Here’s yet another sign the NFL will be going full-speed ahead very soon.
Organizers in Indianapolis are prepared to scrap plans for a backup date for Super Bowl XLVI, which is scheduled to be played Feb. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium. The NFL had come up with contingency plans for a late start to the season that could have pushed the game back to Feb. 12, according to the Associated Press.
Once the lockout is resolved, Indianapolis officials will drop all backup plans.
“If it blows up in the next couple of days and we're right back where we started, we'll go back to the hotels and say `It was a false alarm' and ask them to be patient," Super Bowl host committee chair Mark Miles said. "How many hours or days after (a deal) it will take to amend all that, I don't know, but I think it would be pretty quick. For them (hoteliers) to sit on two weekends, knowing that only one would be used, was an issue. So the sooner it's clear they can sell the second weekend, the better."
Let’s hope Indianapolis will have a lot of available hotel rooms the weekend of Feb. 12.
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Brad Biggs covers the Bears for the Chicago Tribune