Sean Payton chose to practice indoors today rather than do a mock run thru the cold elements outside. When Duece was asked about playing in the elements he basically said that you should be able to play in whatever conditions you're given and that it shouldn't be an issue and that both teams must deal with it.
Intuitively, I think you're right. However, the Packers' record in sub-freezing temperatures tends to indicate otherwise. I think it naturally affects guys in that they can lose their focus, and the footing is different. I guess the widespread use of gloves have altered the effect on hands positions. Call me crazy, but Patch seems to have more zip on his ball this year than in previous years. His intermediate passes were like lasers last week. His dink and dunk wasn't very impressive, though that could be because I've been spoiled by David Carr. Of course Deuce doesn't care. He's probably more oblivious to his surroundings than any player in the league. I know I'm not the only one that remembers his focus on his coloring book when doing the NFL Draft show.
Snow??? In Los Angeles??? http://knbc.nbcweatherplus.com/weathernews/10773559/detail.html Fellas, I'm not going to lie...the Saints are going to the Super Bowl and Hell is beginning to freeze over, hence the cold weather all over the country.
Oh man, it was hilarious. As most of you know, the draft is my favorite two days of the year. Anyway, you know how they have the players table during the draft show? It's almost always got Cory Chavous and some other players and they chime in on what they think. It's very interesting stuff. Anyway, Deuce was on there a couple of years ago. He had something in front of him (that my buddy and I think was a coloring book) and dude was scribbling NON STOP. He rarely looked up over the course of the day. It was hilarious. He couldn't have seemed less interested in the draft OR MORE interested in whatever he was coloring in. It was a great moment in Deuce history.
I think cold really becomes an issue when the temp is far enough below freezing that everything is frozen ... the field, the ball, hands and feet, etc. That's also when it becomes a mental challenge. I recall seeing some of those Packer games (and Vikings when they played outdoors) when it was just bitterly cold. I do believe the home team has an advantage in those conditions as they are more acclimated to those conditions. Much like LSU as an advantage when teams have to visit Tiger Stadium in brutal heat of September. If the temps hang around 30, it shouldn't be a big deal. Sloppy field has me more concerned. That new turf they put down got torn up pretty good last week and you know footing is going to be a problem.
http://wwwa.accuweather.com/forecas...er&traveler=0&zipChg=1&zipcode=60601&metric=0 Only flurries according to this link. high 29, low 20. Not too bad. But the Dome would be vastly more comfortable.
