A Snowball's Chance in Jail

Much attention has been given to the huge snow boulder Shaun Ellis of the Jets tossed into the stands at Qwest Field Sunday, but how about the snowball Todd Kobus took in the puss while being escorted from Gillette Stadium? Hilarious!

Kobus is the fella who rushed onto the field in the fourth quarter Sunday and tackled the Patriots’ Junior Seau on the sideline. Kobus is now saying that he is a big fan of Seau, and meant only to give the linebacker a hug. Whatever the motive, Kobus has been charged with trespassing and assault and battery. Police said Kobus was intoxicated. No kidding! Boston’s Fox 25 has video on its web site of Kobus being led off the field under a shower of snowballs. Enjoy the show.

Above photo: AP Photo/Boston Herald, Matthew West

Bears Heat Up in Record Cold

How cold was it in Chicago last night? Cold enough to be the coldest Bears home game since the NFL began keeping such statistics in 1963. The cold, hard facts about Monday’s night’s weather says the temperature was 2 degrees, and the wind chill made Soldier Field patrons feel as if it were minus 13 degrees as they watched the Bears slip past the Packers in overtime. The Chicago Sun-Times web site has a list today of the Bears top 5 coldest games. The Packers have been the opponent in four of those games.

Seattle Snow

But this photo (see below post) may be the best of Sunday's football action.

Seattle may have the most picturesque stadium… ever!

Oh, Baby! Let It Snow

I was looking through all the snow photos from Sunday's NFL action, and, so far, this is my favorite.

Frozen Phins

Hey, did you hear that the Miami Dolphins played in the coldest game in team history Sunday in Kansas City? Of course you did. Everyone has heard it by now. The temperature was 10 degrees with a wind chill at minus 12 at kickoff. The previous coldest Dolphins game was in December 1977 in Foxboro, Mass. What I want to know is: What was the temperature at the Dolphins coldest home game and when was that game played? Anyone who e-mails me with the correct answer wins a free subscription to this blog.

Jets Shaun Ellis, Hurls Giant Snowball at Seahawks Fans

Bear Weather

From today's Chicago Sun-Times:

Bear weather / BARE weh THUR / n. / Popular -- and much-overused -- term to describe miserably cold conditions for Chicago Bears games at Soldier Field, conditions that die-hard fans can attest don't necessarily help the home team. Bear weather is marked by: steam coming off Brian Urlacher's head, snot frozen to fans' faces, a wicked wind off the lake that sends field goal attempts awry and, perhaps, snow: e.g., tonight's game conditions.

The forecast for tonight's Monday nighter at Soldier Field calls for low temperatures at 11 degrees with windchill at minus 2.

Isola Recalls Last Knicks Snow Day

Snow is hitting hard in many parts of the country, but so far there are no NBA or NHL postponements to report. In today’s N.Y. Daily News, Frank Isola remembers the last time the Knicks had a snow day.

The last time the Knicks had a home game postponed, Don Nelson went bar-hopping on the snow-covered streets of Manhattan. That was back on Jan. 7, 1996, a little more than two months before Nelson was fired despite being nine games over .500.
In ’96, the Sonics were already in New York but the league and the Knicks still decided to postpone the game. The Milwaukee Bucks arrived in Manhattan late Wednesday night and as of noon today the Knicks are still planning to go ahead with the game.

Mass Snow Fall

I just read that Massachusetts is expected to receive 10 to 14 inches of snow from the storm hitting the state today. It’s already white in Foxboro, as you can see in this Gillette Stadium web cam.

White (Sunday Before) Christmas

I’m an idiot.

Of course, if you’re a regular here, you already know that. My latest blunder involves my fantasy football team. Sure, I’m in the championship game, so I must have been doing something right, right? But where I went totally wrong was benching Payton Manning this week in favor of Matt Cassel. Manning tossed for 368 yards and three touchdowns last night in a win over Jacksonville. This Sunday, Cassel will be tossing snowballs.

When the Pats host the Cardinals Sunday, temperatures will be in the 30s and there is a good chance of snow and a wintery mix. Someone on the radio this morning – I don’t remember who – said the conditions could be similar to the Tuck Rule game. (That was a fun game to watch… until the @#$%& Patriots won on a totally bogus, @##$%&&* rule.) Patriots kicker Steve Gostkowski is preparing for whatever conditions arise (or fall) while the Pro Bowlers’ wife is preparing for the warmth of Hawaii. Meanwhile, the Warm-Weather Birds may be a little nervous about leaving the cozy, warm confines of their home dome.

The Panthers play the Giants in the wind tunnel that is the Meadowlands Sunday night in a super important game for both teams. The game forecast calls for temps in the 20s and single-digit wind chill. There’s also a chance for snow and freezing rain. (I’m trying to work in an Earth, Wind and Fire reference, but I’m just not that talented.)

Snow possibilities also are forecasted for Seattle on Sunday where the Jets hope to not allow their playoff chances melt like a snowman at August training camp. Remember when Brett Favre used to be the cold-weather king? I’m not sure that’s the case these days. I think he’d rather be playing indoors and wearing purple.

The Dolphins are staring at back-to-back cold weather games, starting this week in Kansas City where the high temperature is expected to top out at 9 degrees with winds reaching 18 to 24 mph and gusts as high as 33 mph. A week from Sunday the Dolphins travel to play the Jets in what could be a cold, night contest if the game is flexed into primetime, which could happen if the game is to decide the AFC East title.

"Cold weather can be used as an excuse," said Miami and former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington to the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "Both teams have to play in it. I did it for eight years. It's really a mind-over-matter type of thing. Cold weather, that's what football is really all about."

It still hurts a little inside to say “former Jets quarterback Chad Pennington.”

Perhaps the coldest game of the week will be Monday night in Chicago were the low temperature is predicted to be 2 degrees when the Bears and Packers kick off.

Pat’s Kick Snowballs Giants to Famous Title Tilt

Before the Giants and Colts hooked up for the 1958 NFL Championship – you know, the “Greatest Game Ever Played” – the G-Men had to win a playoff game against the Cleveland Browns. That playoff became necessary on Dec. 14, the final day of the regular season when Giants kicker Pat Summerall nailed a 49-yard game-winning field goal in the snow. ReelSportsFan.com has highlights of the game.

Polar Bears Welcome Brees

The Bears and Saints go toe-to-toe Thursday night in Chicago, and while both teams will be fighting to remain in the playoff hunt, the story of the night will be the Windy City weather.

Forecasters are calling for temperatures to dip to the lower teens with wind gusts as high as 20 mph. That’s not good news for Saints quarterback Drew Brees, whose passer efficiency rating at Soldier Field is 16 points below his career average. Bears linebacker Lance Briggs thinks Brees may be a bit too soft to play in the Chicago cold after Brees has spent his pro career playing in a warm city and indoors.

"Drew Brees has been in San Diego and in New Orleans in a dome,” Briggs said. "So when he comes out here, and he's got his hand-warmer fanny pack, it's a whole different ballgame. He's freezing; his blood is real thin."

In their past two trips to Chicago, the Saints have moved the ball well, but also have committed seven turnovers. The Bears defense also sacked the QB six times.

Last week, Chicago defeated Jacksonville 23-10 in 19-degree temperatures – minus 1 degree if you factor in wind chill. It was the coldest game ever in Jaguars history.

“If you talk to teams that aren’t from Chicago, believe me, they don’t want to come to Chicago this time of the year to play football,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “For us, it’s a part of our everyday life. It’s no issue with us.”

Flight Crew Weathers Turbulence Better than Jets

On Wednesdays during the NFL season, SI.com posts a photo gallery of some of the league’s cheerleaders from the previous week’s action. The week 13 gallery went online today, and four of the 28 images are of a soaking wet New York Jets Flight Crew. More than half of the gallery is photos of Chargers cheerleaders doing their thing in sunny San Diego and the Vikings gals cheering in the climate controlled Metrodome. Boring. Well, not boring, but you know what I mean. Enjoy the show.

Kirwan Writes about Our Two Favorite Subjects

I knew the rain poured in Tampa during the Bucs game Sunday, but I had no idea that there had been a tornado warning. But, one of my favorite NFL guys, Pat Kirwan did. In his NFL.com column this week, Kirwan delves into weather-related issues from Week 13 that include the importance of ball control through inclement conditions and how the Power I formation can be effective in poor weather. Kirwan also notes that when “rain, snow, and wind become factors, it looks like the fast players slow down and the big old fat linemen seem to get on a level playing field.” You can read Kirwan’s column in its entirety here.

(Photo by Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Cheering in the Rain

As I sift through the all the photos from rainy football games from the weekend, I think I've decided that this is my favorite. Why would it not be?

Tallahassee Soaker

According to a story on Gainesville.com, 1.34 inches of rain fell on Tallahassee Saturday. Much of the soaker occurred during the Florida Gators 45-15 win over state rival Florida State.