Vikings must face cold reality

MINNEAPOLIS - Vikings punter Chris Kluwe is calling the field at TCF Bank Stadium "unplayable." But officials with the team and the University of Minnesota insist it will be safe for tonight's game against the Chicago Bears.

Crews at the university have been racing to get the on-campus, open-air stadium ready for the Vikings' rare outdoor home game. The Metrodome remains deflated due to a heavy snowstorm last weekend that tore holes in the roof that couldn't be fixed in time. University athletics spokesman Garry Bowman says they're "absolutely ready to go."

There was no media access to coaches or players during their walk-through yesterday, but Kluwe and some other Vikings sounded off on Twitter. Kluwe tweets that the field is "hard as concrete."

In quotes distributed by the team, Vikings interim coach Leslie Frazier says conditions will be safe and players don't need to worry.

The Eagles host the Vikings next Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field, sure to be a chilly contest. But maybe not as cold as tonight's game, which marks a return to frigid football for players and fans alike after 3 decades in the shielded warmth of the Metrodome. The Vikings played their final game at Metropolitan Stadium29 years to the day before tonight's game at TCF Bank Stadium.