Comments on: Outdoor Practice?

By: PackersGirlsRule

PackersGirlsRule — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:34:10 +0000

Weather was pretty bad back there Saturday – same practice style as always. I think the fact that they blew Seattle back to the Left Coast says it all.

What’s McCarthy supposed to do – get some snow and wind machines, only to have the weather do what it always does in Wisconsin – do something different than you were told it would.

Packers will be fine – maybe Clare will lend them her cats to keep them warm.

By: PackerBelle

PackerBelle — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 04:18:03 +0000

The weather probably did come as a surprise – the Packers weren’t living in Chicago. They are living in Green Bay and are faced with the temperatures every time they go outside. Heck, they are faced with it as they walk to and from practice to get to their cars. With the Chicago game they didn’t have that luxury. Even Favre (who isn’t normally rattled by weather) said it was the worst he’s ever played in. They have (hopefully) learned from the experience.

They also aren’t forcasting 40-50 MPH winds which seemed to affect the Packers more than the cold itself. Single digits is bad. Single digits with that strong of a wind is one hundred times worse. And the Pack had the worst side to be on for their bench.

Basically I think it comes down to expectations. The Packers are having to live in similar conditions and have experience with some of the worse conditions possible. They know to expect the worst. I don’t know if the Giants know that. They are playing in 30 degree weather to prepare for single digit or negative temps. Their expectations may be skewed and leave them unprepared for reality.

Then again, it could just be me being delusional due to wanting the Pack to win so badly.

By: sfhayes

sfhayes — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:22:48 +0000

I wish I were as confident. The entire team seemed a little off when we played the Bears, as if the weather came as a big surprise. It’s certainly true that 30-40 degrees isn’t the same as zero. But it’s closer than 68.7 or whatever it is indoors. I hope I’m wrong.

By: awhayes

awhayes — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 01:14:57 +0000

I agree with PackerBelle. I don’t think the outdoor practice issue is a big one. McCarthy has been consistent all year and it has proven to work. Frankly, one real advantage to having a young team is that the younger guys tend not to be as affected by things like weather as the old guys. I worry a bit about Favre being effective out there Sunday, but really, not the rest of the team.

By: PackerBelle

PackerBelle — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:57:04 +0000

However, there is a big difference between the mid-30s in the NY/NJ region and the negative or single digits temps we will see in Green Bay. If the Giants think practicing outside is going to be even close to comparable to what they will face, they are in for a huge shock. It could actually be counter productive. If the Giants start thinking it won’t be so bad because they’ve survived outside for practice, then when they face the actual game conditions because they’ve started thinking it won’t be so bad. Whereas the Packers are at least living in it (something they didn’t get to do with the Chicago game). They know it’s going to suck so they won’t (hopefully) have the same shock even without practicing outside.