Im expecting it to be loud: Lions want fans to bring the noise to Ford Field

ALLEN PARK, Mich. — The year was 2006. Dan Campbell, a 30-year-old blocking tight end who had signed in free agency that offseason, was moments away from his first game at Ford Field with the Detroit Lions. The Seattle Seahawks, the defending NFC champions, were on the clock to kick things off.

In this city, hope springs eternal for the Lions. It was a new year, a new season, a new opportunity to give a fan base starved for a winner something to believe in.

Advertisement

Campbell didn’t know what was coming. But he quickly learned.

“I just remember I was not expecting that,” Campbell said. “It was loud.”

That’s a common sentiment from players who had previously never experienced a Ford Field opener or a meaningful game on the road against the Lions. They know the franchise’s history, they see the record, they come in with a preconceived notion — only to find out how hostile Ford Field can be when it all comes together.

It’s something every Lions coach has talked about wanting to overturn. The problem? Few have built a team capable of sustaining the initial buzz. Campbell’s Lions would finish 3-13 that season.

Now head coach of a new era of Lions football, ahead of a home opener against that same Seahawks franchise, Campbell and his team hope to be the ones to do it.

go-deeper

GO DEEPER

Seahawks at Lions: What to expect after last year's offensive explosion

The stage is set for the Lions to begin the process of accomplishing just that. Quite frankly, the timing couldn’t have been better. The Lions are coming off a showcase game versus the defending champs on opening night, beating the Kansas City Chiefs in their own building. It’s a stadium known for being a hostile environment and making it difficult for opposing teams. But by the time the final seconds ticked off the clock, the only chants were from those in Honolulu Blue, chanting “Let’s go Lions.” They left their mark in Kansas City, and will look to do it again to kick off the home slate.

The irony of going up against the Chiefs and Seahawks to open the season is that these are franchises the Lions are trying to emulate, in terms of atmosphere. Fans at Seattle’s CenturyLink Field (now known as Lumen Field) set a noise record in 2013, registering 137.6 decibels during a “Monday Night Football” game versus the New Orleans Saints. That record lasted just a year. In 2014, Chiefs fans registered 142.2 decibels in the first quarter of a Monday night game versus the Patriots.

Advertisement

Campbell and his team think Ford Field can become one of the NFL’s most hostile environments, capable of topping the atmosphere in Kansas City last week and giving the Seahawks a taste of their own medicine.

“I’m expecting it to be loud,” Campbell said, previewing the game earlier this week. “I know what Arrowhead is and it was loud. I expect it to be louder than that. I really do. I just know our fans and it’s going to be — it’ll be to the point where you can’t hear yourself think. For them, anyway.”

“It’s gonna be rocking,” Lions center Frank Ragnow said. “I can’t believe how many people were at Arrowhead. It was awesome. Especially after that big win, I think it’s gonna be a pretty cool environment. I’m looking forward to it.”

According to Lions PR, the loudest game in Ford Field history was Week 2 of the 2022 season. The Washington Commanders were in town. Detroit’s offense was in the red zone, facing a third-and-4, already up 5-0. Jared Goff stepped up in the pocket. Despite getting hit as he threw, he fired a bullet to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown.

Ford Field registered 126.1 decibels after the play. Fitting, considering the two guys involved.

“I wanna see this year be even louder than it was last year,” St. Brown said this week. “I can’t wait. I know the fans are pumped up, they’re juiced, we’re juiced to see them. I can’t wait.”

.@amonra_stbrown going 🆙#WASvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/9ZOSRFiP6s

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) September 18, 2022

However, even that Lions team would go on to lose its next five games — sucking the life out of that early-season buzz it was gifted.

The problem has never been piquing interest, so to speak. The loyalty of a fan base that manages to find a semblance of hope to begin each season, despite rooting for a franchise that hasn’t sniffed a playoff victory in 30-plus years, should never be called into questioned. You have to be built different to root for the Detroit Lions. It is not for the faint of heart.

Advertisement

However, these Lions gave them something to root for last Thursday. They’ve won nine of their last 11 games overall — the kind of run that can help make believers out of a fan base that has been duped before. But players know it’s on them to continue giving fans a product worth investing in.

“I’d never been to Detroit, never really pictured myself playing for the Lions growing up, but it’s just cool now to see where it’s at and the national attention that we’re getting,” linebacker Alex Anzalone said in training camp. “If I were a kid now, my perception would be way different than what’s been in decades past.”

“The passion’s always been there,” Goff said this week. “I think we’re giving them a little more to cheer about now, but the passion’s always been there and I’m excited to see them have fun with us and hopefully we can give them a W.”

This Lions team is different from the one Campbell played on. Detroit won over some skeptics with that win over Kansas City — a game Lions teams of the past might have lost. The franchise is looking for its first 2-0 start since 2017. Human energizer bunny C.J. Gardner-Johnson has been speaking directly to fans, hoping they follow his lead and wear blue ski masks to the game to support the team’s “villain” mindset, started by GM Brad Holmes this offseason. And Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders will have his statue unveiled outside of the stadium this weekend. The stars are aligning for a game that could break the Ford Field noise record.

As Campbell reflected on that first game and what it showed him about what this could look like, he was cognizant of the role he now plays in making that a reality. The Lions believe they can hang with any team on their schedule. They’ve rebuilt the roster from the ground up, avoiding shortcuts and taking the road less traveled. A stark change from the Lions teams he played on.

“I’d been in some loud places and … I just — I was not expecting it,” Campbell recalled, thinking back to that 2006 game. “That was my first eye-opener to, wow, we get some wins here and this place will really be on fire.”

Seventeen years later, Campbell’s Lions have a chance to give this city a team it can get behind. A win Sunday would go a long way.

(Photo: Gregory Shamus / Getty Images)

ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k3FtbWlnbXxzfJFsZmlxX2aCcLjIqKWsZZakv6V5xaKcpZxdnbyusYyop56mlad6rbvUnWY%3D