Super bowl preview?

[nilodor]

Weather wise I mean. West Final (CFL) is this sunday here (Calgary) and we've got a heavy snowfall warning with temperatures in the mid -20's (~-15F) with the windchill. I expect to see a lot of people dressed in deadliest catch survival wear. It's also crazy because yesterday it was 10 degrees out (40's).

I think they're a bit nuts to be having the super bowl in NYC. I get that it's a huge market and all, but it's asking for trouble and could make for a pretty tough game. It's the one thing that I don't love about the CFL playoffs. The CFL is normally quite a wide open, passing, skilled game but the playoffs are so cold that it devolves into a weird hybrid and some pretty sloppy football due to the weather. Sure I'm Canadian and proud to be there when it's freezing out, it just doesn't normally make for a great game of football.

[Blackadar]

Depends on how you like your football. Personally, I enjoy cold-weather games, but I like watching good defense.

[CraigSca]

I think having the Superbowl in NYC is awesome. I look forward to the hopefully devastatingly cold temperatures at the game while I watch from my living room.

[Lathum]

I think the NFL secretly wants there to be a blizzard so they have the justification to shoot down cold weather cities in the future.

[molson]

I don't really see the downside. Interesting weather would make the game more fun for the 10s of millions of viewers, and more uncomfortable for the 10s of thousands at the stadium. It's not like they're going to have a problem selling tickets. And odds are, it won't be Calgary cold.

[albionmoonlight]

Super Bowl week is an event. Seems silly to stage something logistically huge in a region where there might be a blizzard or other weather related problems with it.

If the Super Bowl were in late August, I would say that you shouldn't schedule it in hurricane-prone areas. Since it is in winter, I don't see why you tempt fate by putting it where you might have a snowstorm. Chances are, you will be fine, but why tempt fate that way?

[molson]

Haven't there been a few indoor super bowls with some snow or sleet outside? Maybe Detroit and Atlanta? These cities manage to continue on through bad weather, it's the extremely rare event that literally shuts down a city. I think the people who perpetuate the idea that this would be such a huge complication are the media, who would rather go to Arizona in February.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by molson

Haven't there been a few indoor super bowls with some snow or sleet outside? Maybe Detroit and Atlanta? These cities manage to continue on through bad weather, it's the extremely rare event that literally shuts down a city. I think the people who perpetuate the idea that this would be such a huge complication are the media, who would rather go to Arizona in February.

I'm pretty sure there was a bitter cold one in Detroit (Niners Bengals?) but like albion said it's a week long event. At least the stadium there is domed so there is a large venue available for all the pre stuff. When we hosted Grey Cup all the events are indoors, downtown, away from the stadium. Maybe that's good enough? It just seems to be a bit of a pain when you could have all of the events outside where capacity and space sharing isn't an issue.

[albionmoonlight]

I agree that whether or not the stadium has a dome should not matter. It isn't about the weather for the game, but about the logistics of the event.

At the end of the day, Super Bowls are good bribes to convince cities/states to pony up money for new stadiums. And the NFL, I suspect, wants to be able to have that carrot available for teams in NY, Chicago, Minnesota, etc. And that means more to them than the chance that a blizzard will screw things up. (Which chance, I agree, is pretty small).

As a fan who will be watching from home, I'm personally rooting for an ice bowl. I think it will give the game that much more of an epic feel.

[Logan]

I think there was some terrible weather in Dallas of all places.

Odds are, there will not be a major snowstorm hitting the area that week. And odds are, if it does hit, it won't affect that specific 4 hour window of the game. Odds are, the weather will be cold, but the same cold that 80,000 Jets and Giants fans sit through no more than a few weeks earlier, without complaint. I do find it funny that so many people seem to worry about the warmth and potential travel problems of these poor people who are spending a minimum of $1,000, and more likely closer to $10K if they're coming from out of the area, for the privilege.

Heard a story last week that one way the city is dealing with the lack of hotel rooms is to dock a cruise ship in the Hudson next to the Intrepid. That sounds pretty genius to me, and a win-win when considering the cruise line.

Personally I'm still debating if it's worth it to rent out our apartment for the weekend and some surrounding days. There are reports of people getting $1,000 a night. Would be an interesting call.

[molson]

Originally Posted by nilodor

I'm pretty sure there was a bitter cold one in Detroit (Niners Bengals?) but like albion said it's a week long event. At least the stadium there is domed so there is a large venue available for all the pre stuff. When we hosted Grey Cup all the events are indoors, downtown, away from the stadium. Maybe that's good enough? It just seems to be a bit of a pain when you could have all of the events outside where capacity and space sharing isn't an issue.

The Meadowlands Sports Complex has a lot of space, including the Izod Center. There will be stuff there, and outdoor tailgating type stuff at the Racetrack on the same complex. It will be cold, but it will be a novelty, and I think they'll still get some people to show up. Maybe I'm just too old and bored with everything, but I love to see stuff at different venues, with different challenges. If I were ever going to actually attend a Super Bowl, it'd be one like this, that's a little different and potentially historic.

[Fidatelo]

I love outdoor football in inclement whether. My favorite CFL moments are seeing players throw snowballs at each other or at fans, etc. I love when they have to shovel the lines. I love seeing what players play with no sleeves or gloves, or rise to the occasion and seem to revel in the challenge, and conversely which players shrink from the moment and are clearly bothered by the weather. It's just great theater.

[sterlingice]

In Indy, IIRC, it was in the upper 30s through low 50s all week for highs, which was unseasonably warm. The year before, 2" of ice fell the same week and they were hoping it wouldn't be the same for the Super Bowl.

SI

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

In Indy, IIRC, it was in the upper 30s through low 50s all week for highs, which was unseasonably warm. The year before, 2" of ice fell the same week and they were hoping it wouldn't be the same for the Super Bowl.

SI

Didn't Dallas have terrible weather the week they hosted the Super Bowl?

I love bad weather football. I hope a foot of snow falls while the game is being played.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

Didn't Dallas have terrible weather the week they hosted the Super Bowl?

I love bad weather football. I hope a foot of snow falls while the game is being played.

Yeah that's what I was referring to before. It was a snow storm that followed an ice storm.

The Dallas Morning News | Options

[TroyF]

I guess I'm in the minority then. I hate the idea of the game being played in cold weather or snow. I think it's a horrible idea. I'm hoping for a Chicago fox bowl situation so it never, ever happens again.

[Logan]

Do you want the game being played in as ideal conditions as possible for neutrality's sake? I would understand that, at least. But cold weather is a big part of football's history, and some would say that it's synonymous with football, so I'm not sure why it can't be a part of the biggest game of the year anymore. You also have those iconic images of the LB's breath being visible before the snap, steam coming off the head of a helmetless player, etc

[Passacaglia]

I'm not sure which typo is better today -- "Chicago fox bowl" or a bunch of gang members moving to Las Vegas because of the "hugs boom" -- ah, who am I kidding, it's got to be the hugs boom. Either way, both of them took me a while to figure out.

[molson]

Originally Posted by BillJasper

I love bad weather football. I hope a foot of snow falls while the game is being played.

I'd be OK with them having the game at domed stadium in a nice location, and with an artificial blizzard on the playing field. And with bats flying around for some reason.

[gstelmack]

What about the Indy/Chicago monsoon Super Bowl in Miami?

[Desnudo]

Originally Posted by molson

I don't really see the downside. Interesting weather would make the game more fun for the 10s of millions of viewers, and more uncomfortable for the 10s of thousands at the stadium. It's not like they're going to have a problem selling tickets. And odds are, it won't be Calgary cold.

Saving for the inevitable coldest day in Meadowlands history. At minimum it'll probably be in the low 20s without wind chill which is pretty darn cold to be playing sports. If there's no snow then it's just cold which isn't super exciting for anyone as the passing games are terrible. So hopefully a blizzard will roll into town.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcli...8?climoMonth=2

[Lathum]

Watching an occasional snow game is fun, but I doubt the NFL wants the Superbowl to be played in por conditions. The passive fan watching the game won't enjoy a 10-3 final score.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Logan

Do you want the game being played in as ideal conditions as possible for neutrality's sake?

But, of course, it may not really be "neutral". A lot of cold weather teams have their 'weather' as part of their home field advantage and they build their team around the weather conditions of their home field. Makes no sense to have the playoffs center around this up until the biggest game.

[Pyser]

i dont understand why the conference championships could be played in, say, green bay and buffalo in subzero weather, and then people could complain that 2 weeks later the super bowl was too cold.

weather is part of football. deal with it.

(also, as for the fog bowl, that was what, 25 year ago? and we ALL still remember that game. to me that makes it an even better reason to play in outdoor northern stadiums)

[Julio Riddols]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

I'm not sure which typo is better today -- "Chicago fox bowl" or a bunch of gang members moving to Las Vegas because of the "hugs boom" -- ah, who am I kidding, it's got to be the hugs boom. Either way, both of them took me a while to figure out.

Chicago fox bowl sounds like a great name for an area strip club.

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Watching an occasional snow game is fun, but I doubt the NFL wants the Superbowl to be played in por conditions. The passive fan watching the game won't enjoy a 10-3 final score.

A couple years back, I remember almost benching Tom Brady in fantasy because of a snowstorm hitting New England. I didn't...and the Pats put up roughly 74 points. Rain is more of an impediment to scoring than snow is, and it could certainly rain more often in Florida than in New York.

edit: It was 59 points, and in 2009.

[Julio Riddols]

I think casual fans might enjoy the "kids playing in the snow" vibe of a snowy super bowl. Guys sliding 10 feet after they land and slipping around in snow was one of the things that got me into football when I was a kid. I kinda hate that we don't get to see a lot of bad weather games these days.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Logan

A couple years back, I remember almost benching Tom Brady in fantasy because of a snowstorm hitting New England. I didn't...and the Pats put up roughly 74 points. Rain is more of an impediment to scoring than snow is, and it could certainly rain more often in Florida than in New York.

edit: It was 59 points, and in 2009.

Against the Titans?

[molson]

Ya, defensive backs have to run through the snow/mud too, and you'd think the slower everything is, the easier it'd be for the QB. Wind is more the thing that can screw with passing.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Pyser

i dont understand why the conference championships could be played in, say, green bay and buffalo in subzero weather, and then people could complain that 2 weeks later the super bowl was too cold.

weather is part of football. deal with it.

(also, as for the fog bowl, that was what, 25 year ago? and we ALL still remember that game. to me that makes it an even better reason to play in outdoor northern stadiums)

I remember the game and the score, but I don't remember actually seeing what happened on any play, despite looking at the screen the whole time. All I remember is the frustration of playing with my rabbit ears trying to see if I could get the reception to improve.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by Lathum

Watching an occasional snow game is fun, but I doubt the NFL wants the Superbowl to be played in por conditions. The passive fan watching the game won't enjoy a 10-3 final score.

They would probably still watch for the commercials. Now if some of those passive fans that get "corporate" tickets and could care less about the game gave those seats up for real fans I would be all for it.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by nilodor

Weather wise I mean. West Final (CFL) is this sunday here (Calgary) and we've got a heavy snowfall warning with temperatures in the mid -20's (~-15F) with the windchill. I expect to see a lot of people dressed in deadliest catch survival wear. It's also crazy because yesterday it was 10 degrees out (40's).

I think they're a bit nuts to be having the super bowl in NYC. I get that it's a huge market and all, but it's asking for trouble and could make for a pretty tough game. It's the one thing that I don't love about the CFL playoffs. The CFL is normally quite a wide open, passing, skilled game but the playoffs are so cold that it devolves into a weird hybrid and some pretty sloppy football due to the weather. Sure I'm Canadian and proud to be there when it's freezing out, it just doesn't normally make for a great game of football.

Are you planning on going to the Grey Cup? It's so close (6 hours north), I'm quite tempted. Don't think I'll be able to convince any NoDakians to come with, though.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Are you planning on going to the Grey Cup? It's so close (6 hours north), I'm quite tempted. Don't think I'll be able to convince any NoDakians to come with, though.

I doubt you'd regret going, I can't imagine a better place to watch a Grey Cup than Regina, especially if the Riders win this weekend. My wife has been to a few Labour Day games there and the fans go absolutely nuts for those, so I can only imagine what they do during the cup.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by britrock88

Are you planning on going to the Grey Cup? It's so close (6 hours north), I'm quite tempted. Don't think I'll be able to convince any NoDakians to come with, though.

If the Stamps win I'll sure try. I've been to one before (actually the one where the Riders lost because of the 13th man giving the Al's a second chance at the game winning field goal), I can't recommend going enough. Well worth it, lots of fun, great atmosphere and (as much as I hate to say it) probably the best place to catch the game, the fans there are very enthusiastic (and drunk, very drunk)

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by molson

I'd be OK with them having the game at domed stadium in a nice location, and with an artificial blizzard on the playing field. And with bats flying around for some reason.

Yes!

SI

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

I'm not sure which typo is better today -- "Chicago fox bowl" or a bunch of gang members moving to Las Vegas because of the "hugs boom" -- ah, who am I kidding, it's got to be the hugs boom. Either way, both of them took me a while to figure out.

I just have this picture of cartoon foxes running all over the field, being chased by John Fox to Yakety Sax.

SI