Reid OK with postponement
The Philadelphia Inquirer Blog - Eagles
Reid OK with postponement
Jeff McLane, Inquirer Staff Writer
The Eagles-Vikings game that was scheduled for tonight at 8:20 p.m. has been moved to Tuesday 8 p.m. because of the blizzard that is hitting Philadelphia and the East Coast, the team said.
With Tuesday's game, the Eagles will now have only five days of rest in between the Vikings game and their final game of the season against the Cowboys. The Eagles host Dallas on Jan. 2 at 1 p.m. The Cowboys will have an additional day of rest having played against Arizona on Saturday. (They lost, 27-26.)
"I don't think it's a problem," Eagles coach Andy Reid said about the short week. "I think we'll be all right. We've had Monday games, Sunday night games, we had a Thursday game, so we've been through a lot of this already, and that will help us. We'll be fine."
Reid said that he'll give his players off Wednesday and then get back to work on Thursday in preparation for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.
The game will still be broadcast on NBC-10. It was originally set to be played at 1 p.m., but the NFL's flex scheduling allowed for the game to moved back into prime time. The Eagles-Cowboys start could also be changed.
With ESPN's Monday night game set between the Saints and Falcons, the league likely moved the Eagles-Vikings game back two days to avoid a conflict. The NFL released the following statement:
"Due to public safety concerns in light of today's snow emergency in Philadelphia, tonight's Vikings-Eagles game has been postponed. Because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight's storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night at 8 pm. This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared. The National Weather Service states that a winter storm warning in Philadelphia remains in effect until 1 pm on Monday. NBC will televise the game nationally."
"We're OK with it," Reid said. "We're organized and prepared for this, and we completely support what the league did from a safety standpoint for everybody. We got the guys out of the hotel and home, and they'll come back for a walk through tomorrow and then to the hotel, and it will be just like a Saturday night before a Sunday game."
Some players have gone to Twitter to voice their disdain for the decision.
"This sucks man," wrote running back LeSean McCoy.
"Pissed," wrote receiver Jeremy Maclin.
The extra time off could also benefit the Vikings. Quarterback Brett Frave was doubtful for the game because of the concussion he suffered last week and because of a lingering shoulder injury. Two extra days of rest could be what Favre needed in order to play.
The Philadelphia area is expecting its first storm of the winter with accumulations expected to exceed a foot in South Jersey. Philadelphia and west could get as much as a foot of snow. Mayor Michael Nutter declared a state of emergency to begin at 2 p.m. in the city.
A couple of today's games still affect the Eagles, in particular the 4:15 p.m. matchup between the N.Y. Giants and Green Bay. If the Giants lose the Eagles clinch the NFC East and a playoff spot. A victory by New York, however, means that the Eagles would still need to win on Tuesday if they wanted to clinch first in the division with one game to play.
The 1 p.m. game between Chicago and the N.Y. Jets also has implications for the Eagles. If Chicago loses and the Eagles win their final two games of the season they would secure the NFC No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Win or lose, though, the Eagles will have something to play for against the Cowboys.
The No. 1 seed is still up for grabs, but the Eagles would need a laundry list of scenarios to play out for that to happen.
complete joke, goodell has ruined football— tooltime- Wow! Does this mean the Birds won't activate Steve van Buren?— dasher
- A) It should NEVER have been flexed - and if that was the case, MOVE IT BACK so we can watch two NFL teams looking to get in, either Giants/Pack game or Bears/Jets B)....really? You are cancelling an NFL FOOTBALL GAME because of freaking SNOW?!!! Sooooo, no one remembers the Vikings when they were the Vikings then? Or have they ever seen a game in Buffalo? and C) Nutter and Goodell can suck it: I hope Philly only gets three inches to completely embarrass these idiots so this will never happen again. LAME, TOTALLY LAME!!!!— dr.elektrika
- This is an OUTRAGE!!! I wait 21 frickin seasons to see a game in the snow and the NFL decides to postpone not one, but two nights. This just makes it a bigger pain in the rear end for everyone.— chasemutley
- George Carlin's bit on football vs. baseball no longer applies. What a bunch of skirts. Mommy won't let you play in the snow.
— Relocator - What would be STUPID IF THEY DID NOT Cancel... people die out in blizzards like this. They pay big money and can't get there or get stuck in the parking lot in freezing weather. Who really cares if it is another day!?! Especially to maybe save a life... Hello!— iluvmyeagles
- Its football for crying out load!! — BG in So.Cal
Comment removed.- So, how many people have died en route to or from all other previous NFL games played in snow? How many deaths from those games? Or, why would last night's game have caused so many deaths, in the absence of such carnage on all such earlier occasions? — montgomeryhopkins
- Comment removed.
- Flurries in Chicago----Better get the guys off the field. This could get ugly.— bornphilly
- Very bad. Gives Favre 2 extra days to get healthy, and only gives team 4 days to prepare for Pukeboys. NFL screws Birds once again!— BG in So.Cal
- Who ever heard of an NFL game called because of weather?— greenflyer
How come I'm not able to respond to specific posts, or "like" or "not like" a particular comment? Is it because I'm on a MAC? I was able to do it on one article just once, but never since. AND, very annoyed there's no game today. Tuesday night sounds like an omen of bad things to come.
