Linemen football painting by John Robertson
Question: do linemen like playing on a rug called "SportexeMomentumTurf"? It is winter. Where is the snow? Where is the rain? Where is the mud?
The 2010 NFC Championship game at the Louisiana Superdome between the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings is this Sunday and they are playing it indoors. I never think of football being an indoor sport. Injured Minnesota Vikings defensive lineman Ray Edwards and defensive tackle Kevin Williams might as well play in their patient green hospital gowns. Linemen tend to live in obscurity, so why not play in the mud instead of inside 400,000 square feet of aluminum siding? Who needs to see the numbers on their jerseys? Hopefully not the refs.
Nineteen stadiums are grass fields on playing day — except in winter when some are ice or swamps. Neither the Vikings' Metrodome nor the Saints' Superdome have grass. Both teams play on a surface made in Peachtree City, Georgia. Do you think Saints Pro Bowl right tackle Jon Stinchcomb likes playing on a surface made in Peachtree? I hope Stinchcomb remembers the good old days playing on grass and dirt where the gophers roamed.
The line game is based on being physical. And nothing says more about a lineman than being physical in winter. It takes away the notion of assignment and techniques. It is more like using the "catch and release" method. Bear in mind: that place on the field is called "the trenches." With a good rain to contend with, it would be difficult for Saints pro bowl linemates Jonathan Goodwin, Jahri Evans, and Stinchcomb to "get crunk" in the mud.
The Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams had a great "Mud Bowl" game in a divisional playoff in 1967. Yes, I am that old. And the reason I remember it was because I was there, sitting in a torrential rainstorm. The muddy field was trampled into a virtual bog. Vikings 14, Rams 7. I loved watching the game in the rain. Those elements should be part of the play.
The only element the Vikings will face in New Orleans (barring another Hurricane Katrina) is the noise. They're even handing out earplugs to muffle the screaming at the Superdome. I would rather see a game played outdoors in a rainstorm where the coaches need to hand out snorkels.
Article comments
1 - FCEtier
John,
Welcome to Blogcritics. I enjoyed your article and your art. LA native here, did you ever get to see a game in the old Sugar Bowl (Tulane Stadium)?
2 - Sports Artist
Thanks for the welcome. I'm also a LA native. Never been to Tulane Stadium or Louisiana - for that matter. Most of my game watching has been here in Los Angeles.
3 - Baritone
While we oldsters (I'm 63) may have fond memories of watching or even playing in the cold, rain, mud and ice, I believe that as time goes on there will be fewer outdoor venues in the NFL. While northern tier fans take a huge sense of pride in being well beyond just fair weather fans, the move toward indoor climate controled stadiums continues. It's hard to imagine an indoor venue at say, Green Bay or Buffalo, but ultimately the tide may eventually catch them all.
It has to do, IMO, with TV. The outdoor venues, especially those in the north, are not particularly TV friendly. Equipment problems still create havoc from time to time when cameras and wiring gets too cold or too wet.
Changes in these older outdoor venues will not come quickly, but it may be hard to justify spending millions on a new stadium, say in Buffalo or Foxboro, Green Bay or Chicago that would not be enclosed.
In a side note, the "improvements" to Soldier Field in Chicago are, IMO, horrendous. The damn place looks like a flying sauce crash landed on top of it. It may be fine once inside, but it looks like hell when cruising up Lakeshore Drive. What were they thinking?
B
4 - Baritone
Oops. That should be "flying saucer." Although, flying "sauce" might have an interesting effect.
B
5 - Sports Artist
"Flying sauce" does works better for me