Eagles-Rams Game Likely a Mess

[i_am_the_swammi]

Just an FYI....we are expecting 2-4 inches of rain here in the Philly area, starting late tonight and continuing until early AM on Sunday.

 

To compund the issues, the Temple Owls will be playing at the Linc Saturday afternoon, rain or shine, so the filed will be uncovered and abused for 3+ hours in a downpour.

 

Extra points

Heavy rain in the forecast for tomorrow could make getting the field ready for Sunday's game a challenge. Typically, the field would be covered, but Temple is scheduled to play Connecticut at noon tomorrow at the Linc, giving Tony Leonard's field crew a small window to get the field ready for the 1 p.m. game.

 

Those expecting a fast-track shootout may be disappointed....it will likely be a muddy mess.

 

EDIT: updated forecast...thanks Hugh!

Edited September 5, 2008 by i_am_the_swammi

[Hat Trick]

going against McNabb I hope Westy runs all day long

[Scourge]

Where did you hear 5-8 inches of rain? That would flood out the whole area. Here is the forcast I am seeing...

 

Today: Sun and clouds mixed. High 86F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Overcast with showers at times. Low around 70F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.

Tomorrow: Cloudy and windy with periods of rain. High 77F. Winds ESE at 20 to 30 mph. Rainfall possibly over one inch. Higher wind gusts possible.

Tomorrow night: Windy. Rain showers in the evening becoming less numerous overnight. Low 68F. Winds N at 20 to 30 mph. Chance of rain 60%. Higher wind gusts possible.

Sunday: Windy with times of sun and clouds. Highs in the mid 80s and lows in the low 60s.

 

Still, it could be a muddy mess...But 5-8 inches??? That would be rediculous..

 

The wind is more concerning to me.. Could be a smashmouth game...

Edited September 5, 2008 by Scourge

[BeeR]

This is the guy who predicted NE would not win the division, give him a break.

 

 

[i_am_the_swammi]

This is the guy who predicted NE would not win the division, give him a break.

 

 

 

[Hugh-mongus]

Accuweather is saying 2-4.

[Grimm74]

I guess im a moron. i thought philly had feild turf.

[Shorttynaz]

According to Weather.com (http://www.weather.com/weather/weekend/USPA1276?from=36hr_topnav_undeclared) they're expecting up to an inch of rain tomorrow & 30 MPH winds..

 

Sunday?? Windy at times with sun and clouds. Precipitation percent?? 20%.

 

NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT HERE.. START YOUR STUDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited September 5, 2008 by Shorttynaz

[detlef]

I guess im a moron. i thought philly had feild turf.

I was under the same impression. Not that you're a moran, mind you, about the turf.

[ABearWithFurniture]

I guess im a moron. i thought philly had feild turf.

 

Only in the stadium dungeon...

[i_am_the_swammi]

Lincoln Financial Field: Natural grass by Tuckahoe Farms with synthetic fiber added by DD Grassmaster resulting in 97 percent natural, 3 synthetic turf for the field.

 

Same surface that Pittsburgh/Miami game was played on last yaer, for those that remmeber that mud-fest.

 

Here's a read from this past February about how bad the field can get after rain/heavy usage:

 

February 01, 2008

About the Linc's Turf

 

Complaints about the hybrid natural/artificial grass surface at the Linc are once again coming to a head:

 

Lincoln Financial Field might be a great place to watch a game, but it isn't a great place to play one. Players association president Troy Vincent said the consensus of the league's players is that the DD Grassmaster fields at the Linc and Pittsburgh's Heinz Field are the worst playing surfaces in the league.

 

"Philly and Pittsburgh, take your pick," said Vincent, a former Eagles cornerback. "They're the two worst fields to play on. Sloppy, muddy. And it wasn't just the skill-position guys saying that. It was the interior-play guys saying that the surface was pretty tough to play on."

 

Both fields had to be re-sodded during the season.

 

Gene Upshaw said he'd like to see both the Eagles and Steelers switch to FieldTurf, which is what the Seattle Seahawks have at Qwest Field. In a survey of players 2 years ago, Qwest was overwhelmingly voted the league's best playing surface.

 

There are two issues here, and the first one is easier to handle. The Linc's turf is fine. It's not the surface -- it's the use.

 

The DD Grassmaster field the Eagles have isn't just used in Pittsburgh, it's also in place in Green Bay, Denver and a whole bunch of other places worldwide. It's basically a normal grass field, reinforced with plastic fibers, as described on the company's website:

 

DD GrassMaster is a revolutionary invention, whereby the natural grass surface and root system are stabilized by synthetic fibers. The fibers act like indestructible grass blades, protecting the natural grass and thus preventing divots and mud holes... The surface is a 100% natural grass field. The amount of artificial grass fibers added is approximately 3%.

 

So why use it? Here's the advantage (and it's all economic):

 

The annual DD GrassMaster field use amounts to approximately 850-900 hours. In comparison, a normal natural grass field can handle only 300 hours per year. On some heavily used pitches in The Netherlands, the DD GrassMaster surface is used for over 700 games per year. This equals about 1,300 hours of use in one year.

 

And there you go. What this means is that the Eagles can have a natural grass field for their teams (which they like) but then also schedule more non-Eagles events to bring in additional revenue.

 

Whenever there's a problem with one of these fields, you'll always read some variation of: "The field is fine, but we had a concert on Wednesday, a college game yesterday and then only 24 hours to get things patched up." That Monday night game Pittsburgh played earlier this year where the field was such a mess? Here's your problem:

 

The day before the game, team officials opted for an emergency lying of sod after the stadium hosted the WPIAL high school playoffs and a University of Pittsburgh game, leaving the field a mess.

 

And this:

 

The sod had been in place less than a day, put down hurriedly after five high school and college games last weekend chewed up the old turf. While the grass was new and plush, installing it atop the old field meant it didn't drain as well.

 

Um yeah, I think that would be an issue. Teams are overusing this surface, treating it like it's artificial when really it needs time to recover. Especially because the type of use you see with a football game is very different (concentrated/centralized) than with a soccer game on the same field somewhere else in the world.

 

The second issue goes to the heart of the larger turf/grass debate. Not to get too far afield here, but I think it's fair to say that where you stand on this issue is a good indicator of how you see the world. The people who aren't willing to put up with some mucky field issues generally have a "progressive" mindset towards things. Everything can always be made better and if we just keep looking for the newest technology and the most perfect solutions, we'll be able to have a world/field without imperfections.

 

The grass people would argue instead that there's value in the traditional way of doing things; a uniform field across all stadiums scrubs out some of the regional variations that make things more interesting (this is the NFC BEAST, after all); and that if you think teams are just making turf decisions to suit their playing style then you'll need to explain the grass / west coast offense fit here in Philly.

[i_am_the_swammi]

AP Update from 23 minutes ago:

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080905/ap_on_...cal_weather_224

 

Tropical Storm Hanna set to soak US East Coast

By KEVIN MAURER, Associated Press Writer

23 minutes ago

 

HOLDEN BEACH, N.C. - Beach vacationers in the Carolinas packed up and headed inland Friday as Tropical Storm Hanna cruised steadily toward the coast, while others decided to ride out the fast-moving storm that had only a slight chance to become a small hurricane before crashing ashore overnight.

 

The storm will likely wash out the weekend from the Carolinas to Maine. Tropical storm watches or warnings ran from Georgia to Rhode Island, and included all of Chesapeake Bay, the Washington D.C. area and Long Island.

 

As the first rain started to fall on the popular barrier island beaches south of Wilmington, Sam Owens packed up the camper he brought from State College, Pa., to the dunes that line the ocean side of Holden Beach. He had rented a spot for four months, but the campground's owners said the high winds Hanna will bring with her meant it was time to go.

 

"We have to be out by noon and that is what we are going to do," said Owens, 56-year-old retired Marine. "I hope I can come back because either way I have to pay."

 

The latest forecast called on Hanna to make landfall on the northern coast of South Carolina around 2 a.m. Saturday before marching quickly up the Atlantic seaboard and pushing into New England by early Sunday morning. Hanna was expected to dump several inches of rain on in North and South Carolina, as well as central Virginia, Maryland and southeastern Pennsylvania.

 

Some spots could see up to 10 inches of rain, and forecasters warned of the potential for flash flooding in the northern mid-Atlantic states and southern New England.

 

"This is not just not going to be a coastal issue and we need to be aware of that," North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley said Friday. "This is a very, very large storm, a huge low pressure system, so the winds and the rain are going to be widespread north and south as well as east and west."

 

In Charleston, Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. said there was no reason to flee, but urged residents to stay inside when Hanna blows through with wind gusts that could reach 65 mph.

 

"Stay home, protect yourself, look out for your neighbors and we will get through this just fine," he said.

[Square]

Well, I have Sjax and I'm playing the Westbrook owner (who also happens to be my older brother) this week. Hopefully it ends up a wash. I don't think I have the marbles to start J stewart or Chris Johnson this week (using Ricky W. as my flex since S. smith is out). As long as both teams are either in a shootout or slop fest...I'll take it.

[FordFairlane]

I drafted the Green Bay Packers DST, but this is making me consider picking up the Eagles D for the opener.

[Randall]

going against McNabb I hope Westy runs all day long

 

 

I hope Ray Rice does too in Baltimore.

[i_am_the_swammi]

Could get nasty later this PM...from today's Inquirer (and yes, Philly is about 55 miles west of the Jersey Shore)....strom has slowed, and all we have had thus far is showers:

 

Tropical Storm Hanna likely to hit region today with rain, winds

By Anthony R. Wood

 

Inquirer Staff Writer

 

Tropical Storm Hanna is threatening the region with up to two months' worth of rain and gale-force winds today, and widespread power outages and road flooding appear to be all but a certainty.

 

The center of Hanna is forecast to pass close to the Jersey Shore later this afternoon. The heaviest rains - up to seven inches - would fall to the west of the storm, and the wind gusts, up to 60 m.p.h., would be strongest at the Shore.

 

Tropical-storm warnings are in effect from Delaware Bay to Sandy Hook, and sustained winds of 39 m.p.h. or higher are forecast as far west as the Pennsylvania suburbs.

 

Coming after a generally dry summer, soaking rains and strong winds from the east are likely to take a toll on trees and power lines.

 

"We can anticipate widespread tree damage," said Peco Energy spokesman Michael Wood. "It's not unusual to have entire trees topple over with conditions like this." Trees are conditioned to winds from the west and are more vulnerable to strong east winds, which occur less frequently.

 

Hanna, following the path of a typical nor'easter, was forecast to race quickly up the coast and be north of New Jersey by nightfall, with the strongest winds during the afternoon. Along the way, it was expected to have some effect on as many as 40 million people in the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, with tropical-storm advisories in effect from Georgia to Martha's Vineyard.

[MERLINS]

Lets go SJAX!!!!

[NAUgrad]

Living here in Raleigh, I can tell you that the topical storm was not much. A little rain, I'm guessing 2' and some gusty wind, but basically nothing. There is no way a tropical storm strengthens as it moves inland. I'm playing McNabb and am not worried about the weather.

[HowboutthemCowboys]

Lets go WESTBROOK!!!!

fixed

[Rileyrott]

.........I'm playing McNabb and am not worried about the weather.

 

Me too! But not LJ!

[loaf]

I'm starting McNabb and not worried one bit

[rai]

what does that mean for de-sean jackson as the starter?

[kcmast]

Looks like the weather is clearing up. Any homers provide more info???

 

Weather.com

[Zooty]

The story I heard on local sports talk radio was that it didn't start raining heavy till about 2:30. Once the Temple game ended, the field was covered.

 

Its done raining now so I imagine that they'll uncover it in the AM or overnite. It still a little breezy so that should help dry it out. Its also supposed to be fairly warm so I would imagine that it might not be that bad by gametime

[Avernus]

Looks like the weather is clearing up. Any homers provide more info???

 

Weather.com

 

apparently it's sunny/partly cloudy tomorrow...