Sounds of silence loom as Steelers open season
Players, teams send social justice messages
EAST RUTHERFORD, N. J. — A steady but calm wind hovered over MetLife Stadium on Monday afternoon, creating a crisp fall feel in the waning days of summer.
The young trees that line the inner circle of this 10- year- old stadium rustled in the breeze, and birds chirped high above. They were the only noises piercing the silence.
It had the feel of a Steelers season opener. Just not the sights and sounds.
During a normal year, these lots would be filled with tailgaters decked out in New York Giants and Steelers gear — drinks in one hand and freshly grilled meats in the other. Parents and children playing catch, friends passing the time until kickoff with games of cornhole and KanJam. On Monday, the sprawling parking lots were closed to the public, and the only cars were those of game- day personnel allowed to work inside. Rows upon rows of yellow- lined rectangles on the blacktop made for an eerie backdrop.
This was the scene 3 ½ hours before the Steelers and Giants kicked off their seasons on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football.” Welcome to NFL football during the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Closer to the stadium sat a box office with one woman working will call, an unoccupied cooling tent and an abandoned NFL trailer with “Get Your Team Gear Here” plastered on the back and
sides. A pre- recorded announcement from the public address announcer blared for a few seconds reminding fans to keep their social distance inside the stadium — perhaps a practice run if New Jersey allows fans to attend games this year.
“I don’t know what it will be like in there,” said a cameraman from NFL Films who, citing company policy, wanted to remain anonymous.
Like the players, there was no preseason for NFL Films. After the Super Bowl, their equipment sits dormant from February until July, when training camps begin. The preseason is a chance to get out the kinks after a long offseason. But like everyone else attending this game, they were entering with a sense of the unknown.
The show must go on, and it did almost without a hitch in Week 1. And NFL Films was there to document it so the thousands of fans who cannot attend are able to still enjoy them in slow motion.
Those iconic NFL Films aerial shots that follow the ball through the air and then pan down to cheering fans won’t happen here — at least not yet. Advertisers bought tarps and had their signage over seats in the lower bowl of MetLife Stadium. Only a few photographers and camera operators who documented the game — maybe 10 of them — wandered about in the 82,500 empty seats throughout the contest.
“I will tell you a lot of times, late in the season, if you’re filming a bad team or it’s a blowout, there aren’t a lot of people there anyway,” the cameraman said as he loaded his equipment onto a cart to roll it into the stadium.
Inside the stadium was just as strange. A sign near the elevator to the press box read “Occupancy of 1.” In normal times, MetLife Stadium press box occupancy above 688 is considered “unlawfully dangerous.” But this year, in accordance with COVID- 19 social distancing guidelines, the occupancy is 92, which was the same number of players in uniform for both teams Monday.
If not for the coronavirus, 2020 would be the year of social justice, and the Steelers and Giants showed unity for the Black community before the game began. Steelers team captain Cam Heyward, running back James Conner and others took the field for warm- ups wearing Black Lives Matter T- shirts. Coach Mike Tomlin wore a sweatshirt with
“End Racism” emblazoned across the front of it.
Most Steelers players will have the name of Antwon Rose II on the back of their helmets for the entirety of the season. Rose was fatally shot by East Pittsburgh police officer Michael Rosfeld in 2018. The only notable exception Monday was former Army Ranger Alejandro
Villanueva, who had the name of Alwyn Cashe on the back of his helmet. Cashe, a Black man, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star Medal of Honor for heroism in Iraq.
These are just a few examples of the work Steelers players plan to do during the season in an attempt to shine a light on the social injustice issues across the country.
At 6: 45 p. m., 25 minutes before kickoff, Giants players lined up on the goal line and watched the scoreboard as Alicia Keys’ rendition of “Lift Every Voice and Sing” played.
The Steelers remained in the locker room.
They came out 15 minutes later and lined their sideline for the playing of the national anthem. Heyward, cornerback Joe Haden and tight end Eric Ebron held a banner that read “Steelers Against Racism,” with the hometowns of each player listed on each side. Ebron held his fist in the air while the anthem played.
At 7: 10 p. m., Chris Boswell booted the ball into the end zone for a touchback — the end of a very long and surreal offseason and the beginning to a new, and different, campaign.