Some of the game's most memorable moments have been played in the most miserable conditions. The 1948 NFL Championship Game was played in Philadelphia after a blizzard that left the yard markers indiscernible. Even in an era of domed stadiums and artificial turf, we still are afforded glimpses into the past when a rainstorm drenches the 49ers in San Francisco, or a snowfall buries Denver for a Broncos' game. Part of the NFL's appeal is its undeniable physical release. Collisions are not just incidental to the game, they are among its fundamental ingredients.
Pro football is a physical game.
Dick Butkus reinforced the image every time he took the field, delivering ferocious hits and menacing glares to opponents. Jack Lambert, wearing a gap-toothed scowl, proved for 11 seasons that he was cut from the same cloth. Mike Singletary's eyes blazed with intensity before he delivered bone-rattling blows. And Jevon Kearse looked as if he had studied under all of them when he devoured enemy quarterbacks for the Tennessee Titans as a rookie last season. But it always has been so.