Browns-Bills Game May Be Moved

[RiverDog]

Apparently, there's a massive snowstorm heading for Buffalo, and they're considering alternative locations for Sunday's game:

To wit, the NFL is considering alternate sites for Sunday’s Browns-Bills game as the latest forecasts call for up to six feet of snow in the coming days in western New York, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

If the game must be moved from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., one site under consideration is Detroit’s Ford Field, home of the Lions. Other unnamed locations also are under consideration, and a decision on where the game will be played likely will have to be made by Friday, according to the Plain Dealer.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/11/17/brown ... o-blizzard

Six feet of snow! Holy Toledo!

Apparently, they want to keep the game relatively close to Buffalo, but who in the hell is going to want to drive 6-8 hours in 6 feet of snow.

[Old but Slow]

Wow. I would love to see a game in deep snow. And if it was actively snowing during the game, it would likely be mostly invisible. It would not be football as we know it, but as entertainment, it would be a blast.

They would have to keep checking the snow banks to make sure they haven't lost a DB.

[Hawktawk]

Wow. I would love to see a game in deep snow. And if it add was actively snowing during the game, it would likely be mostly invisible. It would not be football as we know it, but as entertainment, it would be a blast.

They would have to keep checking the snow banks to make sure they haven't lost a DB.

Hey they made Seattle play on jello .what gives ? It’s actually commendable of the league to be able to pull off the game . Hopefully it doesn’t snow in Seattle . Fast teams like a fast surface .

[RiverDog]

Wow. I would love to see a game in deep snow. And if it was actively snowing during the game, it would likely be mostly invisible. It would not be football as we know it, but as entertainment, it would be a blast.

They would have to keep checking the snow banks to make sure they haven't lost a DB.

Perhaps they could re-create that game where the guy on the Patriots grounds crew cleared off a spot for their FG kicker.

[Hawktawk]

It’s really biblical . Even if it’s 3 feet there’s nowhere to put it . Twice as bad if it’s actually 6 feet . It’s gonna stop that whole region . Air travel , everything will be affected . I’ve had to do snow removal as part of managing a country club with a huge clubhouse . I hate it , hate snow anytime I have anywhere to go somewhere or my team has a game .

[jshawaii22]

Going back to Detroit, where it's under a roof and the Bills also play there on Thanksgiving. NFL gets lucky again.

[RiverDog]

Going back to Detroit, where it's under a roof and the Bills also play there on Thanksgiving. NFL gets lucky again.

It works out for the Bills, but it sucks for the Bills fans. There's not much of a chance that many of them will travel to Detroit under the threat of 6' of snow.

The Bills are contemplating a new stadium and just unveiled its design, and it doesn't have a roof, retractable or otherwise. It's already heavily criticized as its being funded by $850 million in taxpayer funds, about 60% of the total cost, a record amount for a sporting venue. Moving the game due to an anticipated weather event is going to go over like a fart in church with those folks.

https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/27/buffalo ... adium.html

[Hawktawk]

Bad timing. I am not a fan of open stadiums in 2022. All should have a retractable roof . It’s not Bud Grant and Vince Lombardi . I want to be able to see world class athletes at their best without freezing my own sack off drenched in rain or snow . Call me what you want . I’ve paid my dues.
As for Buffalo they weren’t making it to their own stadium in 6 feet of snow . That’s why they have TVs. Just like German fans

Round up homeless people to go to the game .

[RiverDog]

Bad timing. I am not a fan of open stadiums in 2022. All should have a retractable roof . It’s not Bud Grant and Vince Lombardi . I want to be able to see world class athletes at their best without freezing my own sack off drenched in rain or snow . Call me what you want . I’ve paid my dues.
As for Buffalo they weren’t making it to their own stadium in 6 feet of snow . That’s why they have TVs. Just like German fans

Round up homeless people to go to the game .

I don't like going to games in the cold, rainy weather, either. But a lot of people don't mind it, and some even embrace it, look at it as a badge of honor.

I don't think it necessary that every stadium have a retractable roof. And world class athletes, or rather world class teams, are going to have to change to the conditions. You might as well play all 16 games each week at the same stadium and under the exact same conditions if you want to see games in a cookie cutter fashion.

[idhawkman]

Remember the fog bowl? Some of the most iconic games have been played in very adverse conditions. I wouldn't mind seeing a 6 ft snow game once but no more than once.

I hear they moved it to ford field in Detroit though.

[RiverDog]

Remember the fog bowl? Some of the most iconic games have been played in very adverse conditions. I wouldn't mind seeing a 6 ft snow game once but no more than once.

I hear they moved it to ford field in Detroit though.

Hey, it's an Idahawkman sighting! Welcome back, bro! Hope you stick around for more than just a cup of coffee.

If I remember correctly, perhaps 15 or so years ago, there was a playoff game, Eagles vs. Bears in Chicago, where the fog was so bad that the TV shots all had to come from the sidelines. Is that the game you are referring to?

And yes, the Browns-Bills game has been moved to Ford Field in Detroit, which is a domed stadium. I was there a couple months ago to watch Seahawks-Lions. Nice facility.

[Hawktawk]

I was gonna say hey ID sighting . Nice . I’ll clarify my thoughts on roofs . There’s no reason in the south . If you get rain or occasional snow it’s part of the game . There is also no excuse for an artificial field in these parts of the country but some prefer them for ease of maintenance and the speed of the game . When you talk about up north there’s 1 field I find acceptable . Green Bay. It’s a wonderful surface and really not a bank breaking solution . A roof over my head is a personal preference . I’ve sat and froze my ass one too many times . I remember a 9ers game in Seattle in 2009 and I bet the wind chill was zero . My wife and I wound up leaving 10 minutes early we were blocks of ice . No thanks . It’s as big a pipe dream as any but in 2022 playing football should be about the best players in the world exploding , not slipping and sliding around . More like the NBA. I hated the fog bowl. One of the dumbest games I ever tried unsuccessfully to watch .
The stupidest reason to do anything is because that’s how it’s always been done .

[Old but Slow]

Fog? Just bring in a few Cowboy and Bronco fans. They are so used to blowing smoke they could clean out a stadium in no time.

[RiverDog]

I was gonna say hey ID sighting . Nice . I’ll clarify my thoughts on roofs . There’s no reason in the south . If you get rain or occasional snow it’s part of the game . There is also no excuse for an artificial field in these parts of the country but some prefer them for ease of maintenance and the speed of the game . When you talk about up north there’s 1 field I find acceptable . Green Bay. It’s a wonderful surface and really not a bank breaking solution . A roof over my head is a personal preference . I’ve sat and froze my ass one too many times . I remember a 9ers game in Seattle in 2009 and I bet the wind chill was zero . My wife and I wound up leaving 10 minutes early we were blocks of ice . No thanks . It’s as big a pipe dream as any but in 2022 playing football should be about the best players in the world exploding , not slipping and sliding around . More like the NBA. I hated the fog bowl. One of the dumbest games I ever tried unsuccessfully to watch .
The stupidest reason to do anything is because that’s how it’s always been done .

Actually, there is a reason for roofs in the south. Have you ever been to Houston in September? It's 90 degrees and 90% humidity. Same with New Orleans. Or how about southern California, or Las Vegas or Phoenix? Ever been there in September? How would you like to be a 350 lb lineman with 50 pounds of equipment on in 100 degree heat?

And it's not always about the players. There have been fans that have had medical events in the kind of heat and humidity in some of those locations. If I recall, we played the Chargers in San Diego in September in 2014 if memory serves when it was 100 degrees in the old Murph where they had a number of fans in various stages of heat stroke.

Green Bay is a bit unique. They don't use it for any large events like they do in other cities. It's Packers only, so it's easy to maintain. But I agree, they do a very good job with that playing surface. I'm also not using it as an excuse, just that it's a lot easier for them than other locations.

And I'll throw in another thing about Lambeau. It is the worst stadium in the league for seating, or at least the worst I've been to. Virtually all bench seats with no backs and the stair risers in and out of the seating bowl are a good 15" high. It needs a renovation.

[RiverDog]

Take a look at the amount of snow that buried the Bills stadium:

https://dailysnark.com/2022/11/18/image ... qjtRd9UlEE

[Hawktawk]

https://dailysnark.com/2022/11/17/ford- ... on-sunday/
Looks like a bit more then opening the door and turning on the lights at Ford field too. This league will clearly do anything possible to insure a fast safe field for their teams in all instances.. .I hope they dont get Bill Leavys crew. Why didn't they make them play on Tuesday like Seattle last year when the Rams got covid but then we lost some guy's including Lockett in the meantime and that didn't matter?

God bless the chosen Bills. Good luck boys.

[RiverDog]

https://dailysnark.com/2022/11/17/ford-field-has-to-dismantle-huge-carnival-on-the-field-to-prepare-for-browns-bills-game-on-sunday/
Looks like a bit more then opening the door and turning on the lights at Ford field too. This league will clearly do anything possible to insure a fast safe field for their teams in all instances.. .I hope they dont get Bill Leavys crew. Why didn't they make them play on Tuesday like Seattle last year when the Rams got covid but then we lost some guy's including Lockett in the meantime and that didn't matter?

God bless the chosen Bills. Good luck boys.

That link of yours shows how difficult it would be to go with grass in all venues, particularly domed stadiums. Unlike Lambeau Field, those venues host all sorts of things like that carnival year round. And unlike Lambeau, which is owned by the Packers, Ford Field is owned by a public authority.

Most of the NFL's stadiums were financed by a certain percentage of public funds, some of which were put to a vote, and one of the justifications they used was that the venue would be a tourist magnet year round, and that activities there would generate enough tax revenue to help pay off the public's investment. That includes our stadium, Lumen Field.

If you want to put in a grass turf or other acceptable surface totally dedicated to football on each and every NFL stadium, you need complete control over all 30 venues, and in order to do that, the league needs to quit sucking off the public tit and start a stadium fund that would finance new stadium construction and buy out the public's share in existing stadiums so that teams have complete control over them. Then they could install whatever playing surface they so desire.

I floated a similar idea back when we had our last CBA negotiations, that the owners and players contribute to a stadium fund.

[Hawktawk]

Yes I get the issues with event traffic . I manage 140 acres of turf , more acreage then probably every turf field in the league put together . Even foot traffic up a tee or green bank creates weak turf . Frankly I think you could grow grass in most stadiums but in the more difficult environments they would have to be single use game day only . I think it’s a pipe dream to think the league would ever pay up . As you say it’s really the taxpayers anyway . I just feel in a league with this much money , with players so wealthy they are a franchise unto themselves it’s a travesty the lack of uniformity in field conditions , unsafe in many instances whether worn out synthetic or sick slick turf that gets people hurt and provides a sloppy product to boot . I’d love a shot to run the turf crew at a stadium , treat it like a golf course . It would be radioactive green

[idhawkman]

Hey, it's an Idahawkman sighting! Welcome back, bro! Hope you stick around for more than just a cup of coffee.

If I remember correctly, perhaps 15 or so years ago, there was a playoff game, Eagles vs. Bears in Chicago, where the fog was so bad that the TV shots all had to come from the sidelines. Is that the game you are referring to?

And yes, the Browns-Bills game has been moved to Ford Field in Detroit, which is a domed stadium. I was there a couple months ago to watch Seahawks-Lions. Nice facility.

Yeah I thought it was those two teams but I opulent remember where it was played. I was also thinking about the ice bowl game of Dallas vs GB.

My thought was that you need some extreme weather every now and then to make iconic games part of the overall flavor of the league. Moving this game was a missed opportunity to add to the flavor of the game.

I hope I can stick around too. I poke my head in every now and then but don't have as much time as I once did.

[RiverDog]

Yes I get the issues with event traffic . I manage 140 acres of turf , more acreage then probably every turf field in the league put together . Even foot traffic up a tee or green bank creates weak turf . Frankly I think you could grow grass in most stadiums but in the more difficult environments they would have to be single use game day only . I think it’s a pipe dream to think the league would ever pay up . As you say it’s really the taxpayers anyway . I just feel in a league with this much money , with players so wealthy they are a franchise unto themselves it’s a travesty the lack of uniformity in field conditions , unsafe in many instances whether worn out synthetic or sick slick turf that gets people hurt and provides a sloppy product to boot . I’d love a shot to run the turf crew at a stadium , treat it like a golf course . It would be radioactive green

The league will never move away from its current formula of squeezing as much money out of the taxpayers as they can even though they can afford to build every stadium without a penny of public funds. The problem is that they play cities against each other. If Buffalo's taxpayers refuse to pay for a new stadium, football thirsty fans in Portland or Birmingham will be more than willing to belly up to the bar. What they need is federal legislation prohibiting any taxpayer money being spent on professional sporting venues, and I'm not even sure that would be constitutional as you're telling states how they can spend their money.

BTW, I was mistaken about Lambeau Field. It is not owned by the Packers, it's publicly owned, too. Less than 1/4 of the stadiums are privately owned.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/ra ... nfl-teams/

[RiverDog]

Hey, it's an Idahawkman sighting! Welcome back, bro! Hope you stick around for more than just a cup of coffee.

If I remember correctly, perhaps 15 or so years ago, there was a playoff game, Eagles vs. Bears in Chicago, where the fog was so bad that the TV shots all had to come from the sidelines. Is that the game you are referring to?

And yes, the Browns-Bills game has been moved to Ford Field in Detroit, which is a domed stadium. I was there a couple months ago to watch Seahawks-Lions. Nice facility.

Yeah I thought it was those two teams but I opulent remember where it was played. I was also thinking about the ice bowl game of Dallas vs GB.

My thought was that you need some extreme weather every now and then to make iconic games part of the overall flavor of the league. Moving this game was a missed opportunity to add to the flavor of the game.

I hope I can stick around too. I poke my head in every now and then but don't have as much time as I once did.

I agree. I'm probably the few here that watched the Ice Bowl, the NFL Championship game between the Cowboys and Packers in the mid 60's with Bart Starr scoring the winning TD on a QB sneak. But I'll bet a number can remember the Bengals-Chargers playoff game played in -20 wind chill, or the Patriots-Raiders playoff game with the guy on the grounds crew clearing a path in the snow for the Pats kicker.

As long as it doesn't subject players and/or fans to an increased safety risk, like a lightning storm, the weather can make a game into some type of urban legend or novelty that makes things more interesting. It wouldn't be as much fun if every game was played according to some cookie cutter image where we didn't have those once in 4-5 year events that make it more memorable.

[NorthHawk]

Apparently, there's a massive snowstorm heading for Buffalo, and they're considering alternative locations for Sunday's game:

To wit, the NFL is considering alternate sites for Sunday’s Browns-Bills game as the latest forecasts call for up to six feet of snow in the coming days in western New York, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

If the game must be moved from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., one site under consideration is Detroit’s Ford Field, home of the Lions. Other unnamed locations also are under consideration, and a decision on where the game will be played likely will have to be made by Friday, according to the Plain Dealer.

https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/11/17/brown ... o-blizzard

Six feet of snow! Holy Toledo!

Apparently, they want to keep the game relatively close to Buffalo, but who in the hell is going to want to drive 6-8 hours in 6 feet of snow.

Some areas around Buffalo reported nearly 7 feet of snow by Saturday morning with others reporting 4 and 5 feet.
As well, it’s said to be heavy wet snow. I can’t imagine the weight on the roofs and decks with that amount of snow.

[RiverDog]

Some areas around Buffalo reported nearly 7 feet of snow by Saturday morning with others reporting 4 and 5 feet.
As well, it’s said to be heavy wet snow. I can’t imagine the weight on the roofs and decks with that amount of snow.

Yeah, lake effect snow. Storms blow in from the north and pick up moisture off the lakes then dump it on areas on the southern shore. Like someone said, it wouldn't have made any difference had the Bills been playing in a roofed stadium or not. With that much snow, no one's going to be able make it to the game anyway.

Buffalo is no stranger to heavy snowfall, so I'm sure that their structures are designed to withstand heavier than normal loads. If they're not, then they have no excuse as they've seen worse:

Buffalo has experience with dramatic lake-effect snowstorms, few worse than the one that struck in November 2014. That epic storm dumped 7 feet of snow on some communities over three days, collapsing roofs and trapping motorists in more than 100 vehicles on a lakeside stretch of the New York State Thruway.