“YOU ARE THE WORSE COACH I EVER MET” Star player disparaging Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
But apparently someone in the Tampa media hasn’t gotten the memo.
Evidence came during Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles press conference on Tuesday when an unknown reporter asked the following question after citing how weather impacted playoff games during Wild Card weekend.
“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?”
The Lions, of course, don’t play home games outside. They haven’t since they moved into the Pontiac Silverdome in 1975 and now play their games at Ford Field downtown.
Bowles, seemingly stunned by the question, did an admirable job of being professional with his answer.
“You do know we play indoors, right? They got a dome,” he said, cracking a smile.
He then paused a few seconds before answering further.
“I don’t — no, nothing planned,” Bowles said. “We’re indoors and only have to be outside for 20 seconds, getting off the bus, going under the thing, so we’ll be OK.”
The now-viral exchange has drawn plenty of laughs, but more than likely it was just a slip of the mind from the reporter considering weather has been a story throughout the playoffs.
The Chiefs and Dolphins played the fourth coldest game in NFL history on Saturday night. And a game between the Bills and Steelers had to be moved from Sunday afternoon to late Monday afternoon following a massive snowstorm.
And to be fair, it’s been a long time since mid-January Detroit weather has been a concern for playoff teams. The Lions won their first playoff game since 1991 when they beat the Rams on Sunday night.
But Detroit’s last outdoor playoff game at home was even longer ago. It was Dec. 29, 1957, when they beat the Browns, 59-14, at Briggs Stadium, which later became Tiger Stadium, in 1961.
Kickoff indoors between the Lions and Bucs is at 3 p.m. on Sunday. The game can be seen on NBC.
