Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has a lot in common with his frozen ancestor. Burrow didn’t wear gloves in New England, either, when he completed a career-high 40 passes as if it were training camp hot. Earlier this week, Burrow said the cold isn’t the real factor, but the wind is.
Which is exactly what Anderson says, and it looks like Burrow may get a break. Anderson battled winds between 20-35 miles per hour in the Freezer Bowl. Sunday’s forecast is for six to eight miles per hour.
“Early in the game, (Chargers quarterback Dan) Fouts threw a ball to the sideline, and it just fluttered,” Anderson says. “I threw a screen pass over there to (running back) Pete Johnson and it just died. (Quarterbacks and receivers coach) Lindy Infante started calling plays for the middle of the field and that really helped us.”
It looks like it’s going to be the coldest Paycor game since a nine-degree win over the Jaguars on Dec. 17, 2000, in a 17-14 game Neil Rackers won on a 27-yard walk-off field goal. The key play came on Bengals wide receiver Peter Warrick’s 82-yard punt return touchdown, where he Bobby Orr-ed down the middle of the field as his cleats turned into skates.
You can do a lot in 25 years. Jeff Brickner, the Bengals’ director of operations, is bringing 21st- century heat. Anderson and Fouts would have loved this, even though you need an engineering degree to understand the modern conveniences.
Paycor has an edge on most stadiums that need tanks to supply heat on the field. A direct gas line allows 2.75 million BTUs of heat on each sideline. And each sideline has to have the same equipment.
The fiberglass benches (each side has two) heat up to 135 degrees. There’s a torpedo heater at the ends of each bench and four space heaters in between blowing hot air like your furnace.
Plus, the field itself is heated with a Glycol system about eight inches into the ground set at 90 degrees.
