Calvin Pryor pumps up the crowd in his NFL debut.
Credit: Getty Images
The Jets did their part in earning a Week 1 victory over the Raiders, but it was the people in the stadium not on the field who received much of the praise from the players after the win.
“It was probably one of the loudest crowds I’ve been a part of, maybe like the Saints last year,” nose tackle Damon Harrison said. “They were pretty loud then. It maybe rivaled or was equal to [that]. The fans were really loud. They did what they were supposed to.”
Jets fans were asked to participate in a “Whiteout” of the stadium by wearing only white during the game and they were given white rally towels when entering the stadium.
The Raiders committed two false starts, one delay of game and they were forced to use a timeout at one point, all in large part due to the crowd.
Head coach Rex Ryan thanked the fans after the game for their loudness.
“Our fans were awesome,” Ryan said, “They were absolutely awesome. We had a lot of white jerseys and towels out there. They were so loud. It was great. That’s what home-field advantage is supposed to be, and it was today. I want to compliment our fans.”
The scene was a stark contrast to last year when the Raiders were in town late in the season. Even though it was a blowout win by the Jets, Raiders fans showed up in large numbers and were very loud during the game.
“The crowd was into it,” safety Dawan Landry said. “It was great to have that today, have the crowd to our back. It played a part. The whiteout played a part. The crowd was into it, it gives us momentum, helps with all the noise.”
Follow Jets beat writer Kristian Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer.
