As I write this from a location 140 miles southwest of Green Bay, my desktop thermometer registers -9 with a wind chill of 25 below.  In my garage, the temperature is a balmy eight degrees.  Tonight, the forecast call for temperatures to be anywhere south of -6 degrees.  Not since the ice bowl forty years ago has an NFC championship game been played in these conditions.

Let's forget for a moment about the stationary people, the fans, the camera people, Blinky Meyers and focus for a moment on the players.  This will be a different game than they have ever experienced.  So many things are different in extreme cold.  It's hard to catch your breath, the plastic in your helmet and pads is more likely to crack and most important the football will be like a rock.  And no amount of practice, either inside or out, is going to get you ready for this tonight.

Special teams are critical as they will be a vital part of field position.  You can knock ten yards off a field goal kickers range tonight because the combination of attic air and a heavy, cold football will cause problems not only with the field goal units but with the punting game as well.  Running the ball will be vital as many of the receivers will have problems hanging on to the ball after they catch it.  This one will be no cake walk tonight.

Yet, surely some players will play in shirtsleeves and FOX will treat us to shots of some moron with a blood alcohol level of .25 not wearing a shirt and having "I love you Brett" scrawled across his chest in green lipstick.  But make no mistake, unless you are sitting in the middle of this Arctic bubble, there is no way you can appreciate how cold it is right now. 

For the Packers to win, it needs to be another huge effort from Ryan Grant.  For the Giants to win, it has to be a big day for their defensive line.

In any case, it should be a low scoring, old fashioned rock 'em sock 'em game.  Just remember what Bill Parcells would tell his team: "It doesn't matter how cold it is out there, it's cold for both teams.  What matters most in field position.  If we can win the field position battle, we'll win the game."  And on a night like this, he may be right.

Lightning Round

• In the AFC Championship game, the Patriots are who we thought they were, let's just crown their asses.  Besides, with Phillip Rivers questionable and LT limping, it just seems like the Chargers are too beat up to compete with the Pats.  Yes, I know Michael Turner and Billy Volek are terrific backups, but are you honestly telling me that you are going to beat the best team in the league with backups.  The truth is, if the Chargers were 100% healthy they would make a game of it, but they are not.
  
• The Chicago Blackhawks seem to have turned the corner again and have taken their one step forward in advance of their two steps back.  But still, for these guys, three straight may be an indication that despite the injuries (and there are many) that these guys may have turned the corner.  Of course, what's around that corner is anyone's guess.
• The hockey world is still holding its' collective breath as one of the most important ankles in the NHL continues to get analyzed.
• Carol Slezak has some excellent comments this morning on the Golf Channel flap.  I agree that the troubling part is the commissioner of the PGA came out strongly against Gold Magazine trying to stir the issue up again as opposed to coming down hard on the Golf Channel for having it happen on their air in the first place.
• With the extension of Bud Selig as commissioner through 2012, one man secretly hopes that when Selig finally retires, he gets to be the commish.
• Some solid humor from ESPN.com's Gene Wojciechowski
• It appears that the best part of John McCain's victory in South Carolina is that he killed Mike Huckabee's momentum.  We can only hope.
• If for some strange reason you didn't want to watch the Packers-Giants game tonight and wanted to watch Sixty Minutes, CBS is pre-empting the news show for a special on global warming.  How ironic considering the temp will be around -5 at kickoff.  Hey Al Gore!  Come visit Wisconsin, buddy.  Global warming my arse.
• Happy Birthday Ozzie!