Todd Bowles has many things to worry about as his Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into Sunday’s NFC playoff game against the Detroit Lions.
The weather is not one of his concerns. He made that clear during a kind-hearted response to a reporter’s terribly embarrassing question Tuesday.
During Bowles’ media session, the head coach fielded a question from a reporter asking about the weather conditions for the Divisional Round game in Detroit. Granted, severe weather has been a big issue this NFL postseason. A snowstorm postponed the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins played in sub-zero conditions in KC.
So with the forecast calling for a low temperature of 12 degrees Sunday in Detroit, a reporter asked Bowles how he will get his team acclimated to the conditions during the game. Problem: The Lions play in Ford Field, a domed stadium that opened in 2002 (and they played in the domed Pontiac Silverdome for a quarter-century before that).
Listening to the reporter’s question is akin to watching a freight train speeding toward a collapsed railroad trestle. Everyone knows where it’s going, how it’s going to end, you wish it would stop, but it just keeps barreling ahead.
“Looking forward to Detroit, the weather has been a factor in some of the playoff games, even for the most prepared teams … today it’s 13 in Detroit,” the reporter said. “Any special plans to acclimate the team to not only endure but perform in those kind of frigid temperatures?”
“You do know we play indoors, right? They’ve got a dome,” Bowles said, cracking a smile.
Oh no… A reporter asked #Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles about how the team is preparing to get acclimated to the weather in Detroit ahead of Sunday’s game.
The Lions have played in a dome for nearly 50 years. pic.twitter.com/O9cHduRKCN
— Dave Connelly (@DaveConnellySG) January 16, 2024
There was dead silence in the room after Bowles’ response. Give the coach credit. He knew the reporter was embarrassed and he continued with a kind-hearted response.
“No, nothing planned,” he said. “We’re indoors, and only have to be outside for 20 seconds getting off the bus and going under the thing, so we’ll be OK.”
[Dave Connelly; Photo Credit: Dave Connelly via X]
