Tag: Soldier Field

Notre Dame football: The coldest games in recent memory

Coldest you’ve ever been at a sporting event?

When Notre Dame hosts Boston College for senior day on Saturday it will be one of the coldest games in recent memory at Notre Dame Stadium.  According to the Notre Dame game notes from the 2013 win over BYU, that particular day was then the coldest game at the stadium since 1991.  There have certainly been cold ones since but I haven’t found one officially listed as colder.

Temperature is one thing but wind, rain, snow, and perhaps icy seats can make things significantly worse, even if the temperature is warmer.  With this game in mind and the idea of bundling up in my head I threw a question out to the masses on social media.  I simply asked: “What is the coldest you’ve ever been at a sporting event? (Not necessarily the air temp but worst physical cold feeling you sat thru)”

I’ve got answers that involve Notre Dame and have nothing to do with Notre Dame.  Living around Chicago my entire life has provided plenty of April baseball games and winter football games to freeze my rear-end off at.

Here are some of the best replies to the question.  The only ones I posted are related to Notre Dame but my mentions are full of classic memories of fans freezing their fingers off while watching their teams.

7 Takeaways from the Bears’ comeback victory over the 49ers

From Justin Fields outdueling Trey Lance to the impactful play of the Bears rookies, here are our takeaways from Sunday’s win.

A new era of Chicago Bears football began on Sunday as the team kicked off the 2022 NFL season with a new regime in place against the San Francisco 49ers. Head coach Matt Eberflus made his regular-season debut and braved the elements at Soldier Field. Torrential downpours made conditions tough for both teams, but it was the Bears who were able to overcome them when it was all said and done.

After a sluggish first half with no points and very little offensive production that resulted in a 7-0 lead for the 49ers, things began to turn around. With key adjustments by the offensive staff, quarterback Justin Fields settled into a groove and the Bears scored 19 unanswered points to defeat win 19-10.

It was an ugly win for an ugly game, but thanks to timely offense and clutch defense, they got the job done and start the year off 1-0. Here are our takeaways from the game.

The rain at Soldier Field for Bears-49ers was so bad, Fox had to digitally add field markings

A game of Madden or a rainy day at the stadium?

It was a wild and wet afternoon on Sunday in Chicago for Bears-49ers.

Earlier in the day, rain in Chicagoland made for a terrible playing surface at Soldier Field. As the game wore on, and Justin Fields did Justin Fields things for the Bears (+6.5), Chicago ground out an upset 19-10 win.

But not before the rain picked back up in a downpour late in the fourth quarter. Conditions got so poor on the field the wetness actually washed away all the field markings. As a result, Fox had to add digital field markings through the end of the contest so that viewers could discern what was happening on their TVs.

Yes, this was wild:

I have to admit: I wasn’t sure what I was quite looking at first glance. Was this a throwback to the eight-bit video game era or an NFL football game in 2022? Despite the inclement weather, kudos to the Fox crew for trying to finish the broadcast well.

Los fans de la NFL creen que las condiciones de aguacero en el charcoso Soldier Field están de locos

Apenas es mitad de septiembre, pero a la Madre Naturaleza no le llevó mucho tiempo hacerse escuchar durante el juego inaugural de la NFL el domingo. Antes del partido entre los Bears y los 49ers (-6.5) en el Soldier Field, cayó un aguacero en el …

Apenas es mitad de septiembre, pero a la Madre Naturaleza no le llevó mucho tiempo hacerse escuchar durante el juego inaugural de la NFL el domingo. Antes del partido entre los Bears y los 49ers (-6.5) en el Soldier Field, cayó un aguacero en el área de Chicago.

La mala condición consistente en el Soldier Field — llueva o no — han estado bien documentadas. Algunos Bears nuevos ni siquiera estaban seguros de que el estadio se veía respetable hasta que lo vieron en persona. Juntemos una fuerte lluvia parecía demasiado abrumador para tanto el personal en el campo como para los jugadores, y es una receta perfecta para el caos:

Traducción.- Está DILUVIANDO en Chicago.

Otro ejemplo de lo que la lluvia puede forzar a los dos equipos fue el cómo los jugadores de San Francisco parecía que estaban evitando el agua durante el calentamiento:

Traducción.- Vean el calentamiento de los 49ers—

Honestamente, se ve terrible para correr, pero de alguna manera súper divertido.

Luego la estrella de los 49ers, Nick Bosa, salió del túnel al campo antes de regresarse cuando vio la lluvia:

Traducción.- Nick Bosa vio la lluvia y mejor se regresó.

“Nop, nop, nop,” Bosa, probablemente.

Una cosa es segura, esos que esperaban un duelo de pases en Chicago se van a tener que esperar. El Bears-49ers puede que termine siendo un desorden de carreras por default.

Traducción.- Esto no se ve ideal…

Traducción.- Yo le voy a Trey Lance en los 100 mts de mariposa.

Traducción- Demonios

Soldier Field a waterlogged mess before Bears play host to 49ers

Soldier Field’s turf was doused with torrential rains

The turf at Soldier Field has already caused problems … and that was in the preseason.

So, what happens when torrential rains hit on Sunday before the Chicago Bears play host to the San Francisco 49ers on a surface that was installed just this week?

A waterlogged mess has led to people having to squeegee the water off the field.

 

Good luck trying to get to the game.

NFLPA president J.C. Tretter had major issues with Soldier Field’s surface in the preseason:

Former NFL WR Torrey Smith agrees it is an awful surface.

Devin Hester is a little envious of Soldier Field’s new turf

Devin Hester had a tremendous amount of success at Soldier Field, but he admits he’s a little jealous of the new field turf.

For years, the turf at Soldier Field has been a storyline for the Chicago Bears, primarily for all the wrong reasons. It has been regarded as one of the worst playing surfaces in the NFL and players have constantly slipped and slid when trying to make a cut or tackle.

Things are finally changing for the better, however, as the team made a call to change out the turf to Bermuda-style grass ahead of their opening game of the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers.

The new grass should allow players to move better and players like Cairo Santos have already praised the change. It’s also piqued the interest of former players, including one of the greatest Bears to every step foot on Soldier Field in Devin Hester.

Hester, the greatest return specialist in the history of the NFL, shared he’s a bit envious of the new turf at Soldier Field after spending years playing on the old surface.

“I am jealous, I am,” Hester told Bears Wire while participating at the FanDuel FanFest at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago over the weekend. “I probably could have ran a little faster out there. But it is what it is, I don’t look at it as that type of situation. At the end of the day, I’m playing on it, the defender is playing on it, there’s no excuse. At the end of the day, we’re both playing on it.”

The playing surface at Soldier Field didn’t seem to bother Hester as he notched 10 return touchdowns in his home stadium while playing for the Bears from 2006-2013. Hester had 11 of his NFL record of 20 return touchdowns at Soldier Field so it wasn’t much of a hinderance to his success. Still, he thinks he could have been even better playing on better turf. “I could have had probably about four more.” Hester said with a smile when asked if he would have scored more touchdowns playing on the new turf.

The future Hall of Famer hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, but showed he still has his athleticism while at the FanDuel FanFest. Hester competed with former teammate Matt Forte in a tic-tac-toe game where each person had to throw footballs in the corresponding spaces to win. Forte was the victor, but both he and Hester threw the ball well in the game, raising the question as to why there weren’t more trick plays for them during their playing days.

“It’s harder than it looks,” Hester said.

Hester and Forte were joined by fellow Bears greats Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman, who participated in a variety of sports experiences with other Chicago sports stars. The FanDuel FanFest is a one-day festival that brings together fans of sports and music to have a one-of-a-kind experience.

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Shamrock Series game needs to come to Chicago Bears’ new stadium

This is an obvious decision for the Irish.

If you live in the Chicago area, you most likely know that the Bears are talking about leaving Soldier Field. A deal to buy the land currently occupied by the defunct Arlington Park is expected to close before the end of the year. Despite efforts by Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot to keep the Bears in the city, all signs point to the team bolting for the suburbs in a few years.

When the new stadium opens, it needs to host a Shamrock Series game soon game. Soldier Field already has hosted two of them, and there’s no reason for Notre Dame not to bring this series to Arlington Heights, Illinois. A bigger stadium will be there for the filling, and that should be no problem. As our editor Nick Shepkowski said when I texted him about this, the Irish could schedule Montana State for the game, and the place still would sell out.

Assuming this stadium gets built, it will be in line to host a Super Bowl, the Final Four, maybe even the College Football Playoff or Big Ten title games. The Shamrock Series should be a layup. As soon as it’s ready to open, [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag] or whoever is athletic director needs to get on the phone and book the stadium for the first year that doesn’t already have a host city.

Chicago already has a heavy contingent of Irish fans, so you know there will be plenty of local fans present and not only folks from out of town. Imagine not having to go to the city to check out your team that only comes through once in a while. The best part is they can do it in November without having to worry about that cold wind blowing off Lake Michigan. The location and a roof will take care of that.

The Irish should have played their last game at Soldier Field. It’s in the past where it belongs. The future is coming to the Chicago area, and the Irish need to be part of it early on.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Bears installed new Bermuda-style grass at Soldier Field

The Soldier Field turf will be good as new. Literally. The Bears installed new Bermuda-style grass ahead of the season opener vs. 49ers.

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.

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7 Takeaways from the Bears’ preseason win vs. Chiefs

From Braxton Jones’ solid debut to the unacceptable field conditions at Soldier Field, here are our takeaways from the Bears’ preseason win.

The first preseason game is in the books for the Chicago Bears and after falling behind early, they scored 19 unanswered points to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 19-14. The Bears saw some flash plays from their starters such as quarterback Justin Fields and wide receiver Darnell Mooney, but were saved by their reserves.

Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian tossed two touchdowns in the second half to bring the Bears back and the defense came alive to create turnovers and stifle the Chiefs second and third stringers to steal the opener in head coach Matt Eberflus’ debut, albeit in a meaningless game.

Dissecting a preseason game is a bit different than the regular season, but here’s what we took away from the game on Saturday.

NFL fans are ripping the condition of the Soldier Field turf in Bears vs. Chiefs

Bears fans are ready for the move to Arlington Heights after seeing the terrible condition of Soldier Field.

The Chicago Bears hosted the Kansas City Chiefs to open the preseason on Saturday, and the turf at Soldier Field was already in midseason form. As in, it looked pretty rough.

The reason? Elton John played a concert at Soldier Field last week, and the fans did a number on the turf. You’d think that would be enough time to get the field conditions situated ahead of an NFL preseason game. Especially given complaints by kicker Cairo Santos earlier this week.

The Bears practiced at Soldier Field on Tuesday for Family Fest, where Santos didn’t hold back about the rough conditions of the field.

“Especially Week 1, our first game of the season — I’ve seen better,” Santos said. “It’s just what we have to deal with. The less of a problem you make it in your mind, it helps you overcome it and just go.”

Although, it’s nothing new for Santos, who’s entering his third season with Chicago. In fact, Santos sought out similar, rough playing surfaces in the offseason while training in Florida.

If that’s not a glowing review for a move to Arlington Heights, I don’t know what is.

NFL fans took to Twitter to voice their displeasure, concern for player safety and mock the turf conditions at Soldier Field. And no matter how you shake it, it’s not a good look for the city of Chicago.