Vikings-Giants game moved to Detroit has 3 comments

Dec 12th 2010, 19:10 | FFN-Score: 60 points

he NFL moved Monday night's game between the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants to Detroit after the Metrodome's roof collapsed in a winter blizzard.

Kickoff at Ford Field will be 7:20 p.m. ET.

Ticket holders for the original Giants-Vikings game will be admitted and given preferred seating along the 50-yard line. Free general-admission tickets will be available at the Ford Field box office beginning at 9 a.m. ET.

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Refunds will be given to all original ticket holders.

The league briefly considered moving the game to the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Stadium, but the school said it couldn't be ready in time.

The Metrodome's Teflon roof failed about 5 a.m. Sunday after a blizzard dumped more than 17 inches of snow on the area Saturday. Metrodome facilities manager Steve Maki said he is optimistic the roof can be repaired in time for next Monday's game against the Chicago Bears.

The NFL considered other sites for the Giants-Vikings game after the Metrodome's inflated roof collapsed in a snowstorm. The New Orleans Saints said owner Tom Benson offered to host the game at the Superdome if needed.

Metrodome officials told the league Sunday the roof wouldn't be ready to play Monday or Tuesday, a delay that gives Vikings quarterback Brett Favre more time to heal his sprained shoulder and extend his NFL-record streak of 297 consecutive starts.

The game originally was scheduled for Sunday afternoon and already had been pushed back to Monday night because of the storm that dumped 17 inches of snow on Minneapolis.

The storm kept the Giants from flying to Minnesota on Saturday, forcing them to land in Kansas City, Mo., and stay there overnight.

The saga of the roof is the latest event in a trying season for the Vikings: the firing of coach Brad Childress, the investigation of Favre for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a New York Jets hostess 2008 and the disappointing play of a 5-7 team that had Super Bowl aspirations.


"I think this is officially the craziest season ever; now the roof collapses at the metrodome," Vikings defensive end Brian Robison said on Twitter. "Can't wait to see what happens now. Let's make it even crazier and just take the roof off and play outside."

Tweeted punter Chris Kluwe: "Just when you think you've seen it all, there's always tomorrow."

Favre has barely practiced all week. He's listed as questionable for the game after being hit hard and slammed to the turf on his first pass of last week's game against the Buffalo Bills.

"Joke goin round is Gods Tryin to preserve Bretts streak record," receiver Bernard Berrian tweeted. "Lol!!"

Concerns about high winds for the crew clearing snow from the roof prompted the commission on Saturday to recommend to the NFL that the game be moved from Sunday to Monday night.

Two of the dome's triangle-shaped panels were damaged, and workers were still assessing the situation, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission executive director Bill Lester said Sunday.

The roof is 10 acres of Teflon-coated fiberglass that is supported by 20 90-horsepower fans. It weighs roughly 580,000 pounds and has failed three times previously.

Less than two months after it opened in 1981, a storm that dumped more than 10 inches of snow on the Twin Cities caused the roof to partially deflate. A bolt tore through the fabric allowing air to escape and the roof came down. It took four days to repair the roof and re-inflate it.

The only time before Sunday that a game has been postponed because of roof failure was April 14, 1983, when a baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and California Angels had to be rescheduled.

Last season, an approaching snowstorm in Baltimore prompted a Sunday game between the Ravens and Chicago Bears to be bumped back three hours, but such a switch in this television-driven league is rare.

The Vikings weren't exactly enjoying a hassle-free weekend because they were home. Most players live in the suburbs near the team's offices and practice facility, about a 20-minute drive from the Metrodome without heavy traffic or tough conditions. They still had to make it to the downtown hotel where they stay the night before games.

Left tackle Bryant McKinnie announced on Twitter shortly after 6 p.m. local time his plan to be cautious: "Heading 2 the hotel, giving myself a 2 hour window 2 make it n this weather."

McKinnie checked in with an update a little later: "I made it 2 the hotel safely, it took us about 45 min, when its usually about 20 to 25! All good though."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.