The last time the Chicago Bears played at Soldier Field (in their preseason opener against the Kansas City Chiefs), the turf was an absolute mess. And the entire NFL world ripped the league for allowing a game to be played on it.
But breathe easy, Bears fans. The Soldier Field turf will be good as new. Literally.
The Bears installed new Bermuda-style grass at Soldier Field ahead of Sunday’s seasons opener against the San Francisco 49ers, which head coach Matt Eberflus had a hand in.
“This has been planned for quite some time,” Eberflus said. “We feel it’s going to be a nice surface. I think it’s going to be a fast surface, which I think which lends to help us out.
“I believe it’s the same one we had at my last place on the practice field. So it’s very similar to that. It’s a hybrid grass that does well with cold weather.”
Someone who’s happy with the new surface is Bears kicker Cairo Santos, who complained about the Soldier Field turf during Family Fest and leading into that preseason opener.
Santos said they’ll be going to Soldier Field on Friday to test out the new turf, which is similar to the one he played on d during his time in Kansas City.
“I think you can see more of the ball, the plant foot is just tighter,” Santos said. “The other one, the grass got ripped out too easily.”
When the Bears and 49ers kick things off Sunday, it’s safe to say the turf won’t be a point of contention.
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbve7kb6he6scwe player_id=none image=https://bearswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=515801]
[listicle id=515785]