NFL team the Buffalo Bills have released stunning photos and visions of their stadium blanketed in snow after storms pounded the area throughout the week.
Key points:
- Storms have pounded the Buffalo area this week, leaving about half a meter of snow so far
- The snow has forced the Bills to move their home game against the Browns to Detroit
- It is the second time in eight years that the Bills have moved a home game due to snow storms
The Orchard Park stadium, just south of Buffalo, has been covered in almost half a meter of snow, forcing the Bills and Browns match scheduled for this weekend to be moved to an indoor stadium in Detroit.
Bills coach Sean McDermott did his best to keep things light amid the heavy snow falling outside his window.
“Yeah, I want to get out there once we can get through this,” McDermott said during a Zoom call from his home, noting he might have shovel duty later in the day.
“I think the family is upstairs on calls with my folks checking in on us, so, yeah, that’s all part of the human part of this.”
Aside from McDermott conducting a virtual meeting with his players, although not all because some had lost power, football was mostly placed on hold after canceling what was essentially their final practice of the week.
They will have to dig themselves out to gather at the airport for a 45-minute flight to Detroit. And it’s not out of the realm of possibility that some might have to make part of the trip by snowmobile, as happened in November 2014, when a similar storm led to the NFL shifting Buffalo’s home game against the New York Jets to Detroit’s home ground.
“That’s obviously TBD at this point. We want to head out tomorrow as close to normal time as possible,” McDermott said.
“However, seeing what’s happening around us right now, I just want to make sure that all the staff and players’ families are safe and dug out before we try to get out of here.”
Several players went on social media to share their experiences.
Veteran pass-rusher Von Miller posted a video of his vehicle almost completely covered in snow. Second-year safety Damar Hamlin posted a video of him stepping out his front door and plunging his feet into the snow up to his knees.
For some players who grew up in warmer climates and are new to Buffalo, the storm represents their first real experience with snow.
For others, this is nothing new.
Veteran safety Jordan Poyer is among the few remaining Bills who played in near white-out conditions in December 2017, when a major storm hit Buffalo an hour before kick-off of their 13-7 overtime win over Indianapolis.
“Yeah, I thought I was crazy for coming to Buffalo, New York, to play in that stuff,” Poyer said.
“But now that I look back on it, it probably was one of the most fun games I played in.”
AP/ABC
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