going to happen when Elway starts driving down the field.
37:10Elway gets the play going, spreads to the right side, he's going to win, good job!
37:19But must the whole altitude effect be all in the opponent's head?
37:23They do a good job of trying to make sure you think it's a factor.
37:27I think the altitude is more of a mindset than it is anything else.
37:30Look at the only oxygen, dog.
37:33The only oxygen.
37:34But once you're lightheaded once, that's it for the deck.
37:38By the end of the games, you're not actually tired, you're more adjusted.
37:43The high altitudes in Denver do more than just make players reach for their oxygen.
37:47The kickoffs travel an average of four yards further at mile highs.
37:52Punts go three to four yards further.
37:54It's a lot easier to make a 50-yard field goal at mile high.
37:57Huge kick.
37:58It is!
38:0163 yards!
38:02The longest punt in NFL history also happened at mile high.
38:07The Jets' Steve O'Neal booted a 98-yarder in 1969.
38:12The kickers.
38:13They were 11-2 there in the playoffs.
38:17Definitely an advantage out there.
38:20I think the loudest outdoor stadium I was ever in was Denver during the Elway era.
38:25The fans would actually bounce the stadium.
38:28When they got going, that whole ground would be shaking.
38:31Mile high was loud.
38:32But Arrowhead was the loudest stadium in the league.
38:35Mile high might lose out as the loudest stadium.
38:38But all the Broncos did was win there.
38:41The Broncos' all-time winning percentage in Denver is 63%.
38:46Their all-time winning percentage on the road is 40%.
38:49You're just playing a different sport when you're up there in the mountains.
38:51Coming up on Top Ten, the stadium with a legendary mystique.
38:56You have all that great history there.
38:58I mean, you walk in there and you feel the presence.
39:01And the number one home field advantage of all time, Green Bay's Lambeau Field.
39:07I think Lambeau Field is the greatest venue in the national football league.
39:15I think Lambeau Field was a great home field advantage to us.
39:18Green Bay was one of the first teams built just for football.
39:22The fans are right on top of the field.
39:23The Packers have won 61% of their games in Lambeau
39:27and have the NFL's second-longest home winning streak.
39:33Lambeau Field holds slightly less people than the entire population of Green Bay.
39:38And at game time, it is never empty.
39:41For football is a way of life here.
39:43The fans help to create the legend.
39:46There is perhaps no better relationship in the NFL
39:48than the one the Packers have with Green Bay.
39:51The fans in Green Bay are the most loyal, craziest bunch of people
39:55I've ever been around in my life.
39:56And I love them to death.
39:57The Packers are special to these people.
40:00And if they had a 150,000-seat stadium, you couldn't get a ticket here.
40:05There will be 25,000 people outside the stadium just listening.
40:11They just want to be around them.
40:12The team is literally owned by the fans.
40:14And they share a special celebration known as the Lambeau League.
40:19I'll tell you, a great run by Edgert.
40:20He's got half the team jumping into the stands.
40:25It's true, Lambeau Field and Mystique are coming here into the frowns of Tundra.
40:30But there is one aspect of our number one home field that cannot be built, borrowed, or bought.
40:36The Lambeau Mystique.
40:37You have all that great history there.
40:39And it is something that you feel when you go in there.
40:41I mean, you walk in there and you feel the presence of all the people that went before, really.
40:47Lombard.
40:49A certain magic still lingers in the very day.
40:52I know you hear about the mystique of Lambeau Field all the time.
40:55But unless you're there on the football field and the confidence level that you have coming out of that tunnel,
40:59you just had an air that we knew we were going to win.
41:08On the coldest New Year's Eve in the cold, cold history of Green Bay,
41:13the Packers met the Dallas Cowboys at the Eastern Conference for the championship of the National Football League.
41:20The Packers defeated the Cowboys in a game that became known as the Ice Bowl.
41:25It was conditions like this that gave the Lambeau turf the moniker Frozen Tundra.
41:31The Frozen Tundra is definitely a mystique that goes along with the Packers.
41:35It's all about Frozen Tundra.
41:38Frozen Tundra.
41:40But it works high and high.
41:42It was definitely a home field advantage because it was so cold and teams had no desire to play in
41:46cold weather.
41:46The Packers played their best in the cold as the team won every home playoff game in their first 45
41:53years in the stadium.
41:55If you're talking about postseason winning streak, you're talking about games that are being played in December and January.
42:00Where are the conditions? Are extreme.
42:02It ain't cold, baby.
42:03It's all in your mind.
42:06The Packers have sold out every game since 1960.
42:10Win or lose, Lambeau Field is the number one home field advantage in the NFL.
42:15If you play for the Packers and you're 2-12, you're going to a home game in mid-December,
42:20everywhere else you've got the car warmed up and you're ready to go,
42:23not in Green Bay.
42:24Fans will not let you quit.
42:25Green Bay is a great town.
42:27Everybody needs to come to Lambeau Field once in their life.
42:30There's not much about Lambeau that isn't pure and great about NFL football.
42:38That concludes our top ten list.
42:41Nobody beats us in our house!
42:44Nobody!
42:45We've toured NFL stadiums from coast to coast,
42:47and while there have been a few bumps in this road trip...
42:50Yeah, I think you guys must have been smoking something when you were doing that.
42:54There's one thing we've learned.
42:56There's no place like home field.
42:58We love you!
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