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Good story, and I think it bodes well for us that its gonna be 20 frickin degrees or less on Sunday. I love watching these snow games.
And thankfully, we have intelligent people managing our field (unlike in Pittsburgh) and the conditions on the ground will be at least manageable.
Good news for Ryan Grant owners :lol:
I loved the Warren Sapp quote, too. That guys just hilarious. :lol:
Raiders plan for Green Bay's winter wonderland
David White, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, December 6, 2007
(12-05) 18:45 PST -- Raiders coach Lane Kiffin let everyone in on a little secret Wednesday. If Lambeau Field freezes over in a blinding snowstorm Sunday, his team will know just what to do, and it has nothing to do with flare guns and sleds.
"There's a disaster weather plan, we call it," Kiffin said after practice on a 60ish-degree day in Alameda. "That's not necessarily 10 degrees. That's disaster weather, disastrous conditions, and we'll have that ready."
Good thinking, because Sunday's game against the Packers promises to be everything December in Green Bay is meant to be.
Highs in the 20s, lows in the teens, and snow all around. This is the stuff NFL Films are made of.
"It's football weather," cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha said.
Kiffin didn't formulate many bad-weather game plans at USC, so he started this week's worst-case mission by calling his father. Monte Kiffin is defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers, a sun-kissed team that used to frequent Green Bay for NFC Central get-togethers.
"He had all the answers," Kiffin said. "Then I remembered, 'Wait, you went 0-17 in your first 17 games that were under 40 degrees.' So he's got ideas, but I don't know that they're very good ones."
"He said be ready for Warren (Sapp) to have 10 layers of clothing on. He said it's a sight just to watch him dress and get ready for the game."
Kiffin wouldn't divulge the particulars, but his disaster plan may not be much different than the normal game plan: Run the ball, then run some more.
After all, Kiffin said he built this team to be a cold-weather offense, which means he prefers a punishing run game to a finesse game that demands optimal working conditions.
The offensive line loves the idea of running in the cold. Running back Justin Fargas is all for it.
"Knowing it could be a weather game, we'll commit to the run a little more," Fargas said. "It's all the better."
But don't those hits hurt more in the freezing cold?
"Well, yeah," Fargas said. "You just hope you get a good day out there where everything's not frozen. You might get your long sleeves, but there's no way to prepare for that weather."
"You have to look at it like you're not the only one out there dealing with it."
He's right. It's not like the Packers camp outdoors in that stuff. Fact is, they don't even practice outside. Green Bay uses an indoor facility all week, so its first exposure to the elements will be Sunday.
As far as Sapp is considered, Packers quarterback Brett Favre will have it just as tough throwing in a blizzard as Josh McCown or Daunte Culpepper.
"Let's say it like it is," Sapp said. "It don't become 80 and sunny when Favre's got the ball in his hand. It's still going to be whatever temperature it is, and everybody's got to deal with the elements.
"If we ain't (ready), we're going to show it in the first quarter."
Oakland hasn't played at Green Bay since the 1999 season opener, and left tackle Barry Sims is the only player left from that team. Their last winter trip to Green Bay was Dec. 26, 1993.
The Raiders lost that game, but they did win their last snow game - Nov. 28, 2004, at Denver.
Then again, who knows? Maybe Packers cornerback Al Harris was telling the truth when asked for a weather update on a teleconference call.
"Sunny," Harris said. "It's about 85. Everybody's in their convertibles today."
E-mail David White at [email protected].
Good story, and I think it bodes well for us that its gonna be 20 frickin degrees or less on Sunday. I love watching these snow games.
And thankfully, we have intelligent people managing our field (unlike in Pittsburgh) and the conditions on the ground will be at least manageable.
Good news for Ryan Grant owners :lol:
I loved the Warren Sapp quote, too. That guys just hilarious. :lol: