This is in Denver, Colorado. This is where the Bengals will play Sunday. This is, as some will have you believe, a huge distraction, not for the Bengals, but the Denver Broncos. TheSportsGuru at Mile High Report explains the snow has limited the Broncos ability to work out this week. "Add to that the 2 1/2 feet of snow that fell the past couple of days making simple tasks like getting to practice, or getting home, difficult. The team has been forced indoors, limiting what they can do and what plays they can work on. Cincinnati, on the other hand, has enjoyed milder than normal temperatures, getting their full allotment of work in." Rocky Mountain News discusses how the players found it rather difficult to get to practice under 521 feet of snow. The Denver Post does the same.
I remember this time last year, Cincinnati was nearly shutdown after 3,513 feet of snow. I also remember going shopping on the eve, with my mother (I was the only one with enough guts to drive on top of snow) and nearly dying. Not from the snow or other cars; rather hearing, "watch out for that car", "slow down", nag nag nag nag nag nag nag. After all that, I remember only getting a single gift card for someone. It totally wasn't worth it.
The Bengals plan to head out sometime today/tonight after Denver reopens their airport sometime this afternoon.
But is this a distraction? Well, obviously. Freaking DUH! But with Christmas around the corner and six billion feet of snow, I imagine players in Denver are having to dig deep to keep focus for Sunday's game. During a clear day, Bengals play-by-play voice, Brad Johansen, mentioned on the Two-minus-one-Angry Guys show, it takes 45 minutes to go from the airport to the hotel they'll be staying at. Distractions all around!
I'm sure both teams will be ready to play football Sunday. It's too important for their respective 2006 seasons to have a "let down".