🏈 Bryant-Denny Stadium versus Mercedes-Benz Stadium

[Alabama17Tide]

Tony's Take: Bryant-Denny is great, but Tide fans just experienced the best
Tony Tsoukalas | Alabama team writer

A general view of Mercedes-Benz Stadium prior to the 2017 Kickoff Game between Alabama Crimson Tide and the Florida State Seminoles. Photo | USA Today

Nick Saban wasn’t trying to pander to the crowd inside Baumhower’s Victory Grille last week. Although during his weekly radio show, the Alabama head coach delivered the response of a polished politician.

"To be honest, I'm not saying this to be a homer, but I like playing in Bryant-Denny Stadium," Saban said, eliciting a sizable applause from the Alabama fans inside Baumhower’s Victory Grille in Tuscaloosa. “We have a beautiful stadium that’s over 100,000 people. On most occasions, we have tremendous enthusiasm and excitement. It’s a great atmosphere to play in.”

I’m not calling Saban a liar, but I wonder what his answer would be following Saturday night’s game inside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Don’t get me wrong, Bryant-Denny is definitely one of the best stadiums in the country. It’s steeped in tradition and the echoes of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s gravelly voice, but what it doesn’t have is a 58-foot by 1,100-foot state-of-the-art halo board.

It doesn’t have 83,000 square feet of LED screens or an eight-panel retractable roof that opens and closes like a camera lens either. However, Saban and Alabama will have to wait until the SEC Championship Game to see the latter feature.

Of course, Saban’s 63-7 record inside Bryant-Denny while with Alabama has a lot to do with his fondness for the venue. As he did Thursday night, the head coach admits a lot of that home-field advantage is generated by the rowdiness of the 101,821 fans in attendance. Even with a domed roof to echo trap the sound, Mercedes-Benz is nowhere near as loud as Bryant-Denny when it’s fully rocking.

But what about the fans?

The majority of the Alabama faithful agree with Saban’s assessment when asked of their favorite stadium. But could Bryant-Denny be even better? Shouldn’t it? After all, this is Alabama, where Saban’s mantra of being a champion rings daily.

Maybe Alabama can take a few ideas from Atlanta back home with them to Tuscaloosa.

Let's start with the most obvious. The new Mercedes-Benz Stadium comes equipped with 1,264 beer taps. If you are counting, that’s 1,264 more than inside of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Look, I won’t go into how much sense it makes for Alabama and other college football programs to allow alcohol sales inside their stadiums. But after taking a walk through of Mercedes-Benz Stadium, it’s hard not to get excited by its flashy, “neighborhood bars” sponsored by Budweiser, Heineken, Dos Equis and others. I’m not saying Bryant-Denny should be turned into a beer hall, but a designated area with a couple of local brews on tap would go a long way.

Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne has stated alcohol sales are “probably a long ways away of that happening at Alabama.” But maybe there are a few first steps that can be taken. Beer even found its way into the food at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Budweiser Pulled Pork Sandwich, Shocktop Brats, Goose Island Pastrami Sandwich are just a few of the many food options available at the new sporting cathedral.

Dropping alcohol altogether, can we at least get some better dining amenities? While Dreamland Nachos offer a nice taste of Tuscaloosa, the choices drop off a bit after that. I get it, there’s only a handful of foods that lend themselves to a stadium setting. No matter how well AJ McCarron’s new fast-food sushi restaurant does, it’s safe to say the former Alabama quarterback’s days inside of Bryant-Denny have come to a close.

Two obvious southern classics stand out in Chick-fil-A and Zaxby’s. Who doesn’t like fried chicken, and given that Alabama won’t be in action on Sundays, the former would still be in play.

While we are at it, can we do something about those prices as well? Due to the perks of this job, I haven’t bought a meal at a college football stadium for some years. Although, for those not fortunate enough to cop a free meal inside the press box, the bill climbs north of $20 per person faster than you’d think. The next time you pull out your wallet at Bryant-Denny, try not to think about the fact that Mercedes-Benz offers $2 refillable sodas, $3 peanuts, pizza, nachos and waffle fries and of course $5 domestic beers.

Alabama will open its season inside Bryant-Denny Stadium this Saturday at 2 p.m. against Fresno State. For Saban and the majority of Alabama fans, the game will be a much-awaited return to their favorite college football setting. There’s nothing wrong with that, but after seeing what could be a week ago, it will be hard for some of those fans not dream for a little more.

Fortunately for them, Alabama is planning a couple more trips east down I-20 later this season.
BamaInsider.com - Tony's Take: Bryant-Denny is great, but Tide fans just experienced the best

 

[bama alum]

A friend of mine who went to the game this weekend was overall very pleased with the new stadium, but he said the concourses in Arlington were better. Just...take that fwiw.

 

[big gravy]

Was there something going on with the field? There was something odd about how it sprayed up like it was wet. I know it's not wet but you can see something was on the field that was not dirt.

 

[EasyTider]

Was there something going on with the field? There was something odd about how it sprayed up like it was wet. I know it's not wet but you can see something was on the field that was not dirt.View attachment 7398

Rubber beebees / pellets. Comes with prescription turf.

 

[sean]

I’m not calling Saban a liar, but I wonder what his answer would be following Saturday night’s game inside the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Don’t get me wrong, Bryant-Denny is definitely one of the best stadiums in the country. It’s steeped in tradition and the echoes of Paul “Bear” Bryant’s gravelly voice, but what it doesn’t have is a 58-foot by 1,100-foot state-of-the-art halo board.

It doesn’t have 83,000 square feet of LED screens or an eight-panel retractable roof that opens and closes like a camera lens either. However, Saban and Alabama will have to wait until the SEC Championship Game to see the latter feature.

to me, that means nothing in the slightest. who the hell cares if it has all that?! i certainly don't. all i care about is what's going on, on the field. if i'm at a game, the only time i look at a video board, it's to see the replay of an exciting play (big run, big pass, td, big kick return, etc.) i'm not there to "watch tv". i do that at home.

 

[50+yeartidefan]

Even I can go 4 hours without a beer....
Been to games where its sold...and somebody always gets it spilled on them...
Its fine without

 

[It Takes Eleven]

BDS vs. MBS is an apples and oranges comparison. Historic outdoor college stadium with some nice amenities for some at a fractional cost (roughly $150MM spent to go from 70,000 to 101,800 vs. $1.5 billion turnkey for MBS). Neutral site crowd vs. a home crowd in Tuscaloosa? I'd take BDS as a coach every time.

I was very impressed with the new stadium, and I thought the sight lines from the upper deck put Jerry World to shame. There were logjams in the concourse, but I realized after the game that everyone was herding toward a single set of escalators. We jetted over to a side escalator and left almost unimpeded. I attributed it to an unfamiliarity with the stadium layout, and some to signage. We'll play there often enough to learn our way around. Can't say the same for FSU.

We grabbed a mixed drink and a michelob ultra (aluminum bottle, no spillage) on the way in and the combined cost was $16 - you'd pay about that outside the stadium. Pre- and post-game bathroom trips required almost no wait.

RTR,

Tim

 

[rick4bama]

I know the news out of Atlanta was saying the MBS make $30mils. Now he didn't say that the city of Atlanta was included. But with the tickets sell and all I guessing that about right. Also it was a pack house 76,330 fans it was a record.

 

[OldPlayer]

I know the news out of Atlanta was saying the MBS make $30mils. Now he didn't say that the city of Atlanta was included. But with the tickets sell and all I guessing that about right. Also it was a pack house 76,330 fans it was a record.

Since this was the second event (first was a Falcons preseason game), it's not hard to set a record.