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New York Giants head coach Joe Judge has not been shy about his desire to play in front of fans, but he fully understands that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the game a bit.
But on Sunday in Dallas, Judge and the Giants will finally have the opportunity to feel the electricity of a crowd — and it doesn’t even matter that those fans will be booing Big Blue.
“To be honest with you, it’s exciting. I think there’s a part of football that obviously we all want fans there,” Judge told reporters on Wednesday. “There’s a different kind of energy home and away, but I think both energies really add to the atmosphere and add to the environment. I’m looking forward to playing Dallas this week. It’s a bonus that there are going to be fans there as well. That’s just added incentive to it.”
AT&T Stadium is expected to seat 20,000 fans in the stands, which is well short of the 100,000-seat capacity, but something is obviously better than nothing.
“I’ll be honest with you, I think it’s good for everybody because it’s not loud enough to create a crowd noise advantage for our team,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think it really creates a better atmosphere for both teams. Just to compare having fans to having no fans, it’s clearly night and day. I think our fans do a great job, but I think the offenses of the opponent still have an ability to communicate.”
Even veteran safety Logan Ryan, a New Jersey native who grew up hating the star, is thrilled as the prospect of taking the field in front of a live crowd.
“I’m excited. Even though I do not like the Cowboys personally. Growing up in New Jersey, no matter what team you root for, you root against the Cowboys,” Ryan said. “I love the energy the fans bring, the good and bad. Nothing is (better) than quieting a road stadium. I think it will be fun. I wish we had fans here in New Jersey, they bring a lot of energy to the game. I’m excited for it, but we have to do something to quiet those fans. We have to play well and that’s the best thing we have to do. I’m focused on playing, first and foremost. I never mind the crowd, the bigger the better. I feel like that’s when I perform my best.”
At home or on the road, nothing beats a loud and engaging audience. And after four weeks of playing in complete silence, it’s no surprise the Giants are anxious to final hear something and experience a little normalcy.
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