The Super Bowl is less than three months away. Are you ready?
Is it time for Kansas City Chiefs fans to make plans for the big game? Could a team that was a dismal 2-14 a year ago actually win the Super Bowl one year later?
OK. Probably not.
Actually, the Denver Broncos probably have a better chance of making the Super Bowl than the Chiefs. The Broncos score points faster than the government racks up debt. However, don?t assume the Broncos are a shoo-in to win it all.
Have you considered where the Super Bowl will be played this year?
As Bill Simmons noted on ESPN.com, ?You definitely want to bring an explosive, pass-happy, high-scoring offensive attack into Janu?ary and February when the weather is freezing and you can?t be explosive and pass-happy anymore. Great plan. You know they?re playing the Super Bowl outdoors in February in New Jersey, right? Good luck with that one.?
Anytime you have Peyton Manning running the offense, you have a chance of winning it all. However, his record in cold-weather playoff games is hardly stellar.
Manning is 0-4 in the playoffs when playing in temperatures under 40 degrees.
The bigger question is why the NFL is playing its first cold-weather Super Bowl in an open-air stadium on Feb. 2, 2014.
According to the Farmer?s Almanac?and who doubts the reliability of the Farmer?s Almanac?this year?s Super Bowl could be historical, with a snowstorm predicted for the game in East Rutherford, N.J.
While he acknowledged that it?s difficult to pinpoint a storm that far away, Bernie Rayno, AccuWeather.com expert senior meteorologist, said that the game falls during a time climatologically favorable for a snowstorm in the New York City area.
The biggest snowstorms, including nor?easters, occur in late January to early February, and again in March for the New York City area, Rayno said.
Of course, you can guess the real reason the NFL is putting the Super Bowl in New Jersey.
Follow the money.
As Evan Weiner wrote, ?The NFL?s real reason, though officially unstated, for choosing the Meadow?lands site is all about money. NFL owners ?reward? communities that put up money for new facilities and the owners. NFL owners no longer have a rotation set of warm-weather cities such as Miami, Tampa, New Orleans, San Diego or Pasadena/Los Angeles that automatically host games.
The East Rutherford Super Bowl is a thank you to New Jersey for paying $300 million in infrastructure for the new Meadowlands stadium.?
It should be noted that one of the greatest playoff games ever, aka the Ice Bowl, was played by Dallas and Green Bay in less-than-ideal conditions. And no, the game wasn?t played in Dallas.
The 1967 NFL championship game was played at Lambeau Field in arctic conditions between two of the league?s most recognizable teams.
It was cold, coaches Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry were at their best, and the players suffered on that field due to the negative temperatures. But anyone who was alive and followed football then remembers that game.
Maybe the NFL hopes to recapture the moment at this year?s Super Bowl. On the other hand, maybe the weather will be sunny and in the 40s. Whatever the temps are at game time, it won?t matter to most fans gathered around their TVs in the comforts of home.
Football is proud of its toughness. The game is played in hot weather, wet weather and cold weather. It?s not a game for wimps.
That said, field conditions will affect some offensive styles more than others.
It?s hard to predict which teams will make it to the big game. But if one team is a heavy favorite, a cold and messy field could be a great equalizer.
If Chiefs fans care to dream, the Chiefs are probably better suited than most to win in those conditions. Dream on.
Time to ?weather? next Super Bowl hype
