Well, you had to figure the weather worrywarts would start to think in worst-case, mother-of-all-storms scenarios with regard to Super Bowl XLVIII, the first Super Bowl to be played outdoors in a cold-weather site.
It didn't help that New Jersey governor Chris Christie just called a state of emergency on Tuesday. Or that 1,000 workers had to clear 13 inches of snow out of MetLife Stadium.
With that storm came the focus on the NFL's contingency plans, which include playing the game anywhere from Friday, Jan. 31 to Monday, Feb. 3. Unless this happens, you can count on the Super Bowl being played, as expected, on Sunday, Feb. 2.
The forecast for the game, by the way, is for a high of 40 degrees with a 30 percent chance of snow or rain. The game starts at 6:25 ET, so, yeah, it's going to be cold.
But don't worry about those poor souls paying hundreds of dollars for face-value tickets and thousands of dollars from scalpers. According to the NFL, each ticket-holder will get (be patient, this will take a while) ear muffs, a hat, a scarf, mittens, lip balm, a cup holder, a radio, a seat cushion, a waist-wrap thing like quarterbacks wear and tissues. No word on whether fans will have to apply the tissues themselves.
It appears the snow-removal team passed in its dress rehearsal this week. So bring on the cold, says NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
"We are embracing the weather," he said this week. "Football is played in the elements."
