From all indications, the Chicago Bears won’t be signing off on a new field surface for Soldier Field any time soon. Bears president Ted Phillips said he anticipates no changes to the grass field the Bears play on, and said he has not even discussed the matter with new coach Marc Trestman. “We’ve told the (Chicago) Park District we’ll never shut the door on a change,†Phillips said. “But we need to see that the medical studies from different league subcommittees on infill systems. If they conclude infill systems have become a lot closer to grass fields in terms of how they play and how safe they are, we would be open to considering change. I don’t believe we are there yet.†The field has been a source of on-and-off controversy, as players have complained about the grass becoming unstable, especially late in the year. But the Bears and the management team at Soldier Field have defended the playing surface repeatedly. Source: Chicago Tribune
The Soldier Field grass has become as synonymous with the Bears as Papa Bear. Not surprising that they'd stick to their 'if we can't get good footing, neither can they' philosophy. :icon_rolleyes:
They need to re-sod with a tougher strain of grass like rye or something. A type that doesn't uproot easily. Not sure what they got now, but I kinda like seeing the field all torn up lol.
lol Yea, a good tore up field is part of my memory too but Soldier Field resembles more like the morning after the tractor pull event. GB uses a real nice hybrid setup but they'd never do it since it's the park district & they don't control all the non football events that help destroy the field.
You rarely see a game anymore that you can't see the number on a players jersey...but God forbid that...
I agree 100% but I get amused come november and december when players are complaining about the Soldier Field turf. I wish they would tell me something I don't know about that turf.
I'd love this to be a grass field but what the Park District does jamming everything & anything outside of football to make money including during the season is nothing short of sabotage. They do a half butt attempt at re-sodding which endangers the players even more when huge patches come up from cuts & whatnot. There's no time in-between for the sod to take root but it sure looks normal right before kickoff. :icon_rolleyes: As usual, all about the money...
Me personally, I would have no problem with the Bears going with the turf the Patriots did back during the 2006 season. The Chicago Park District needs to stop being cheap about this.
Actually, I'd rather the Bears make the commitment & hammer out what the Park District makes outside of football & make them an offer they can't refuse. With money or the old school way: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZtyvlzVm7Y
I wonder how much the McCaskeys would be willing to pay for new turf and not just have it "Resodded".
The Bears have always been at war with the Park District. It's always about who's going to carry the weight when the final bill comes in. They both continue to out-cheap the other...
