EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Geoff Schwartz knows it is coming. He can't predict the exact circumstances, or the precise timing. But the Giants' right guard is certain that at some point on Sunday, New Orleans Saints fans are going to go absolutely bonkers in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
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"There's going to be an avalanche at some point," Schwartz said. "I don't know if it's the right term to use, but when you play away games at big places that are loud, there's an avalanche when you have a bad play, and then they score an offensive touchdown and it's loud again. You have to withstand that. It happens every time you play an away game. You have to be able to withstand that, and we have. In Buffalo we did, the first week in Dallas we did. In a place like New Orleans, you have to be extra mindful of kind of fighting through that adversity."
Schwartz began his career with the Carolina Panthers. As an NFC South alumnus, he is familiar with the uniqueness of the dome.
"It's loud," he said. "There's nowhere for the noise to go. I've played everywhere - I've played in Seattle, I've played in Kansas City, I've played in the Superdome. The Superdome, when it gets going, it gets pretty wild. To combat that, you've got to be able to run the football, get the crowd out of it, and score points early - that's kind of the formula in every crazy place."
The Superdome presents crowd noise issues for opposing teams unlike any other stadium. In a city where the citizens specialize in loud celebrations and love their football team, the din from opening kickoff to final second is relentless.
"It's a challenging place to play, and it's a good football team," said defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who held the same position with the Saints in 2012. "Fans make it tough, because they're into it. I've always thought you embrace that and go down and enjoy it. That's what makes the NFL so exciting. But it is one of those places that's tough to win."
"I coached there for a year, too," offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo said. "It's an advantage. When that place gets rocking, it's tough to quiet it down."
But the Giants might have the ingredients to do it. They lead the NFL with a plus-10 turnover differential, and few events frustrate a home crowd more than a giveaway. And last week, the Giants ran for a season-high 132 yards. The Saints have the NFL's 28th-ranked run defense, so if the Giants can keep their momentum on the ground, they'll control the ball and frustrate the fans.
"'Have the poise in the noise,' is something we always say," left guard Justin Pugh said. "It's a challenge. "We have to over-communicate. We've played in hostile places before, we just have to make sure we're on the same page. If we do our job, we can quiet them down. We've got to go out and we've got to execute and score points. I think we were able to do that in some games where you put some points on the board early and help take the crowd of it. Look at Dallas in the first game, we kind of quieted them down. We've got to go out there and start fast and execute and that will help us out."
Of course, the Giants also have a quarterback in Eli Manning who has excelled many times, and led the team to numerous victories, in loud, hostile stadiums.
But none of those triumphs occurred in the Superdome, where the Giants are 0-2 since his arrival.
Manning has seen the best and worst of the Superdome, and the stadium sounded the same in each instance.
Growing up in New Orleans, Manning sat in the stands as the Saints' enthusiastic fans inspired the home team with their cacophonous cheering. But in two visits as the Giants' quarterback, Manning learned the noise doesn't sound quite as pleasant when you're on the opposing team – especially when you lose by a combined 97-51, as the Giants did in 2009 and 2011.
"The times we've played, it's been loud," Manning said. "So it's always going to be loud. Their offense has been scoring and we've gotten down, so they get pumped up. We've got to do a good job just trying to control the crowd, try to get some first downs, and get into a little rhythm. It's going to get loud at times, but we can deal with that."
"I think they're a young defense that has improved quite a bit as of late," McAdoo said. "They've won three out of four, they're playing at a high level, they're playing fast, they're playing hard, and it's going to be a tough environment for us to go and play in. We need to be ready to go and handle the chaos. That type of environment is a tough environment to be able to execute there, so we have our work cut out for us."
This is a homecoming for several Giants. Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. were raised in New Orleans, and played prep football at Isidore Newman School. Landon Collins was born in the city, and was raised in nearby Geismar. Orleans Darkwa played at Tulane. Rueben Randle lives in Bastrop, in northern Louisiana. Randle, Beckham and punter Brad Wing all played at LSU.
But this weekend, Manning isn't thinking about a family reunion.
"Just going to play a game," he said. "I'm not seeing family before the game, or doing anything. It's the next game, going to New Orleans and trying to get a win.
"I'm sure there will be lots of friends and family there. You've got to tune it all out and just worry about playing football. It's about just doing your job, knowing your assignment, and going out there and just playing the game."
Sounds like a formula the Giants will need to win in the Superdome.
Keep an eye on these five players as the Giants face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at 1PM
RB ORLEANS DARKWA Orleans is not just a nickname Darkwa gave himself when he set the freshman rushing record at Tulane. Rather, it's a common name in Ghana, where his family hails from. Now everyone is learning it as he heads back to New Orleans this week to take on the Saints. After having no touches through the first six games, Darkwa, the fourth running back behind Rashad Jennings, Andre Williams and Shane Vereen, led the team with eight carries last Sunday in the victory over Dallas. Darkwa sparked the run game with 48 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown which was the offense's lone score of the day. We'll see on Sunday how the team splits the carries this time. "When I went to New Orleans, people didn't believe that was my name until I pulled out my ID," Darkwa said. "That's my real name."
WR RUEBEN RANDLE The LSU product is one of four Giants who will be playing in his home state of Louisiana on Sunday. Born in Bastrop, La., he played at the powerhouse Bastrop High School, starring as the Rams' quarterback and also saw action at wide receiver, in addition to handling punt and kickoff return duties. The team went 15-0 in both his sophomore and junior seasons. Randle recorded just two catches in last week's victory, but they went for 68 yards and sparked a pair of scoring drives. The Giants will need more plays like his 44-yard snag down the sideline on Sunday. "Yeah, we feel it coming," Randle said. "We've just got to stay with it, stay patient, got to let it come to us a little bit. Don't try to rush it and force some things. We know the time will come, big plays are going to come. Just got to continue to do the right thing for us to be prepared for the opportunities."
QB ELI MANNING The New Orleans native was just about to turn 13 years old when the Giants last won at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in 1993. In that game, Phil Simms threw two touchdowns in a 24-14 victory over the Saints, the team which Manning's father, Archie, quarterbacked from 1971-1982 and was inducted into the Ring of Honor. But for Eli, this weekend is strictly a business trip. "Just going to play a game," he said. "I'm not seeing family before the game or doing anything. It's the next game, going to New Orleans and trying to get a win."
WR ODELL BECKHAM JR. Born in New Orleans, the reigning AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and LSU product is coming off his lowest totals of the season in receptions (four) and yards (35). The Giants got the win, but the offense has scored just two touchdowns in the last two weeks. A trip to the Superdome might do the trick for Beckham, who has 17 receptions for 226 yards and four touchdowns in three indoor games. "It's definitely going to fun being able to go back home, a place that I always wanted to really play in back in high school, you want to get to the state championship, and had a chance to play in it one time but it didn't pan out the way we wanted it to," Beckham said. "I'm definitely excited to go back."
SAFETY LANDON COLLINS Despite going on to play at the rival University of Alabama, Collins was born in New Orleans and starred at Dutchtown High School in Geismar, La., as an All-America defensive back. The rookie second-round draft pick currently leads the Giants with 32 solo tackles, has three tackles for loss, broke up five passes, and recorded his first career interception two weeks ago.
