Dec 18th 2008 9:00PM by Bruce Ciskie (author feed)
Filed under: Bears, Packers, NFC North, NFL Coaching
Last year, the weather in Chicago was downright frightful for the Bears’ Week 16 home game against Green Bay. The wind was howling, the wind chills dipped well below zero, and the players looked absolutely miserable.
One team played well in the conditions. The other was barely present for the proceedings. As a result, the Bears beat Green Bay 35-7.
A few weeks later, the Packers hosted the Giants in the NFC Championship. While it was clear and dry with little wind, it was very cold, with gametime temperatures close to zero. One team played like it was 70 degrees out, and that team went on to the Super Bowl, while the Packers stayed home.
Now, I’m not here to say that every team that plays in a northern climate should practice outside all the time. However, I’ve always been struck by how outdoor teams prepare for indoor games. They crank up the stereo and practice in a noisy environment. After all, it’s going to be noisy at the game.
Despite this, the Packers continue to refuse to practice outside before playing potentially bad-weather games.Continue Reading
