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NFL says it is ready for Super Bowl if it snows


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By Jane McManus | ESPNNewYork.com

 

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Standing between a mountain of snow and MetLife Stadium on Wednesday, NFL senior vice president of events Frank Supovitz was confident that Super Bowl XLVIII would go on as planned.

"Let it snow," Supovitz said.

 


The league has contingency plans that could move the game up to Saturday or delay it until Monday night, but Supovitz said those plans exist for every Super Bowl. And with the first outdoor Super Bowl planned for a cold weather venue slated to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 2, Supovitz almost sounded like he was rooting for the white stuff.

"I think watching NFL football in the snow is really romantic," Supovitz said. "It's great, it's exciting, and if you've ever done it you know that. It's also a rite of passage for you as a fan to have done it at least once. And this is a Super Bowl, right? So I think it's going to be amazing. I think it would be better if it snowed a little bit during the game. I think it'll just make it more memorable."

After New York/New Jersey Super Bowl host committee CEO Al Kelly detailed the reason for Wednesday's news conference, a MetLife crew demonstrated the Aero, a machine that can melt 600 tons of snow an hour.

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"There's so many questions about the weather," Kelly said. "We want to make sure that the national audience certainly knows this region has tremendous assets and resources and knows how to get this done.

"It's nothing more than reassuring people that, despite the fact that the world's greatest is going to be here, we still know how to clear snow. We keep the markets open every day and the schools open most days, and we'll do a good job Super Bowl week as well."

Brad Mayne, the CEO of MetLife Stadium, said crews removed 6.3 inches of Saturday's snow and ice from the stadium before the Giants kicked off against Seattle at 1 p.m. Sunday. Mayne said 30 tons of snow melt was used and 5,000 tons of snow was melted.

Mayne detailed the various snow-melting equipment, snow chutes, plows and front loaders that will be available to clear snow for the Super Bowl. The New Jersey Department of Transportation said that during Super Bowl week it will staff any day with a dicey forecast as an emergency.

Commissioner Joe Mrozek said the NJ DOT has access to 821 snow trucks and plows and 60,000 tons of salt within a 30-mile radius.

 

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