Panthers pipe in noise in effort to prep for 12s’ audio assault

Only a few players on the Carolina Panthers have played in CenturyLink Field, so they have little idea just how loud it’ll be Saturday night in the NFC Divisional playoff.

Cornerback Richard Sherman says Cam Newton and company are in for a rude awakening, calling it “unnerving.”

“If you’ve never been or played here, people can tell you a lot of things about how loud and disruptive it is. But until you get out there in a crucial part of the game and you can’t hear, you can’t communicate, you can’t talk, and you still have to play at a high level, then there’s really no way to feel or experience it,” Sherman said in his weekly media availability.

The Panthers are doing all they can to prepare for the audio assault. On Tuesday, they closed all the entrances to Bank of America Stadium for their practice and put large speakers behind both goal posts and on the sidelines to simulate the noise, ESPN’s David Newton reported.

Former Seahawks defensive tackle Colin Cole, now a member of the Panthers, says the practice was a good approximation of what they’ll face in CenturyLink Field – although not quite as loud.

“The crowd noise we have is an opportunity to give guys a taste of what’s going to come. But I’ve been there when they’ve been on 10 and you can’t hear the person next to you.”

Those players who’ve experienced the 12th Man at full throat admit it can make for a long afternoon.

Panthers defensive back Roman Harper got an earful as a member of the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 NFC Wild Card game, when Marshawn Lynch ripped off his legendary 67-yard Beast Mode touchdown run.

“It is the hardest place to play in the NFL, right now, for a reason,” Panthers strong safety Roman Harper said. “The crowd is very smart. They know when to cheer, when not to cheer. It’s usually rainy; it’s not always pretty out there.”