Phillip Rivers

[BillsNick]

By: MICHAEL KLITZING - Staff Writer SAN DIEGO ---- Philip Rivers had a simple assessment after watching the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers slug it out in a snowstorm on Monday night.

"It looked pretty rough," the Chargers quarterback said after completing practice Thursday afternoon in the warm California sun.

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He soon will know for sure.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=photo align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>According to the National Weather Service, conditions in Orchard Park, N.Y., are expected to be frigid on Sunday when the Chargers play the Buffalo Bills.

The high is forecasted at 35 degrees with a 40 percent chance of snow.

While that could be worse for upstate New York this time of year, it's also a far cry from San Diego. Rivers, an Alabama native who played his college ball at North Carolina State, has never before played a game in snow.

Chargers guard Mike Goff, a former Cincinnati Bengal and an Iowa alumnus, has a better idea of what to expect. The veteran recalls playing in one Bengals game where the temperature reached minus-27.

"I think it's more mental than anything else," Goff said. "If you want to sit there and dwell on whether you're cold or not, you're going to get beat down. That's why I think a lot of cold-weather teams like it when people from the West Coast where it's warm come out. They're like, 'These guys are going to be mentally weak. We're used to this.'

"It's important for us to be mentally strong and act like it ain't cold."


http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2006/12/01/sports/professional/chargers/22_13_1211_30_06.txt

[Michael82]

The Bills players should come out of the tunnel with no sleeves underneath and be like, man it's warm outside. :snicker:

[Pride]

How many of our guys have ever played in the snow?

I seem to think that the count wouldn't be very high.

[Mitchy moo]

How many of our guys have ever played in the snow?

I seem to think that the count wouldn't be very high.

If they live in Buffalo, they played in the snow.

[Pride]

I dunno... we have a ton of rookies starting... I dont remember it snowing for any of our games last year (I went to them all at the end of the season). So anyone with 2 years or less of experience hasnt played a Bills game in snow yet.

[BillsNick]

I think just some of the rookies may not have, but they have played in the cold though.

[Jeff1220]

Half the young guys are from Ohio State, so they have played in cold.

[BigBoltIke]

Most of our team has played in the cold, champs, Rivers just hasn't played in the snow.

[OpIv37]

He's a football player, I'm sure he'll figure it out.

But if he takes his warmup throws in the tunnel like that pansy ass Eli Manning did during his rookie year, I'm gonna get in my car and drive to Orchard Park just to kick him in the nuts.

[jamze132]

Guys from Ohio St. don;t really play in the cold. by the time the weather cools off, the college season (except for their bowl game) is already over.

I also don't think that snow and the cold really gives us much of an advantage like it did back in the day. There just isn't enough continuity in today's NFL.

[PECKERWOOD]

Most of our team has played in the cold, champs, Rivers just hasn't played in the snow.

Hey BigBoltDike, TKO is going to make Rivers into a snow angel.

[Meathead]

35 (http://www.weather.com/outlook/homeandgarden/home/wxdetail/USNY1071?dayNum=2) aint zactly frigid

[BADTHINGSMAN]

Isnt 35 considered above freezing?? Heck 35 in december is toasty..

[YardRat]

I'm more interested in seeing how JP handles inclement weather than Rivers. If he's going to be here long term, he's going to have to be used to it more than Rivers.

[RockStar36]

I think playing in the snow is pretty overrated. Seriously, think about it. How many games does JP have playing in snow? One? Maybe two? Rivers will adapt to the snow. That's what they get paid to do.

[BigBoltIke]

Hey BigBoltDike, TKO is going to make Rivers into a snow angel.

Cute, I like the way you used my posting tag as an insult.

Spikes would have to get to Rivers first. Since significantly better rushers than he have failed, I don't imagine Rivers is too concerned about that happening.

On top of that, I imagine Spikes will be too busy watching the ball fly around while Rivers makes it rain.

Regardless, since the Chargers are going to rush for 250 yds, the passing game isn't going to be much of a factor.

[Meathead]

Isnt 35 considered above freezing??
yeah to some people. others say its zero

[Yasgur's Farm]

I dunno... we have a ton of rookies starting... I dont remember it snowing for any of our games last year (I went to them all at the end of the season). So anyone with 2 years or less of experience hasnt played a Bills game in snow yet.2nd New England game. Remember Josh Reed's long stroll for a TD?

[BigBoltIke]

yeah to some people. others say its zero

Anything higher than 33 degrees fahrenheit is above freezing, anything higher than 0 degrees centigrade is above freezing, and apparently, anything below 60 degrees neutralizes the skills and abilities of all Chargers players.