Jets-Bills game could get grounded by snow in Buffalo

Snowbound, and maybe snowed out.

Bills players could barely get out of their homes Wednesday after as much as 51/2 feet of snow paralyzed the Buffalo area. With another 2 to 3 feet forecast for Thursday night, there is the possibility that Sunday's Jets-Bills game will be postponed, or perhaps even moved to another city.

A lake-effect storm buried Orchard Park, N.Y., site of Ralph Wilson Stadium, and surrounding areas, forcing the Bills to cancel practice because of a driving ban.

The Bills are scrambling to clear an estimated 220,000 tons of snow before Sunday. The situation is so desperate they even solicited fans to help shovel for $10 an hour and game tickets once the driving ban is lifted.

"If we didn't get any more snow from here on out, we would be fine," Bills vice president of operations Andy Major told The Associated Press. It usually takes three days to clear a 1-foot snowfall, Major said.

Both teams are planning to play the 1 p.m. game as scheduled, but the NFL makes the final call on venue and time changes. There's a chance it could be pushed back to later Sunday afternoon or even to as late as Tuesday to ensure the grounds crew has enough time to clear the stadium.

There's precedent for playing elsewhere. In December 2010, the Vikings "hosted" the Giants a day later in Detroit after snow tore the Metrodome's roof.

An NFL spokesman said there still is no exact timetable for the game, and that the league will make the decision with input from the Bills and local authorities.

"Words can't describe it,'' said Bills coach Doug Marrone, who helped a stranded motorist during Tuesday's storm and slept overnight at the team's facility. His coaching staff videotaped game plan presentations Wednesday and emailed them to the Bills players' work tablets.

It's possible the Bills won't be able to practice again Thursday. Rex Ryan, however, seemed to downplay the importance of that, and the Jets coach said he hadn't considered the inherent disadvantage. "Hope so,'' he joked. "Nah, just kidding.''

Ryan said the Bills' game plan likely won't change "a whole lot'' because the AFC East rivals are familiar with one another.

"They did force six turnovers on us the last time. I don't know if they want to change that formula,'' he said, referring to the Bills' 43-23 win at MetLife Stadium on Oct. 26.

Ryan added: "Buffalo's no stranger to getting snow. So we'll see if they move [the game] or not.''

Asked if he'd seen pictures of the record-breaking storm, Ryan said: "No, not really. But I understand it's pretty brutal, I guess.''

Jets receiver Eric Decker's in-laws live in Buffalo and are stuck in their house. Decker conceded the Bills will have to "bunch more stuff together'' in the coming days. But "whether it's a physical, competitive advantage, I don't know,'' he said. "They're a good football team, they know how to hit, they know how to do the things they've been doing all year."

Michael Vick also initially downplayed Snowmaggedon.

"I think what it all boils down to is what you do on Sundays,'' he said. "I don't know if one day of preparation will affect anything.'' But later he acknowledged, "The last thing you want to do is miss a week of practice and come and try to play.''

But that could be the position the Bills are in if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.

Geno Smith, who endured plenty of snow days at West Virginia, said preparation time is key. "To miss a practice for anybody -- and especially for an entire team -- that's huge,'' he said, although he said the Bills will "get their guys caught up.''

Like Ryan, Smith hadn't seen pictures of the storm. He said he checked the weather and saw the area had "maybe five or six inches'' of snow.

"Four feet?!'' Smith shrieked when corrected by reporters. "My bad. That's crazy. But hey, what can you do?''