The electricity, it's impossible not to notice. The sound, it can be deafening. The feeling, it's like no other.
In a nutshell, it's Steelers Nation on game day.
And on Sunday night at Heinz Field when the Steelers needed them most against the Colts, they were in full effect.
"They always get into it, but for some reason I think they knew the implications of that game as much as we did," said safety Rob Golden. "They were real in tune to it and helped us out a lot, especially on defense. We were able to rattle the quarterback with the noise and disguises. It worked together. Steelers Nation was definitely loud."
'Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go' cheers echoed throughout, 'Renegade' had the Terrible Towels waving and the crowd at a fever pitch. And the players, they felt it.
"It all impacts us," said nose tackle Steve McLendon. "We are excited to hear our fans get loud because when they do, it frustrates the other team. We hear that here in Pittsburgh and on the road. Our fans sometimes get louder than the other team at road games. It's hard for the other team to operate when your fans are like that. We know this time of year everyone is going to be scared to come here and play because of our fans."
Almost like clockwork in the fourth quarter, following an Antonio Brown five-yard touchdown, the scoreboard went dark. And then 'Renegade' began, the towels slowly twirling before the crowd erupted.
"Words can't even express what it does," said McLendon. "Everybody's blood is flowing. The adrenaline is flowing. There is something in your inner man that makes you that much stronger, that much faster. It just does something to you. It's a feeling inside of us that we know that this is the time. This is the big time we have to turn it on for the fans."
The defense responded. Three plays into the drive James Harrison sacked Matt Hasselbeck, forcing a fumble, and Vince Williams recovered. The magic continued.
"It's a beautiful thing to be in the stadium to see and hear it," said Golden. "To this day I get chills all over my body when it comes on, just seeing the fans waving the towels and the energy level. It just gives you chills."
