We play in Chicago, in December...AGAIN! (1 Viewer)

[LSUFan]

I think the NFL secretly hates us and wants us to play in the cold!! I went last year and it was terrible!!! its too cold!

 

[cdogg]

At least this time its at night.....

 

[HOF_Smeenge]

At least this time its at night.....

yes...when it's even colder.

 

[scott88]

What's this? three years in a row?

 

[BoNcHiE]

What's this? three years in a row?

No. Two years in a row. We played them in the playoffs in 2006. That wasn't a scheduled game. In 2004 and 2005 they played us at home.

 

[HOF_Smeenge]

It is in December though, and by then the Saints will have wrapped up home field advantage in the playoffs, and most likely will be playing their second stringers (go get 'em Jason David) and the Bears, having no chance at the playoffs, will have nothing but pride to play for.

 

[Eeyore]

If my schedule holds up I will be off that day and will, more than likely, be there. I'll be happy but cold.

 

[antipop]

No. Two years in a row. We played them in the playoffs in 2006. That wasn't a scheduled game. In 2004 and 2005 they played us at home.

how soon we forget

 

[bravesoul99]

, and by then the Saints will have wrapped up home field advantage in the playoffs

by Dec 11th? Highly unliikely

 

[neworleanshoo]

At least this time its at night.....

... on 3 days rest

 

[pukenbowl]

They will also be on 3 days rest.
Also, they will have just played Jacksonville, along with the Vikings and Rams before that.
That's a lot of RB's to stop over three weeks for them. I expect them to be worn out more so than us.

 

[bagouser]

WHAT ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. Bring Chicago to the Dome and let's see how tough they are. Let us have the oppurtunity to make THEIR fans feel "at home".
Rubbish. Absolute Rubbish. At least it could have been early in the season.

 

[MSUSousaphone]

Would you rather a home game in New York?

Or in London....

 

[cruize]

Sooner or later the Saints are going to have to learn to win a cold weather game.

 

[CHI-TOWNSAINT]

WHAT ABSOLUTE GARBAGE. Bring Chicago to the Dome and let's see how tough they are. Let us have the oppurtunity to make THEIR fans feel "at home".
Rubbish. Absolute Rubbish. At least it could have been early in the season.

If we earn Homefield in the Playoffs we can.

 

[marccooper]

Maybe we could lobby the Saints to propose a rule to the NFL to further balance scheduling. The rule could go something like this:

When a team visits another in the regular season, on or after the Week 9 in an outdoor stadium, and experiences conditions defined as the inclement weather (which could be precisely defined based on temperature, rainfall, snow, and whether the hosting team uses longer cleats because of field conditions) that visiting team can by a letter of request guarantee that their next visit to that team will be scheduled on or before Week 8 of the regular season.

The NFL has many formulas to assure balance in competitive opportunity so this proposal should be a welcome addition.

This would not be a rule that would hurt outdoor northern teams, it would just make things even. Obviously every such team would be better off if all its southern indoor rivals visited late in the season. Obviously any other teams would rather visit early in the season unless they are accustomed to playing in such conditions and would rather their division rivals visit late in the season. Allowing affected teams to apply for an earlier visit on their next trip would balance it out and assure some rotation of seasonal timing that would make things much more even.

The reason northern teams have an unfair advantage is the luck of physics and the comfort of fans. A sweltering southern early September game could be just as hard on the Bears as a chilly northern December game is on the Saints. It could even be worse, Urlacher and Benson could leave the game with heat stroke and whine about how hard it is to play in New Orleans in September. The difference is that in cold conditions, fans can bundle up in thick jackets but players cannot. In sweltering conditions there is no way to make conditions acceptable for fans but tough on players. Fans cannot afford refrigeration suits. You cant economically air condition the fans but not the field in some open air stadium. So southern teams have to neutralize their natural advantage to keep fans comfortable, while northern teams can retain home field advantage conditions because fans can watch a game in thick layers of clothing but players cannot play in thick layers of clothing.