Why can't the Eagles play tonight?
Why can't the Eagles play tonight? Here's what the NFL and team had to say about choosing Tuesday over Monday.
Why can't the Eagles play tonight?
Why can’t the Eagles play tonight? Once the NFL moved Sunday’s Eagles-Vikings game, the next question centered on the make-up date. Why not Monday night, which is at least a regular night for football and would give the Eagles more time to get ready for an important game Sunday against the Cowboys?
The Inquirer’s Bob Ford has an excellent take on this today, writing, “welcome to NFL Nation, where television is king and the fans and players are mere subjects to the crown. This is a system that has made the team owners very rich and, therefore, isn't one likely to change very soon.”
Of course, the league downplayed television considerations. Here is what the NFL and the Eagles had to say about the decision to move the game to Tuesday and the influence of TV, given the potential conflict between national showcases on ESPN and NBC Monday.
“The primary considerations were public safety and the uncertainty of whether the storm would enable us to play Monday. Tuesday night was much more certain,” NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in an e-mail we reported today.
Of course, that comment emphasizes public safety as concern number one, but doesn’t dismiss thoughts about TV ratings.
According to the league statement first announcing the change, the NFL was concerned that the winter storm warning would last until 1 p.m. Monday.
“Because of the uncertainty of the extent of (Sunday’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,” the NFL said in the statement it released Sunday.
The decision was up to the league, though the Eagles had input. They said they would have worked hard no matter when the game was played, without indicating a preference.
“We would have done the best that we could do whenever (the game) was. So if it was (Sunday), we were going to do our best, if it was (Monday) we were going to do our best, if it’s Tuesday we’re going to do our best,” said Eagles chief operating officer Don Smolenski.
“Monday, we would have worked as hard as we could. It’s hard to know what the timing of the storm is, when it ends, when the roads would be passable, so, we just would have gotten after it and done what we could.”
As you may have seen last night, the Eagles-Cowboys game Sunday was moved to 4:15 p.m., from 1. Today Jeff McLane broke down the Eagles playoff scenarios after Sunday’s games and Phil Sheridan had a look at how the day impacted the Birds. I had reactions from the Eagles and Vikings on the game’s delay, the impact on Adrian Peterson and word from NBC that Brett Favre is likely still out, even with extra time to heal.
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For what it's worth, I think the league made the right call in postponing Sunday night's game. I’m sure the players and fans could have toughed out the elements once they made it to the stadium: as many have pointed out, football has been played in the snow for decades and decades.
But having 70,000 people drive through a snowstorm that was at its worst shortly before the game would have been a recipe for tragedy. Fans would have been left to decide: drive through a storm, or see a ticket go to waste. (And yes, some would take public transit, but thousands of others wouldn't; and yes, there might be a car wreck any week, but the odds were significantly increased Sunday night). If there had been even one serious accident involving fans trying to fight through the snow, playing Sunday would have proved to be a short-sighted decision.
Many are using this decision to say the NFL has gotten soft. I disagree. The Vikings, after all, played a game last week in what reportedly felt like nine degree weather, with wind chill. You can argue that maybe the Eagles should play tonight, TV contracts or not, but preventing fans from driving through a snowstorm was responsible and smart.
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we ALL know why it's not Monday night. COMPETITION & ESPN's contract.
game should've been moved to play sunday at 1pm as was the original time.— tfcino1
The Eagles proved they're not mudders in Chicago and the snow would have given the Vikes a gamblers chance especially with Peterson. This works out best b/c we can now focus on beating the wounded Vikes and hopefully make the Cowboy's game irrelevant and rest everyone.— HighDrama- It's not personal....just business. If I was ESPN, I wouldn't want the Eagles game on tonight either....— beefbre
- IF: football has been played in snow for decades and decades; and IF: this is one the FIRST, if not THE FIRST time snow alone (with no stadium damage) has canceled an NFL game; and IF it was the "right" decision to cancel the game, then answer this question:
Has the NFL been making the "wrong" decision since its inception, by playing games in weather worse than that in Philly yesterday? Has the NFL been reckless with the lives of its fans for decades and decades? It turns out that the smartest league - financially - is really the dumbest?
What suddenly turned history and tradition into stupidity? Why cancel YESTERDAY'S game, and no other in history? NBC/ESPN Monday Night competition, 2 weeks in a row. That's the only distinction between last night's scheduled contest and the thousands that preceded it in similar weather.— montgomeryhopkins 
Contracts? You're kidding right? Since when did a contract, be it coaches (see Mike Singletary, Josh McDaniels), players (Redskins' Hainsworth) or a few weeks ago with two MNF games played. The NFL makes the rules to fit their convenience. The two networks involved could have met privately in some dark room and handshook on the decision to play both on Monday nite, one early, one late. God knows, they didn't have the fans with their pre-purchased tickets in mind when they considered rescheduling. The technology to forcasting weather patterns has come a long way from the early to late 20th century and the 'powers' would have looked like geniuses since the city did a knock out job in getting the city moving again. This goes to prove that the only force bigger than the NFL is the NFL itself. Why dilute it's product when they can milk another version of MNF (or SNF in this case) into another night?
am quite sure that in the next 3-4 years, we will have an SNF, MNF and a new TNF...Even the crappiest NFL game is typically Must See TV in today's dreary network times, the very successful NFL will offer new content on a national basis on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in short order. Watch for a consulting RFP to go out by next year and another exploratory game on Tuesday night by 2012— theJOJ
Comment removed.- Wow, what a totally random and irrelevant comment. Well done. — smfree31
- It's ironic that the power of TV and $$$ is forcing football to cancel games due to weather, while at the same time forcing baseball to play into November and some ugly weather.— NickEeee
- They can't play tonight because of $$$$$$$. ESPN and NBC paid billions for exclusive rights to Sunday and Monday night games. They should have played last night, but then the Eagles would have lost money on parking and concessions.
That's right, nobody making the decision cares about fan safety. They want as much of your money as they can get. That's when they stop caring if you live or die.— JSaq - Comment removed.
- An even better question, why didn't last week's game in Minnesota get canceled over concerns of fan safety? There were severe weather warnings, as well as a blizzard watch there. Guess the Vikings realized that they lost more money having the game in Detroit than in Minnesota, and said, just bring your wallets fans!— JSaq
- Are games cancelled in Green Bay, Pitt, Cleveland, Buffalo, etc.... b/c of snow? No, they are not. Why was this game cancelled? This sets a terrible precadence and was complete unnecessary.— Tar Heel 1
- Welcome to NFL Nation where television is king??? Where have you been the last 20 years?— smfree31
- how is playing a game Tuesday and then another on Sunday any different from playing a game on Sunday and then another on Thursday? Many teams do that throughout the season.— rwellsinbc
