From the Do As I Say, Not As I Do, Dept. of the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Kevin Seifert.
Vikings coach Mike Tice blamed his team’s 18-3 loss to Pittsburgh on its sputtering offense and frazzled special teams. But make no mistake: Tice wasn’t happy with video workers at the Metrodome, nor the fans that filled it Sunday.
Tice said Monday he was really bothered by the number of Steelers fans that procured tickets and attended the game. He also suggested the Dome’s JumboTron operators could do a better job favoring the home team.
First things first: Tice estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Steelers fans were at the game, curtailing the Metrodome’s home-field advantage. If Tice’s figures are accurate, that means at least 10,000 of the Vikings’ season-ticket base sold their tickets.
“It confuses me, I guess,” Tice said. “Maybe they’re not really diehard season-ticket holders or maybe they needed the money for Christmas presents. I don’t know. One of the two.”
Asked if the situation impacted the game, Tice said: “Look, when you go to some stadiums, it’s so deafening that you can’t hear. When you have 15 to 20 thousand of the opponent’s fans in there, it’s not deafening. There is a difference. The fans that were there were great. But it wasn’t like a big game when it’s just your guys in there.
“Maybe, in their defense, they sold the tickets when … we were 2-5. Maybe they said, ‘The heck with it, I’m not going to that.’ Maybe that’s the case.”