There shouldn't even be a debate about Soldier Field's playing surface, according to Chicago Bears perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlacher. "I don't understand why we don't have FieldTurf yet," Urlacher said on Saturday. "We're a fast team, we play fast on FieldTurf. The injury issues aren't as bad as they used to be, they've gone down a lot in the last few years with the way they've made the turf and stuff. I don't understand it. Use our speed. We can run, let us go out there and run." Citing safety concerns about the Soldier Field playing surface, the Bears canceled Friday's Family Fest practice, but did offer fans who purchased tickets and parking a full refund as well as entrance to the stadium and free food and non-alcoholic beverages. The team also went on with its fireworks display. Coach Lovie Smith said the Bears have to be ready to play on every surface. "I understand some of the players would want field turf; some would want grass," Smith said. "We have a grass field right now. For whatever reason, it wasn't ready then. But I'm sure we'll have the field ready to go next time. We can't really get into that. We're gonna play on a surface. "During the course of this season, we're gonna play on natural surfaces, and we're gonna play on artificial surfaces, too. We just have to be ready to go. For us, we're gonna show up down there in about a week to play the Bills, and I'm sure the turf will be in great shape, and the guys won't be able to tell whether it's natural or artificial." Bears kicker Robbie Gould agreed with Urlacher's assertion that FieldTurf was be the best surface for Soldier Field, and was disappointed with Friday's fiasco. "Obviously, we wanted to play there," Gould said Saturday. "We were real excited. Our families sat in the traffic, and they were disappointed just as much as everybody else was. ... Hopefully the situation will get taken care of." Read more: http://espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/stor...urlacher-says-chicago-bears-playing-fieldturf
Soldier Field is a problem for the Bears. They don't own it and therefore don't control it. Worse yet, it seems that the team's relationship with the Park District is a bit strained. The quality of the playing surface is an issue every season. It's kinda embarrassing.
