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    • Ford Field fans become an asset in the Lions’ rebirth
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    Ford Field fans become an asset in the Lions’ rebirth

    Vaseline Posted on

    Like the city of Detroit itself, the Lions are experiencing a renaissance.

    There’s a humming sound through the metal and brick at Ford Field, fueled by the tens of thousands of screaming fans caught up in the hysteria of a team now respected by teams that once smiled when they saw the Lions on their schedule.

    Welcome to the Den.

    “When the other team has the ball, we try to bring the roof off,” said superfan Ron Crachiola. “I’m always optimistic about my team. It’s all about the fans and the people you’re with to make it happen.”

    The energy at Ford Field for Sunday night’s season opener began hours before kickoff, when a sea of ​​Honolulu blue filled the city, a sight unlike anything megafans Aaron Lutrell and Ben Broumand had ever seen. Broumand hasn’t missed a home game in 11 years, and at one point he was getting more ridicule at Ford Field than anywhere else.

    Inside the brick warehouse stadium on Sunday night, fans greeted both the offensive and defensive teams with huge cheers during warmups, as chants of “Yay-red Goff!” filled the stadium during his quick appearance on the video boards at Ford Field. Pregame buzz reached new levels as fans welcomed Hall of Famers Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders to the field.

    The noise level rose significantly as the stadium lights dimmed, signaling the start of the Lions Light Show. Wearing wristbands that glowed in Honolulu blue, fans cheered their home team repeatedly during player introductions. They greeted the Rams with a flood of boos, which continued throughout Los Angeles’ first drive.

    The noise at Ford Field never ceased, even as the Lions trailed the Rams 3-0 going into the second quarter. With 6:31 left in the period, the noise level reached a predicted 117.0 decibels as the Rams attempted to score on fourth down. The results led to cornerback Carlton Davis III deflecting a pass attempt from Mathew Stafford to Cooper Kupp.

    The defensive stop sent the sold-out crowd at Ford Field wild. The noise reached a fever pitch with 1:25 left in the half, when officials ruled that running back Jahmyr Gibbs had scored the Lions’ first touchdown of the season, giving Detroit a 10-3 lead.

    “It’s just one big positive vibe,” Broumand said. “This is something special because we’ve never seen anything like this before. I have a friend who’s a die-hard (Tampa Bay) Buccaneers fan and he was here for the playoff game. He’s been to every stadium in the league. After the game he said, ‘Man, I’ve never been to a stadium that loud.'”

    Ford Field became one of the most impressive stadiums in the NFL last season, as the Lions posted a surprising 12-5 season record, clinching the division title and their first two home playoff games at Ford Field.

    That experience left Lions fans wanting more, and with season tickets selling out the past two seasons, the atmosphere at Ford Field has morphed into a 12th-man vibe. It was evident in the unbelievable noise during the two playoff games, but also during Sunday’s season opener, a raucous rematch against the Los Angeles Rams and a familiar face: quarterback Matthew Stafford.

    It’s a far cry from most seasons in the Pontiac Silverdome and Ford Field, when there was plenty of booing, disappointment and embarrassment. That includes the 2008 season, when the Lions set an NFL record for futility with the league’s first 0-16 season. The Lions seemed to have hit rock bottom, with fans carrying shopping bags over their heads, and Ford Field averaged 54,497 fans per home game, last in the NFL.

    The roar of the lions

    Preseason games rarely see the same level of fan enthusiasm as regular season games. After all, when most of the starters aren’t playing, there’s not often a reason for the fan base to get all excited about the plays or the outcome.

    Lions fans apparently didn’t get the memo.

    During the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on August 24, the Ford Field crowd of 51,976 caused such a disturbance that the Steelers offense was given a false start penalty because the center and quarterback could not communicate with each other due to the noise.

    “I’m a center myself, and I know how hard it is to communicate in a hostile environment when we’re on the road — it can make or break how well your team does on Sunday,” Lions center Frank Ragnow told The Detroit News. “If we’re not all on the same page, it’s going to be a long day.”

    That’s not unheard of, but it’s a rarity in pre-season play and it’s an indication of how things have changed.

    James Schmidt, a loyal Lions fan, attended the Steelers game and cheered with his daughter Aubrey in Section 101.

    “Everybody was up and screaming, yelling — but that was just in the preseason,” Schmidt said. “It’s going to get worse. When the other team has the ball, our job is to make it hard for the other team to change the play at the line. Hopefully we can get people out of position and in the wrong places and make mistakes and hopefully score points for us.”

    It’s a continuation of last season’s Wild-Card playoff game against the Rams, when the home crowd not only got rowdy but booed Stafford, the team’s No. 1 overall pick following a disastrous ’08 season. The following week, fans set a new noise record, peaking at 133.6 decibels during Detroit’s divisional-round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

    The atmosphere at Ford Field during the preseason win over the Steelers was a harbinger of what fans can expect for the 2024 regular season. It’s also a testament to how Ford Field has become one of the NFL’s loudest stadiums over the years, rivaling Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks.

    “Well, I think it definitely comes down to winning,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “Success, winning, you feel like you’re making the right moves and I think our fans have seen that. I think they want to know that you’re competing, right? You’re competing and you’re getting better, a little bit better every week, every year, and that gives everyone hope.

    “Then you start to see the fruits of that labor, so that’s where it is now. Our job is to continue to excite our fans. I’ve said it before, they’re going to do their part. As long as we take care of our business, it’s going to be a — this place for us, this city, that stadium, it’s going to be a home-field advantage. That’s what it’s going to be, and not every team can say that in this league in their hometown.”

    More: Lions Break Previous Ford Field Sound Record 4 Times in Playoff Win Over Rams

    Across from Schmidt in Section 100 was Megan Stefanski. The commotion before a preseason game had Stefanski reflecting on the Lions’ playoff run last season. It also gave Stefanski a chance to reflect on how far Detroit has come in the past 15 years.

    As a loyal Lions fan, Stefanski remembers Ford Field having sparse crowds during a handful of the franchise’s lowest moments. Stefanski heard fans break out in “Sell the team!” chants as he watched the Lions change coaches every few years.

    More: Do Detroit Lions Have Superfans or Superheroes? Hard to Tell the Difference

    Ten years later, the Lions finished the 2019 season with a 3-12-1 record. Ragnow, who began his career with the Lions as a first-round pick, understood the fans’ frustration.

    “2008 was a disappointment because we just lost,” Stefanski said. “Every team has its ups and downs. When the Lions don’t play well, the fans react to that. There was nobody around and people went home early in the fourth quarter.

    “But sometimes the loss wasn’t as bad as some of the heartbreaking games. For example, it was on my birthday in 2015 when Aaron Rogers threw that Hail Mary right in front of our seats. We were leading the entire game. The clock said ‘0:00.’ There’s been so much heartbreaking over the years.”

    Before last season’s run to the NFC Championship game, the Lions’ home court atmosphere turned ugly after a win over the Minnesota Vikings in December 2021. They snapped an 11-game losing streak en route to their first home win of the 2021 season. Fans celebrated as the Lions left Ford Field victorious.

    Gary Campioni, a loyal Lions fan, joined in the post-game celebration at Ford Field. Despite the win coming amid a forgettable season, Campioni cheered for the team’s perseverance.

    “Every game was a buildup to that home game against the Vikings,” Campioni said. “Before Dan Campbell, we had a really bad head coach (Matt Patricia) — some hires just don’t work.

    “But when we hired Dan Campbell, people laughed at us. But once he got on the field with these guys, things started to change for them and for us. All of a sudden, we started to see that these guys were playing to win. They’re not just playing for a paycheck anymore. After that season in 2021, when we saw Dan wear his heart on his sleeve for Michigan, we knew it was coming, and it’s been great.”

    Ford Field Tough

    According to Statista, Ford Field’s average home crowd over the past two years has been 64,136 — up from 59,726 fans from 2008-21. The Lions’ attendance increase comes as the team has won 21 games overall, including 12 last season, the most since the ’91 season.

    While the Lions’ consecutive winning seasons can be attributed to their improved performance on the field and Campbell’s leadership, the hostile atmosphere created by fans at Ford Field played a role in Detroit’s rise to championship contention.

    This season, fans will be even more of a boost for the Lions and even more of a disruption for their opponents. It’s their way of carrying out Campbell’s message that the season will “cost more” to turn Detroit into a city of champions.

    “I like the phrase that it’s going to cost more, because he’s right,” Campioni said. “My phrase would be, ‘Come on, fans, what are we going to do?’ We have to bring more collectively. We have to be a bit louder… We feel like we’ve played a part in every win, we’ve helped them win. That’s an immense amount of pride. We’re bringing it. We’re coming.” The Lions’ renaissance is an emotional connection for many of the superfans.

    Next to the empty chair in memory of her late father, Donnie Stefanski, Megan celebrated the playoffs with tears of joy along with other spectators.

    Schmidt’s 10-year-old son Archer couldn’t understand the emotions and asked his father why people were crying during a happy event.

    “It’s been building up over the last three years,” Stefanski said. “It was a different experience at Ford Field last year. Anyone who was at that first and second playoff game will tell you it was one of the best home atmospheres they’ve ever had. My friends who work for NBC and Fox told me (the playoff games) were the loudest in-game atmospheres we’ve ever heard.

    “When Eminem is at every game and 60,000-plus people are singing ‘Lose Yourself’ at the same time, it gives you goosebumps. It’s amazing. It’s hard to explain to people who haven’t been with us from our lowest lows to now, our highest highs. Everyone has been waiting forever for this moment.”

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