NFL fans have to wait three more months before they can pack into stadiums to watch their teams play competitive football again.
When it comes to the supporters that fill those seats, some fan bases stand out to opposing players.
Speaking from his experience as a spectator, let alone as a former quarterback, Chris Simms believes the Philadelphia Eagles have the rowdiest crowd.
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“When they’re throwing full beer cans at your head and you’re a 49ers fan as you’re walking into the stadium, I would say yeah, that’s close to it,” Simms told Mike Florio on Thursday’s “PFT Live.” “I would say they’re No. 1.”
From his days as a young fan to the University of Texas to the NFL, Simms has seen a wide range of opposing fan bases. He said the crowds for one other team approached the Eagles before it relocated.
“The Eagles and Raiders were the ones that jumped out to where when you went in the parking lot, it just felt different,” he said. “That seemed to be the most animated. Those certainly jump out to the biggest extent.”
Raiders fans famously created “the Black Hole” when the team played at the Oakland Coliseum. Since the franchise moved to Las Vegas, Simms listed four other fan bases that he feels belong in the tier below the Eagles.
NFL
“I would go Browns, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, I think Pittsburgh Steelers I’d throw in there,” he said. “Those are four that really pop to me.”
Simms, a former Patriots coaching assistant, gave New England fans credit for what they could come up with from the seats at Gillette Stadium.
“The Patriots fans were awesome and brutal,” he said. “I never saw them throw stuff, but you talk about the wittiest, smartest, just throwing zingers at you all game, New England might’ve taken the cake in that department.”
On the other end of the scale, Simms and Florio agreed that the Green Bay Packers have the most welcoming fans in the NFL, saying they are almost suspiciously nice.
“That could be a little shocking for a guy from the Northeast to go out there,” Simms said.
You can watch the full “PFT Live” segment below.