Minnesota field "unplayable" according to Vikings player

[Ralph Wiggum]

Minnesota Vikings punter Chris Kluwe deemed the Vikings’ temporary home field at TCF Bank Stadium "unplayable" Sunday, myFOXtwincities.com reported.

Kluwe said he hopes "that no one gets catastrophically injured" during the "the trainwreck that's about to take place [Monday] night" via twitter following a walkthrough practice at TCF Bank Stadium field.  Kluwe said that the NFL's decision to make the Vikings and Bears play Monday night's game at the University of Minnesota's home stadium, where the field had to be cleared of snow and the artificial turf remains rock hard according to Kluwe, is "beyond hypocritical."

"I find it interesting that the NFL can claim an emphasis on player safety, and then tell us the field is fine. It's beyond hypocritical," Kluwe said.  Kluwe continued to say that the artificial surface, being heated by a tarp, was as hard as concrete 90 minutes after the cover was removed.



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[NHSparky]

Put in another Kotex.

What would you have done back when the Vikes played OUTSIDE, ALL SEASON?

These are not the Vikings of Fran Tarkenton, Chris Carter, John Randle, and the Purple People Eaters.

Ya'll, are, to be nice, a bunch of purple-clad pussies.

[Odin's Hand]

F*cking punters...

The Vikings played in the elements all through the Bud Grant years.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Put in another Kotex.

What would you have done back when the Vikes played OUTSIDE, ALL SEASON?

These are not the Vikings of Fran Tarkenton, Chris Carter, John Randle, and the Purple People Eaters.

Ya'll, are, to be nice, a bunch of purple-clad pussies.

To be fair, the concerns I've heard are that the field isn't heated, which is common if not standard in the cold weather stadiums. 

The NFL is preaching safety and basically outlawing/penalizing/fining for any moderately dangerous hits, but has no problem with playing on this field.  Hypocrites.

Should be interesting to watch tonight.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Heh, heh, heh....

As much as five inches of snow expected for tonight's Vikings/Bears game

For all the talk about the hard playing surface at TCF Bank Stadium, the biggest issue Monday night when the Minnesota Vikings host the Chicago Bears may be the slickness of the field.

The Minneapolis area is expected to get four to six inches of snow from daytime through the end of the game, according to Accuweather.com. All that precipitation on an artificial surface could lead to severe footing problems, which is one reason the Bears moved Saturday's practice to Northwestern University, so they could become better acclimated to playing outside on turf.

The game-time temperature is expected to be 19 degrees with a wind chill of minus-1. Snow began falling at approximately 10 a.m. CT.

All NFL fields have heating coils underneath to combat icy conditions, but because snow tore a hole in the Metrodome roof, the game was moved to TCF Bank Stadium on the campus of the University of Minnesota. The school's field does not have heating coils beneath it.

[dutch508]

It's gonna be like the old days.


 

[Ralph Wiggum]

Brett Favre upgraded to questionable

So maybe Brett Favre isn't quite done yet.

The Minnesota Vikings upgraded Favre to questionable for Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears, meaning the 41-year-old quarterback could be under center at snowy TCF Bank Stadium on what's expected to be a slippery, rock-hard surface.

The team announced on its website that Favre's status was changed from "out" to "questionable," and said he will throw about two hours before kickoff to test his sprained right shoulder. He missed last week's game against the Giants, ending his NFL record streak of consecutive starts at 297.

Team officials informed the NFL and the Bears on Monday morning that Favre was feeling better and would try to play.

Favre is skeptical but curious, sources told ESPN's Ed Werder. He woke up this morning with the gut feeling that he might be able to play and decided to act upon it. He spoke with interim head coach Leslie Frazier and trainer Eric Sugerman and it was decided he would throw pregame.

[debk]

It's gonna be like the old days.


 

smash mouth football!! 

[DLR Pyro]

To be fair, the concerns I've heard are that the field isn't heated, which is common if not standard in the cold weather stadiums. 

The *****ification of America continues.....

[formerlurker]

Kluwe continued to say that the artificial surface, being heated by a tarp, was as hard as concrete 90 minutes after the cover was removed.

Yeah, I would be concerned about that.  Horrible artificial surface frozen solid?   they are going to get really roughed up tonight and not from smash mouth football.

[Thor]

What a bunch of wimps!!

I fondly recall playing football, one on one on a New Year's day in Texas. We had an ice storm the night before and all of the blades of St. Augustine grass were covered in ice. It hurt like hell when we fell, but we manned up and played anyways.  And...... in the stadium, I doubt that they will feel the FULL effect of the wind chill, so they just need to quit whining.

[formerlurker]

MINNEAPOLIS -- Just returned from a quick, early trip to the field at TCF Bank Stadium. More than anything, it's just really messy down there.

According to the NFL, the field was 35 degrees while heaters blew warm air under the tarp. The heaters were shut down a little before 4 p.m. ET, and at about 4:50 p.m. ET, grounds crew workers began removing the tarp. The only part of the field I could check out is the far perimeter, which not surprisingly is pretty hard.

In the meantime, grounds crew workers are shoveling and plowing snow into piles in two corners of the stadium. As long as the snow continues to fall at this rate, it will require constant effort to keep the field relatively free of snow.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcnorth/post/_/id/21374/tarp-removal-process-begins

[formerlurker]

What a bunch of wimps!!

I fondly recall playing football, one on one on a New Year's day in Texas. We had an ice storm the night before and all of the blades of St. Augustine grass were covered in ice. It hurt like hell when we fell, but we manned up and played anyways.  And...... in the stadium, I doubt that they will feel the FULL effect of the wind chill, so they just need to quit whining.

I don't know if it is the snow and ice they are worried about.  Crappy artificial turf can end your career.   Rock-solid-concrete-like artificial turf?  Ouch. 

[debk]

I don't know if it is the snow and ice they are worried about.  Crappy artificial turf can end your career.   Rock-solid-concrete-like artificial turf?  Ouch. 

Isn't artificial turf put on asphalt or concrete?

[formerlurker]

Isn't artificial turf put on asphalt or concrete?

That is why most stadiums have the rubberized turf.  I don't think this stadium does.

[formerlurker]

Actually, they have the fieldturf which is the good stuff.   I have no idea if any team has played on it there during this type of weather conditions though.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/07/prweb4233794.htm

[Ralph Wiggum]

Actually, they have the fieldturf which is the good stuff.   I have no idea if any team has played on it there during this type of weather conditions though.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/07/prweb4233794.htm

The last game at TCF Bank was the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa, sometime in mid-late November.  Quite a bit of snow & cold since that game.

[formerlurker]

The last game at TCF Bank was the Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. Iowa, sometime in mid-late November.  Quite a bit of snow & cold since that game.

Yeah, with no one maintaining it.   The field is a mess, ESPN is blogging about it.   Anyone gets seriously hurt then the NFL will have some explaining to do.

[debk]

Actually, they have the fieldturf which is the good stuff.   I have no idea if any team has played on it there during this type of weather conditions though.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2010/07/prweb4233794.htm

In the last century - when I was in college - the football field was astroturf on top of asphalt. The field had a bit of a rise down the center so the field would drain.

I dated a soccer player through most of college, and was a Sigma Chi little sister and most of them were soccer players. They hated playing in the football stadium because when they hit after doing those kicks in the air and landing on their backs, was quite painful. My boyfriend ended up with 3 concussions in about 4 or 5 weeks from going up for those kicks, then hitting his head on the 'turf when he came down. He couldn't play soccer anymore after the 3rd one, doctors were afraid a 4th would kill him. Lost his scholarship. 

This could be a dangerous game for these guys. Neither team is used to fields like the one they will be playing on, are they?

[Carl]

They announced that Favre will start.

He needs to just let the season end and hope most will eventually forget this last season.

[Odin's Hand]

The players are now saying that the field is even better than the HHH Metrodome's. Another case of a punter trying to pull the real players down to his level.

[Mike220]

was a Sigma Chi little sister

I'm sorry. 

[formerlurker]

In the last century - when I was in college - the football field was astroturf on top of asphalt. The field had a bit of a rise down the center so the field would drain.

I dated a soccer player through most of college, and was a Sigma Chi little sister and most of them were soccer players. They hated playing in the football stadium because when they hit after doing those kicks in the air and landing on their backs, was quite painful. My boyfriend ended up with 3 concussions in about 4 or 5 weeks from going up for those kicks, then hitting his head on the 'turf when he came down. He couldn't play soccer anymore after the 3rd one, doctors were afraid a 4th would kill him. Lost his scholarship. 

This could be a dangerous game for these guys. Neither team is used to fields like the one they will be playing on, are they?

OMG that is horrible.

I don't they are used to this type of field.

[debk]

Been watching the game....

Did anybody see those idiot guys with the body paint and no shirts on?

Obviously they must be using alcohol for antifreeze, but I would think they would get frostbite!! Isn't the chill temp below 0?

Making me cold just watching it....

[Revolution]

They announced that Favre will start.

He needs to just let the season end and hope most will eventually forget this last season.

  I kind of hate to say I'm happy all over, but....

Shadenfreude knows what I'm talking about. If she's watched the game at all.