Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard isn’t interested in treating a loud home crowd like a problem to be managed. He wants it to become a weapon.
That was the message this week after cornerback Dee Alford said the atmosphere at Highmark Stadium felt anything but helpful during last Sunday’s loss to the Patriots. Alford told Nick Suss of ESPN.com that the crowd can get “ super loud to the point where we’re not able to get the play as fast as we need it” and said that kind of noise can trigger communication issues for the defense.
Leonhard didn’t dismiss the challenge of operating in a packed, loud stadium. He did push back on the idea that it should be used as an excuse.
“It’s always harder to communicate at home than it is on the road. If we complain about that, we are a---s,” Leonhard said.
“We have to turn that into the biggest advantage we have. As hard as it is for us, it’s significantly harder for an offense.
We have to find a way to make that an advantage for us. If we ever use that as a cop out - I have to be smart in how we game plan.
There’s certain things you can do on the road that are a little bit easier than they are at home from a communication standpoint.”
The Bills have already shown they can win there, taking two of their first three games in their new stadium. But they won’t be back at Highmark Stadium until November 1, which means any changes they make for handling the noise will have to wait a bit before getting tested in game action.
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