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Roof collapse moves Vikings, Giants to Detroit
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
The collapsed Metrodome can be seen in Minneapolis Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010. The inflatable roof of the Metrodome collapsed Sunday after a snowstorm that dumped 17 inches on Minneapolis. No one was hurt, but the roof failure sent the NFL scrambling to find a new venue for the Vikings' game against the New York Giants.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Snow falls into the field from a hole in the collapsed roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis Sunday, Dec. 12, 2010. The inflatable roof of the Metrodome collapsed Sunday after a snowstorm that dumped 17 inches (43 cms) on Minneapolis. No one was hurt, but the roof failure sent the NFL scrambling to find a new venue for the Vikings' game against the New York Giants.
Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS
Brett Favre is getting help from the Minnesota Vikings medical staff, the athletic trainers and perhaps even the weather gods as he tries to keep his incredible consecutive starts record going.
The Vikings’ home game against the New York Giants was moved to tonight in Detroit after the Metrodome’s inflated roof collapsed in a snowstorm early Sunday.
No one was hurt.
The delay has given Favre more time to heal his sprained right shoulder, with his NFL-record streak of 297 straight regular season starts hanging in the balance.
“Joke goin round is Gods Tryin to preserve Bretts streak record,” Vikings receiver Bernard Berrian wrote on Twitter. “Lol!!”
Favre barely practiced all week. He’s listed as questionable for the game after getting hit hard and slammed to the turf on his first pass of last week’s game against the Buffalo Bills.
Favre sent a text message to USA Today on Sunday saying he doubts he will be able to play tonight “but it does buy a little time.”
Interim coach Leslie Frazier said the 41-year-old quarterback will still go through a pregame workout to determine if he’s able to play.
“From everything I’ve seen, there is still a possibility he could play, especially with an extra day,” Frazier said before the Vikings departed for Detroit.
The Vikings held a short walkthrough Sunday, but Favre did not do any throwing.
“Rest is as important as anything to him,” Frazier said, “and the fact that he’s actually going through the throwing motion, we’ll still get a chance to test some things out.”
The game originally was scheduled for Sunday and already had been pushed back because of the storm that dumped 17 inches of snow on Minneapolis.
But Metrodome officials told the league the roof wouldn’t be ready in time to play Monday or Tuesday. The league, which had discussions with New Orleans, St. Louis and Indianapolis, also briefly considered the University of Minnesota’s outdoor stadium before deciding to hold the game at Ford Field.
But, UM officials said TCF Bank Stadium was shut down for the winter and would take several days to prepare. Plus, removing all the snow, figuring out how to cram 64,000 Metrodome fans into a 50,000-seat stadium, and that the Giants did not bring cold-weather gear all combined to make that site problematic.
The NFL said Detroit was the best logistical fit given that Fox camera crews were already in town for the Lions’ game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.
“There are still a lot of logistics up in the air, but we will do everything we can to make this a quality NFL game for the Vikings and Giants,” Lions President Tom Lewand said.
The Vikings are refunding the cost of tickets to any fan who can’t make it to Detroit. Those that do will be given priority seating along the 50-yard line and the Lions will distribute free general admission tickets starting at 9 a.m.
The game will be broadcast in both local markets on Fox affiliates and also will be available as part of DirectTV’s Sunday Ticket package. It will be the first Monday night game at Ford Field and first in Michigan since the Pontiac Silverdome hosted one in 2001.
The Vikings are scheduled to host the Chicago Bears for a Monday night game next week, and Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission chairman Roy Terwilliger said he’s optimistic the roof can be repaired in time. That would take a lot of work, though, considering the size of the holes and the wintry conditions.