Storm Expected to Pass Before Kickoffs

A major winter storm projected to dump as much as a foot of snow on Philadelphia and Pittsburgh should pass in time for Sunday’s NFL conference championship games.

The approaching storm caused the New England Patriots to fly to Pittsburgh a day ahead of schedule Friday night to avoid expected travel delays today.

Atlanta will fly to Philadelphia this morning, 4 1/2 hours ahead of schedule, in an attempt to avoid travel issues.

Philadelphia could get the worst of the snowstorm, which is predicted to start early this morning in western Pennsylvania and gradually spread across the state. The National Weather Service predicts four to eight inches in both cities, but State College, Pa.-based Accuweather is calling for six to 12 inches in Pittsburgh and as much or more with blizzard-like conditions in Philadelphia.

A temperature of 18 with a minus-7 wind chill factor is predicted at the start of the Falcons-Eagles NFC championship game. Forecasters in Pittsburgh say the temperature is expected to be 16 with a wind chill of 10 for kickoff of the AFC title game.

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New England defensive lineman Richard Seymour will not start against Pittsburgh because of a left knee injury, although he might be available as a substitute.

“We’ll see where he is,” Coach Bill Belichick said Friday before the team’s flight to Pittsburgh. “Maybe he can give us some situational play during the game.”

Seymour, one of two Patriots on the All-Pro team, was listed as questionable on the injury report. The only other Patriots reported as injured were linebacker Ted Johnson, who was probable with flu, and fullback Patrick Pass, who was questionable with a sore ankle.

Seymour was injured in the Dec. 26 victory over the New York Jets and missed the last game of the regular season and the Patriots’ 20-3 victory over Indianapolis on Sunday.

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Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary was hired to be San Francisco’s assistant head coach and linebacker coach, following new Coach Mike Nolan from Baltimore. Singletary was the Ravens’ inside linebacker coach for the last two seasons while Nolan was their defensive coordinator.

Singletary, who played for Chicago from 1981 to ‘92, is the first coach hired by Nolan, who will attempt to rebuild the 49ers. San Francisco had the NFL’s worst record at 2-14.

“When I went to the Chicago Bears, it was a train wreck there,” Singletary said.

“There are train wrecks all over the place. I’m in the business of correcting what’s wrong.... There’s a lot of talent on this team, and there’s a lot of young guys. It’s all about believing that we can be an elite team, that we can get back to what we had before.”

Singletary was named the NFL’s top defensive player in 1985 and 1988, earning respect and admiration for his strong work ethic and hard-hitting play.

After finishing his career with 1,488 tackles, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1998.

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Vendors at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field won’t sell beer in the stands during the second half of Sunday’s AFC title game.

Fans can purchase beer until the end of the third quarter, although they must go to concession stands away from seating areas. NFL rules stipulate that all beer sales halt after the third quarter.

Parking lots outside Heinz Field open five hours before kickoff and tailgating is allowed. Security will be monitoring the lots before the game for excessive drinking, the Steelers said.