The Dallas Cowboys hope new surroundings brings out the best in their team as they open their 1.15 billion dollar stadium against an old rival in the New York Giants on Sunday.
One of the largest crowds to watch a National Football League game will jam into the state-of-the-art facility which is being christened with its first NFL home game and the second of the Cowboy's season. Both teams are off to 1-0 starts in the National Football Conference East Division.
"It's going to have some atmosphere," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "And it's going to be loud."
The Cowboys are shooting for several attendance records this season. The largest crowd for an NFL regular-season game was 103,467 for Arizona-St. Louis in Mexico City in 2005.
Just under 104,000 jammed into the Rose Bowl for the largest crowd to watch a game in the US during the 1980 Super Bowl between the Steelers and Rams.
Dallas has a strong history with new stadiums. When they opened Texas Stadium in 1971, the club captured its first Super Bowl title.
"When we got into Texas Stadium, it felt like, 'This is our new home. We've got to make the most out of it,"' said former Cowboy star Cliff Harris.
"Hopefully this group of Cowboys is going to have that same feeling, that we've got to match the spectacular nature of this stadium and get to the Super Bowl."
The video boards have been one of the most talked about aspects of the new facility. The screen is just 90 feet above the playing surface and close enough for the punters to hit them.
Officials will call a dead ball and the punter will kick again if it happens in Sunday's game.
Then there is the anticipation of who will score the first touchdown? The ball would be a keeper and likely end up in the league's Hall of Fame.
New York, of course, is hoping to play the role of spoiler. The Cowboys have built up numerous rivalries over the years against teams like Pittsburgh, Washington and Minnesota but the latest is with the reigning division champs who always bring their A game to Dallas.
"You don't want to ever lose a divisional game whether the stadium was built in 1909 or one that was built today," running back Brandon Jacobs said. "Dallas doesn't like us and a couple of guys on their team made that pretty clear earlier in the week. We have guys in this locker room who are going to make that clear as well."
In another key week two matchup, quarterback Brett Favre goes for the NFL record for consecutive starts as the Vikings take on Detroit.
Sunday in Detroit will mark his 271st regular-season game in a row, breaking the old mark set by Jim Marshall.
Three-time MVP Favre has enjoyed good success against the Lions in the past, passing for a career total 8,524 yards. It is most yards he has passed for against any NFL team.
"I was talking to my wife on Sunday night when I got home and I said, 'That is a lot of games,"' Favre said. "I don't know when the light went off that I played in a lot of games. I can remember the record (for consecutive starts by a quarterback), I can't remember who we played it might have been in Chicago, but I broke Ron Jaworski's record.
"They stopped the game and I was like, 'It's not that big of a deal. It is, but it isn't.' I feel like stopping the game every time now."
The Vikings are playing a Detroit team that has lost 18 straight, including last week when Drew Brees matched a Saints' record with six touchdown passes.
New Viking quarterback Favre didn't have to do a lot in his first start last week as running back Adrian Peterson romped for three touchdowns and 180 yards in the season opening win over Cleveland.
"I don't pray every night, but this week I'm going to," Lions defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham said.
The Green Bay Packers can relate to their next opponent the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati's shocking last minute loss to Denver by a fluke touchdown last week might remind the Packers a bit of last season when they lost numerous games by four points or less.
Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers seems to be rounding into shape and his fourth quarter rally to beat the Chicago Bears last week showed his ability to close out games.
"Those are games last year that we'd lose," Rodgers said. "We would find a way to lose a game like that."
The Packers will take the win and the confidence boost it gave them into the Cincinnati game.
"To come up with a touchdown like that meant a lot for our team and hopefully (gave) our defence, which played so well, some confidence that we'll put some points up on the board at some point," Rodgers said.
Cincinnati linebacker Dhani Jones is aware of what Rodgers, now in his second season as Brett Favre's replacement, can do.
"He is a new Favre, basically," Jones said. "He throws the ball deep and they go out and get it."
Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco doesn't think last week's loss will linger in their minds.
"Lucky play, lucky bounce. We've just got to come back strong," Ochocinco said.
Source: AFP American Edition
