Tag: Soldier Field

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.

Elton John concert leaves Soldier Field turf in rotten shape

Soldier Field did not look like it was ready for NFL teams to play on its turf

The Kansas City Chiefs and Chicago Bears played at Soldier Field to open the preseason on Saturday.

The turf looked more like a golf course after a 72-hole tournament.

To say there were divots would be kind. Place the blame on Elton John if you are looking for a fall guy.

The rock star played at Soldier Field last week and fans did a number on the field as John played his number of hits.

The turf issue was noticed by Chicago kicker Cairo Santos long before kickoff.

Per Chiefswire:

“Especially Week 1, our first game of the season — I’ve seen better,” Santos said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “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.”

Santos told reporters that the conditions of the turf are so consistently bad that he actually sought out a similar playing surface in the offseason while he was training in Florida. That seems like a pretty damning statement, and a problem the Bears should probably work to address.

“I was going to a turf field at a high school, which was perfect,” Santos said. “It was almost like, ‘OK. I’m getting too comfortable.’ So in my neighborhood, there’s a soccer field and the grass is a Bermuda grass. It’s real long. I was like, ‘OK. This is more like it.'”

Soldier Field’s grass was in horrendous shape for the Bears-Chiefs preseason game and NFL fans couldn’t believe it

Is it even safe to play on that field?

The poor playing surface at the Bears’ home stadium, Soldier Field, has been documented quite well. It’s no secret why the Bears want to build their own stadium in Chicago suburb Arlington Heights, even as the city tries to pressure them into staying in their current home digs.

In the past, there have been many egregious examples of why the city of Chicago and its Park District are no longer the ideal stewards for the stadium where a professional football team plays. (Even in the video game Madden!) But the appalling condition Soldier Field was left in for the Bears and Chiefs (-1) preseason game on Saturday might take the cake:

Oh my goodness. There’s no way that brown and yellow concoction masquerading as “grass” is safe for any athlete to run around on. I mean, that confetti on the field might be from an Elton John concert … that happened over a week ago! And no one cleaned it in the time since?

Suffice to say; I can see why the Bears will soon likely be saying goodbye to this yellow brick road known as Soldier Field. You can’t plant them in your “penthouse,” Chicago.

Bears kicker Cairo Santos trains at poorly-maintained Florida parks to simulate Soldier Field’s horrendous turf

This man is not getting paid NEARLY enough.

Very few things are going well for the Chicago Bears and their players or their much-maligned stadium these days.

But one thing they’ve been able to count on over the past couple of years is the reliability of their kicker, Cairo Santos. In 2020 and 2021, the veteran maintained a minimum of a 96.4 make percentage. He’s missed six total kicks on 62 attempts. Basically, Santos is as money as it gets when a ball’s been long-snapped to him.

As it turns out, Santos has had to go the extra mile to excel that much as the Bears’ kicker. In a report by the Chicago Sun-Times’ Jason Lieser, Santos said that he actually trains at poorly-maintained public parks in Florida during the offseason just so that he could be prepared for Soldier Field’s awful turf.

Uh, what?

I’m sorry, but you’ve lost the plot as a football organization (really, the Chicago Parks District) when your kicker is forced to actively train on terrible fields to prepare for his home stadium. It boggles the mind that a professional football team could play on such a shoddy surface.

But then again, everything the Bears do these days boggles the mind.