Panthers, Vikings prepare to battle the elements

By Darin Gantt - daringantt@carolina.rr.com

CHARLOTTE -- Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre spent 16 years in Green Bay, and now lives outside Minneapolis.

But he's coming south to get his first taste of cold-weather football this year. After the local version of a blizzard rolled into the Carolinas on Friday, it looks like Sunday's game against the Panthers will be a chiller if not a thriller.

“I'm not sure,” coach John Fox cracked Friday when asked if the Vikings would be prepared for this kind of deep freeze. “It doesn't get this cold there where they're from. I'm not sure it'll be quite like this Sunday, but it could be close.”

The forecast calls for lows in the low 20s Sunday night, which could make it one of the Panthers' coldest games ever.

To break into the 10 coldest games in franchise history, it will only have to be below 34 degrees at kickoff. Other than their 1996 NFC championship game appearance in Green Bay (3 degrees at kickoff), a 2002 trip to Cleveland (25) and a 1997 game at Denver (28), the Panthers have only played in games of 30 degrees and above.

That makes this an interesting stretch for the Vikings, who go to Chicago next week, a place where it actually gets cold sometimes. One of the biggest questions about Favre was how he would hold up in the elements at 40 years old.

He threw eight interceptions and two touchdowns down the stretch last year as his New York Jets fell apart, following on the heels of playoff letdowns and generally declining numbers in December and January.

So maybe the Panthers can pray for worse conditions, hoping Favre falls apart. At this point, it might be their best chance.

While the outdoor temperature was in the low 20s in Eden Prairie, Minn., when the Vikings practiced Friday, they were working in an indoor facility, as they have for months. Since they play in the Metrodome and practice indoors, the Vikings rarely have to deal with the elements. In fact, the coldest game they have played all year was their Nov. 1 trip to Green Bay, where it was a balmy 48 degrees.

For the record, the Panthers are 3-7 in their 10 coldest games, with the only wins coming at Cleveland in 2002, along with 2003 NFC championship game win at Philadelphia (33 degrees) and a 2000 win in Charlotte over St. Louis (34).

THE OTHER U — The Panthers have had a rough go of it this season, but they lead the league in one category — UFL players signed.

The Panthers have a pair from the offshoot league on the current roster in special teams linebacker Quinton Culberson and backup tackle Rob Petitti. Only a handful of others from the four-team league of cast-offs have signed with the NFL, including quarterback J.P. Losman (Oakland) and kickers Matt Bryant (Atlanta) and Graham Gano (Washington).

Petitti, who started 16 games as a rookie for Dallas before kicking around from New Orleans to St. Louis, said he knew nothing of the league when he found out he was drafted by the Florida Tuskers (where a handful of former Panthers played, including punter Todd Sauerbrun). The Tuskers were coached by Jim Haslett, who knew Petitti from the Rams.

“One of my friends called and said, ‘You got drafted.' I said, ‘Drafted into what? The Army?' He said, ‘The UFL.' I was like, ‘What's the UFL?' ...

“I'd heard of it, but I didn't know there was going to be a draft. So Haslett calls me and said, ‘You want to play?' and I said ‘Absolutely.'”

Fox said he liked having the UFL available, especially after the demise of NFL Europe. If nothing else, it gives the team a quasi-developmental alternative, since even the Arena League halted operations.

“Our scouting department looks at everything,” Fox said. “Once their season was completed, you look for guys you can upgrade your roster with. We've found a couple of guys that have done pretty well for us in their roles.

“It's an alternative. It's good for the sport. From everyone I've talked to, it was a good experience, both from a coaching standpoint and players standpoint.”

EXTRA POINTS — Quarterback Jake Delhomme was ruled out for his third straight game because of a broken right middle finger, but otherwise, the injury news was good for the Panthers.

Cornerback Richard Marshall (ankle) and running back/return man Tyrell Sutton (thigh) both returned to practice Friday on a limited basis, and were listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Vikings.

The Panthers had four other players listed as probable: Defensive end Tyler Brayton (concussion), linebacker Na'il Diggs (ribs), wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad (knee) and running back Jonathan Stewart (toe), all of whom should be fine.