One week ago I sat in this very same seat in this very same press box in Lincoln Financial Field and marveled at the way the Eagles' stadium operations people prepared after the region received 23 inches of snow. Now I'm doing the same thing, but from a 180-degree difference in perspective.
Heavy rains pelted the area on Christmas Day and through Saturday, but the weather on Sunday is absolutely gorgeous -- and the stadium is following suit. Temperatures are expected to reach the high 40s today under a cloudless sky. By the time the game begins at 4:15 p.m., the temperatures will have cooled a bit, but the winds should be low and the weather plenty warm enough for the full exposure to anything either team wants to do offensively.
The field looks absolutely terrific as well. Eagles head groundskeeper Tony Leonard and his staff did a great job keeping the field covered from the elements and keeping it warm with the underground heating system installed here. The field looks better than it has ever looked for a final regular-season game and has to be in better shape than any grass field in the NFL right now. Looking at the field now, and feeling the warm sun, it feels like the beginning of the season, not the end.
It is a great, great, great day for football at Lincoln Financial Field!
-- Posted by Dave Spadaro, 10:00 a.m., December 27
