Sunday Sound Off 12/12

Bursting Our Bubble
Twenty inches of snow and an already postponed Vikings game was just too much for the Metrodome to handle, as the roof collapsed at approximately 5 a.m. on Sunday morning. The Minnesota Vikings had already postponed their matchup with the New York Giants until Monday due to the blizzard conditions in the Twin Cities, making travel for the Giants extremely difficult. In the early morning after this announcement was made, the Teflon roof of the facility came crashing down under the enormous amounts of snow that had accumulated during the storm. After the roof flattened, the fabric of the dome began to tear and allow a large amount of snow to spill into the stadium. Indoor cameras were able to capture the event as the prospect of playing an NFL game in the dome the next day became unthinkable. The NFL then decided that the best viable option for completing this game would be to have it played at Ford Field in Detroit, the home of the Detroit Lions. The idea of hosting the game at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium came up as well, but was shot down due to the unpreparedness of the stadium, and the amount of time allotted to complete the game. So the game will thus be played at a seemingly neutral site in Detroit at 6:20 central time Monday night.

The interesting part about this whole occurrence really isn't about the collapse of the Metrodome, but the timing of it all. Quarterback Brett Favre told Ed Werder today that he would not have played if the game would have been played as scheduled. Now, with the game not being until Monday night, Favre's prospect of playing is given another day. The other dimension of this comes in the outlook of the NFC North. With the Vikings sitting home on Sunday, unable to be in action, they were able to watch the two teams ahead of them lose. Both the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers lost on Sunday, which makes the Monday night game at Ford Field even more important for the Vikings. With a win, the Vikings would move to 6-7, and hope to welcome the division leading Bears to the repaired Metrodome next Monday night. Although the Vikings must win out to have any chance at making the playoffs, I think their main concern right now should be what this collapse does for their hopes of a new stadium. Los Angeles is calling, and their stadium doesn't have a huge hole to fill.