Lack of Flights, but There’s No Lack of Fight

Delta Airlines canceled as many as half its flights through Atlanta on Friday and today because of a winter storm, leaving some football fans without a way to Sunday’s Super Bowl.

The third-biggest U.S. carrier said travelers should anticipate cancellations and delays through Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport through this evening because of snow and freezing rain.

“The safety of our passengers and our crew is our No. 1 concern,” Delta spokeswoman Alesia Watson said.

Only one thing was missing as midnight approached in chilly Atlanta on Friday.

Snow.

Indeed, it seemed the winter storm making its way across the Southeast was taking on characteristics of the game itself. Sometimes, the buildup is more frenzied than the main event.

“I walked outside earlier today and it was really pretty nice,” NFL vice president of special events Jim Steeg said, noting cloudy skies, still winds and temperatures in the mid-30s. “We’re ready for whatever comes. The forecast seems to be changing by the minute.”

Precipitation forecast for Friday didn’t materialize, but the National Weather Service continued to predict snow changing to rain for today, with accumulations of one to three inches.

If the worst hits, it could be the kind of storm that might normally stop Atlanta in its tracks.

“We feel like we’re prepared,” Steeg said. “It’s a matter of flexibility. We need to be able to adjust to circumstances depending on what the weather brings.”

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Practice heated up for the Tennessee Titans, and not only because they moved inside to the Georgia Dome.

Receiver Derrick Mason and safety Blaine Bishop came to blows in the final session of the 1-hour, 40-minute practice. Bishop had been covering Mason on a pass in a two-minute drill when the ball fell incomplete, and Mason accused the safety of hitting him in the helmet.

The two started fighting and had to be separated by teammates. Mason and Bishop didn’t want to stop and were ordered off the field.

After practice, Coach Jeff Fisher pulled his players and coaches together for a talk. Then he spoke privately with Bishop and Mason for several minutes. The players hugged and then left.

“It’s over with,” Fisher said. “They compete. They are highly competitive. That happens over the course of the season. Did you see them walk off the field together? Those two are about as competitive guys as I’ve got.”

Receiver Yancey Thigpen, who has a hairline fracture in his right foot, did not practice for a third consecutive day.