A Sound Opponent

Redskins May Find Seattle Crowd Just as Difficult to Handle as the Seahawks

When the Redskins faced the Seahawks in the NFC semifinals two seasons ago, they weren't prepared for the loud crowd noise during a 20-10 loss at Qwest Field. The Seahawks fans provided a significant home-field advantage in the Redskins' last playoff appearance, and Washington hopes to handle the noise better today.

"We was complaining two years ago about not being able to hear there. Now, we got the opportunity to go back," running back Clinton Portis said. "We know what to prepare for. We know what to expect. Two years ago, we didn't know.

"We went into that blind, and that crowd got into the game, and it caused us a lot of problems. This year, we know the crowd is going to be there. We know . . . they fans going to be there. We got to go in and find a way to get in our play-calling and play football."

At 7-1, the Seahawks and Green Bay Packers had the best home-field records in the NFC. Seattle's fans are among the most dedicated in the NFL, and the crowd noise they generated caused fits for opponents throughout the season.

"Our fans should take that as a compliment," Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselback said. "Our fans take a lot of pride in it. When I first got here in 2001, people talked about the Kingdome and the 12th man. I had no idea what they were talking about because at the time we were playing at Husky Stadium.

"The day before the University of Washington would be playing there, and they would have a sellout -- 75,000 people -- and then the next day we would be playing the Dallas Cowboys, and there are 20,000 people, 12,000 of them are rooting for the Cowboys. It was not how it was when I first got here, but we moved into Qwest Field. Eventually, we started turning things around here. We started winning games."

Because of the crowd noise the last time they played at Qwest Field, the Redskins struggled to communicate, disrupting the normal rhythm of play-calling and their timing offensively. They never got into sync.

"That stadium is loud," said defensive lineman Phillip Daniels, who was drafted by the Seahawks and played four seasons in Seattle. "It's one of the loudest stadiums we play in. The crowd is right on top of you."

When visiting teams are unable to hear a quarterback's calls at the line because of crowd noise, coaches often use a silent count. Players watch for the snap before moving, enabling offenses to function even as the crowd volume increases.

The Minnesota Metrodome "was pretty loud, and that's indoors," quarterback Todd Collins said. "I would think that an indoor facility would be louder than outdoor, but I hear that Seattle is louder. The last time I was out there in a game was [with] Kansas City. It sure is pretty loud."

Although silent counts and an increased emphasis on the use of hand signals can help in overcoming crowd noise, the Redskins would prefer to eliminate the crowd factor completely. Taking a big lead early in the game is the best way to accomplish that goal, players said. In the NFC semifinal at Qwest Field in the 2005 season, the Redskins took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter but trailed 17-3 in the fourth.

"If we can find a way to get things going early in the game," Portis said, "I'm sure that would help."

Although that is the "best way to minimize the noise, jump on 'em with a lead and make the fans think a little bit, a true fan's going to be loud no matter what score is," Daniels said. "They've got good fans there, and I think they're going to be loud. We've just got to prepare ourselves to go in there and for it to be real noisy. Hopefully, we can handle it better this time."