Our good friend Paul Allen of KFAN, who serves on the weekend as the play-by-play voice of the Vikings, has mentioned on his daily radio show that the Chicago Bears may be preparing to file a protest of some sort regarding the shifting of the Monday night game against the Bears from the Metrodome to TCF Bank Stadium, given that the field at the open-air venue will be frozen. Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has heard the same thing.

Bears safety Chris Harris has complained about the situation on his Twitter page: “Players have concerns of traction n the impact of falling on surface that could be as hard as asphalt. What if ur head hits it.”

Coupled with the fact that it’s not clear TCF Bank Stadium can be cleared of snow and otherwise prepared for play by Monday, Atlanta could be the destination for the game.

Why Atlanta? Because ESPN is televising Monday night’s Bears-Vikings game and the following Monday’s Saints-Falcons game, from the Georgia Dome.

That’s why the Giants-Vikings game moved to Ford Field; FOX was broadcasting the game and FOX had just done a game between the Packers and Lions at Ford Field.

It’s also why a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later.

We’re trying to find out precisely when the decision needs to be made, for ESPN’s purposes.