By Zack Cimini
Notjustagame.com

MNF Works Out
By Zack Cimini

Who would have thought the NFL would turn to the Cardinals organization for an emergency? Well they did and it actually worked out perfectly.

Because of wildfires in California, the NFL was forced to move the game to Arizona in less than 24 hours. So the Cardinals stadium workers had to work extra hard, and the Chargers and Dolphins had to make their way to Arizona. John Madden and the whole Monday night crew had to adjust quickly as well. It was a quick change of events that fell into place, and resulted in a predictable Dolphins 26-10 victory.

The main factor of the game is how well it made the state of Arizona look. Not only did they give away tickets for free, but all tickets ended up being handed out. Donating money wasn?t a problem either, as the estimated amount totaled $200,000. The weather was perfect for football and I don?t think anyone would have known the difference between the game being played in Arizona or San Diego.

A question that has been brought up is why didn?t they play the game in Los Angeles or Oakland? Well, the NFL felt that they should move the game to a place where a game was just played. The Cardinals had just played on Sunday and defeated the 49ers, and is only 365 miles away from San Diego. It?s around a six to seven hour bus ride for John Madden and extremely quick for a plane ride for the players. As soon as the Cardinals organization and ASU agreed on the idea, it was all set.

Right now the league is deciding on who will get to host the 2008 Super Bowl. Arizona was one of the states up in the running, and you would think something like this would give them the extra edge. The Cardinals new stadium will be done in 2006 and no one can argue with the weather down there during the winter season. It?s notorious for it?s ?snowbirds? because of the perfect weather.

In the end it was just great to see the NFL able to maneuver quickly and not have to postpone the game. If this would have been a baseball game there is no doubt it would have been canceled and postponed.