GIANT NOTES
DENVER – The new home of the Broncos is built adjacent to Mile High Stadium, which served as a hostile environment for opposing teams for 41 years. Tonight’s grand opening of INVESCO Field at Mile High figures to be quite an event in this region and the Giants know they will not be treated as honored guests.
The new stadium includes nearly double the square footage of Mile High but does contain several of the characteristics that made visiting here a chore. The seats at INVESCO, just as they were in the old stadium, are close to the field.
As an added benefit for the Broncos, the treads and risers at INVESCO are made of steel, allowing fans to stomp their legs while in their seats to create the same deafening crowd noise for which Mile High was known.
“The real challenge is not so much on me but the guys on the edge, the tackles and receivers,” Kerry Collins said. “I don’t care who you are, you can scream as loud as you want, you’re not going to be heard over 80,000 people. Crowd noise is just a matter of poise and discipline.”
Last week, the Giants practiced with large speakers ringing their field to simulate the noise, but there is nothing like the real thing coming from 76,125 rabid fans, which will be the case tonight.
“It’s going to be a hostile environment and it’s going to be tough to hear,” said TE Dan Campbell, one of the players far from earshot of Collins. “We can’t hear him so we look for hand signals, his gestures or we try to read his lips. As long as we’re composed, we’ll be fine.”
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Broncos have dropped their last two season openers, losing to the Dolphins (38-21) and Rams (41-36). This is the fourth consecutive year that the Broncos will open their season on Monday night. The record is five straight years by the Cowboys (1982-86). The Giants also once opened four consecutive seasons (1986-89) on Monday Night Football.
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The last time these teams played was in late in the 1998 season, when the Broncos entered Giants Stadium with a record of 13-0 and gunning for an undefeated season, but the Giants pulled a 20-16 upset after a Kent Graham to Amani Toomer TD pass in the final minute.
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Denver’s renowned running game might miss a beat with the absence of FB Howard Griffith, a superb blocker who is out for the season with a neck injury.