Let's be honest the Lucas Oil stadium doesn't look anything like an outdoor stadium, and the only reason we're even bringing up this topic is due to its design. The roof limits entering light, which causes the amount of light that does enter to be intense and disruptive.

It's even disruptive to watch on TV! As you watch games you can notice the light's intensity because the rest of the stadium is in shadow. If the stadium did not have vertical walls blocking radiant light, it might not be an issue, however it created an issue for both players and fans as we are all debating its functionality right now! It seems the roof was designed for an indoor stadium as an option for "outside" atmosphere. Where this roof would be exceptionally enjoyable during night games, and cloudy days, it is lacking during the day...

One thing I have noticed since the venue change is that commentators don't really talk much about the fan noise like they used to. They do notice when Peyton goes to work and the Lucas Oil gets eerily quiet. But I can't remember seeing the crowd noise effecting game play like it used to at the dome.

Teams complained about it. I think someone Pats fans or maybe someone in their camp accused us of feeding the noise through the loud speakers. I have seen opposing teams burning timeouts and having false starts and delay of game calls because they can't communicate with their team on the line.

Guess we just have to get louder!

Some days where it is really sunny the roof should have been closed I think.

The same subject was already talked about in the forums. I have plenty of replies on that thread. Keep the roof open all year. : )  Football was meant for the outdoors.

I have been to open stadiums and domes. Both have advantages for the game and watching experience. I loved the noise in the RCA dome though......

I think all the griping about the roof being open and costing the Colts plays and points is ridiculous. Yes, the sun got in the eyes of Silva and Clark and affected those plays, but it just happened to be unfortunate for the Colts and sheer dumb luck that it didn't wind up affecting the 49ers at all. The only time the 49ers were in that end of the field in the 1st half when it would've been a factor was when Frank Gore was finishing off his 64-yard TD run.

I can't tell you how many times in September or October that I wished the roof of the RCA Dome could've been peeled off like a sardine can to let the nice weather and sun shine in. Conversely, I love that I've never had to sit outside in the cold and sleet and wind and rain and feel miserable. I remember one December game when I was sitting about halfway up in the upper deck where I could actually hear the sleet and snow start falling on top of the RCA Dome roof. The drive home after that game took 4 times longer than normal and I had to stop 3 times to knock the ice of my wiper blades. No way am I going to complain about not having to sit in that nasty weather.

Now, we have the best of both worlds. We can open the roof on nice days, and be sheltered from the weather on cold and wet days. And unless I'm mistaken I believe the window has been closed even though the roof was open twice this season, perhaps due to the wind-tunnel effect that can be created when both are open. I think Polian said on his radio show that this was a strategic decision made by the team, so they're already using the new stadium to their advantage to a degree. Bottom line, the conditions on the field are the same for both teams. The Colts gained some new knowledge about how the shadows fall in the stadium once DST ends, and will probably use it to their advantage in the future.

Let's enjoy the amenities we have in the new stadium and use them to our advantage rather than whining about it like a bunch of children.

OH you forgot to mention Dallas Clark missed a possible Touch Down cause the sun..... thats HUGE

This is a second thread on this subject I think... anyhow I'm with Chicago .. CLOSE it for strategical reasons......

Weve got the technology lets use it ;)

Sunday was the first time watching a pro football game outdoors, it was a great experience. But I listened to Dallas Clark on a morning radio show. He preferred that the Colts would play better at the RCA Dome because the Colts fans helped the team gain the greater advantage. I strongly agreed with him. The loudest Colts game that I've been to was the 2007 AFC Championship against the New England Patriots. That game was CRAZY!!! As long as the Colts fan atmosphere at Lucas Oil Stadium is the same as it always has been and will always be, then everything will be just fine.

I love the roof open and have been in the sun these past games.  I've heard the recievers in general prefer the roof open (vs. the angle of the brigher lights...see www.reggiewayne.com).  I think over time the Colts may be able to gain significant advantage over visitors that don't play here as much...they will know when to win coin toss and defer to pick sides to their 1 quarter advantages and perhaps even how to design plays that leverage the sun and shadows will be in particular situations to their advantage (don't seem to have done that yet though).

In the section I sit in the sun is in our eyes the first Q, but I do like it when its open, I love the fly overs. We went to TN last year and it was in the high 20's and it was cold but once I got into the game it didn't bother me like I thought it would

I think you mean if the lose the coin toss or defer.  If they win and receive the ball, the kicking team gets to decide which way the want to kick.

Don't underestimate Colts management and the designers of the stadium. The layout of the stadium and the design of the roof were done with home field advantage in mind. The parts of the roof that open really only redirect the noise back into the crowd, and the crowd absorbs all those sound waves. The parts that don't open are the ones that direct the noise toward the field where it counts. What we hear in the stands is not what the players are hearing on the field. Also, if you look at the stadium on a map, you will notice that the field runs NNE to SSW. That keeps the sun in the eyes of the opponents bench for the majority of the day. There will be times when the sun is a factor in  the games, but If the Colts win the coin toss, they decide which team is affected.

I love that the Colts can play outdoors.  I understand your points, but football is played outside in most NFL cities.  Therefore, the Colts players should not be affected by the weather.  Princeton Tiger hit the nail on the head.  

It was pretty cold in there this past Sunday.  I could see the sun was in the players eyes.  I guess there are pro's and con's to it.  Go Colts!!