Ford Field is starting to earn quite the reputation.
Falcons coach Mike Smith is preparing his team for its Week 7 matchup against the Detroit Lions by having noise from jet engines piped through huge speakers during practice, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
"We're going to have to really work on our communication," Smith said. "We'll have the noise rolling all practice long this week."
Smith called Ford Field the "Seattle of the Midwest," a reference to the Seahawks' home, CenturyLink Field, and the celebrated "12th Man" effect of the fans there. The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers combined for 14 procedural penalties in the Lions' last two home games, with the fan noise believed to be the major reason behind it.
Piping noise into practice isn't new, but using jet engines is a nice touch by Smith. Coaches looking for original noise ideas have a few other options: "Nookie" by Limp Bizkit, the Aflac duck, the complete discography of Nickelback, Fran Drescher laughing on a continuous loop, Joe Buck and Christina Aguilera singing the "Star-Spangled Banner."
We understand some of these options likely will bring on insanity, but NFL teams should be mentally tough, right?
