Sunday’s game between the Seahawks and Vikings is shaping up to be one of the coldest on record in NFL history, which means that players and coaches from both teams are spending time talking about the weather this week.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said, via the Seattle Times, “proper handling of the ball” is something that concerns him in cold weather games, something that will be on Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s mind along with the wind.
“The wind affects things more than anything does,” Zimmer said, via the Pioneer Press. “The cold is the cold. The ball’s going to be harder, a little more slippery. It’s going to [take] a lot of concentration when guys are on the field. Don’t really worry about the cold; worry about playing. Tackling will be big because of that.”
Seahawks running back Fred Jackson said his years of experience in Buffalo taught him that the weather is toughest when standing around on the sidelines. He has the same “cold is the cold” approach that Zimmer is taking to the game itself and says that you forget about the weather once you’re on the field getting hit.
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen agrees, saying players will “just deal with” the conditions in what will likely be the Vikings’ final home game outdoors before moving into a new stadium next year.