Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Rain, slop, cold cause no bother at Lambeau
Editor’s note: This story was published Jan. 5, 1997.
Green Bay — It’s not always the most comfortable place in the world but for the Green Bay Packers, Lambeau Field is home.
Home for the regular season; home for the playoffs; home for the National Football Conference Championship Game.
And even when the skies turn gray and Mother Nature decides it’s time for a cold shower, the Packers value their home as though it were built with their very own hands.
“It was pretty sloppy today,” Packers guard Aaron Taylor acknowledged. “But it’s Lambeau Field. (Expletive), we’re used to it.”
On Saturday, the Packers embraced their home Saturday in a way no other team has by capturing their 17th consecutive Lambeau Field victory with a 35-14 decision over the San Francisco 49ers. In turn, they raised their post-season record to 8-0 at their hallowed home.
Green Bay’s triumph over the 49ers in a rain-soaked divisional playoff game kept alive its Super Bowl hopes and set up a showdown next Sunday with the winner of today’s Dallas-Carolina game for supremacy in the NFC.
And the Packers achieved it all in typical Lambeau fashion. They overcame 34 degree temperatures, 9-degree wind chill, 20 mph winds and a steady downpour to send the 49ers packing for the second time in two years.
“I woke up about 4:30 this morning, but I couldn’t go back to sleep,” Green Bay defensive tackle Santana Dotson said. “I was trying and trying, but it was such a big
game that I couldn’t go back to sleep.
“I heard the rain outside, but I was like `Well, this is Lambeau conditions. Green Bay conditions. I’m at home, let’s just enjoy it.’ I was hoping the 49ers were more concerned about it than we were.”
Of course, the Packers would have looked pretty bad had they shown concern for the weather. Considering a record crowd of 60,787 fans braved the elements without heated benches and sideline blowers, the Packers couldn’t complain.
The most amazing thing about the attendance numbers was the fact there were only three no shows. Speculation was either they were giving birth or their cars didn’t start.
“They probably got stuck in traffic,” safety LeRoy Butler said.
There is no one undeniable statistic to define which team handled the weather better Saturday, but the 49ers committed five turnovers and six penalties in falling to the Packers for a third consecutive time.
Green Bay, on the other hand, fumbled five times, but only lost one and did not throw an interception. The Packers committed just one penalty for 5 yards.
Whether those numbers are the result of the Packers’ ability to navigate in treacherous conditions or the result of a physical superiority are up in the air. All the Packers know is that when the stands are filled with screaming fans, they are a very tough team to beat.
“They have a pretty good feeling,” Green Bay coach Mike Holmgren said of his team. “You have to go out and do it each time again.
“As I said before, the home-field advantage in and of itself doesn’t guarantee you anything, but everyone wants it. We’re a pretty confident group here now.”
Whether it was Desmond Howard walking on water for 117 yards on two punt returns or Edgar Bennett plowing through the muck for 80 yards and two touchdowns or Brett Favre avoiding an interception, the Packers were able to function without any calamity.
It wasn’t the first time they’ve had to overcome wet conditions or chilly temperatures during their current streak, so when they poured into the locker room after the game there was only a smattering of celebration.
“I think if you look there are organizations who make it to the championship and they’re like, `Oh, that’s great,’” Butler said. “They’ll be satisfied.
“But we’ve been there before. Let’s go to a new horizon, you know. We have some unfinished business. We set a standard for ourself and that’s playing in Lambeau
Field. I think everybody knows that.”
From the beginning, it was clear that the players were not going to have any easy day keeping their feet on the soggy turf. Virtually all of the players on both teams wore 1-inch cleats, the maximum allowed by the league.
Punt returner Howard set the tone for the Packers, however, returning a firstquarter punt 71 yards for a touchdown. Howard did not slip at all on the play and broke at least one tackle on his way to the end zone.
“My major concern going out to pregame was to try to field the ball,” Howard said. “With the rain coming down and the wind was pretty gusty . . . that was going to be the first and foremost (concern).”
The 49ers weren’t debilitated by the conditions as say, the Los Angeles Raiders were in 1993 when they were defeated, 28-0, in near zero temperatures. But a week after beating the Philadelphia Eagles at home in a pouring rain, the 49ers couldn’t hold up this time around.
“Our strength is usually being able to stop the run,” linebacker Ken Norton Jr. said. “They were able to get people on people and just kind of fall for yards.
“They’re opening holes. The footing was real bad. No one could come off their blocks. It seemed like they knew how to play in it and we didn’t.”
Now that the Packers have beaten the 49ers, they can focus their attention on Dallas or Carolina. No matter what the case, their attention will be on the opponent and not the forecast.
“We have the best field people in the league,” Butler said. “But you have to expect it will be like that (again). That’s what games are made of. That’s what the old Green Bay Packers played on, why should it change for us?”