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Field Good for Opener..........
August 12, 2011
Bears confident field will be fine
By: Larry Mayer | Last Updated: 8/12/2011 5:53 PM
CHICAGO – The problems with the Soldier Field playing surface that forced the cancellation of last Friday’s Family Fest practice have been addressed, and the Bears are confident that the field won’t be an issue Saturday when they open the preseason against the Buffalo Bills.
“We feel very good about that,” Bears head groundskeeper Ken Mrock told ChicagoBears.com Friday at Soldier Field. “The field’s in good shape. We’ve been at it all week and it’s very level and ready to go.”
The wide seams that led to the cancellation of last Friday’s practice have been repaired. On the eve of Saturday’s opener, some seams were slightly visible. But those areas were even with the rest of the ground.
“We addressed all the seam issues by filling those in and topdressing them,” Mrock said. “We made sure the integrity of the field, the smoothness of the field and the safety of the field was there.
“We care about our guys. I care about our guys, and I want to help out in any way I can in order to make sure we have a great surface and continually have a great surface.”
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. 
Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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All well an good and they even have a photo on the Official Site to prove it. Now, I want to see what it looks like during and after the game. Will it hold up or will guys be slipping and tearing up chucks of sod all game long? That's the proof of having solved the problem that I'd be looking for.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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No way it looks good, no way that stuff has had time to take root and hold up.
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High Fives / Like - 1 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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Can't we just let 4th take over the field maintenance? Plus we could have tomatoes behind the visitors bench. Just saying.
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High Fives / Like - 2 BEAR DOWN!, 0 Dislikes
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Reviews mixed as discussion over Soldier Field turf goes on
NFL.com
Published: Aug. 14, 2011 at 04:43 a.m.
Updated: Aug. 14, 2011 at 09:14 a.m.
Chicago Bears players gave mixed reviews to the much-criticized Soldier Field surface after Saturday night's 10-3 preseason victory over the Buffalo Bills.
Several Bears, including linebacker Brian Urlacher and wide receiver Devin Hester, had called for a switch to artificial turf after the Aug. 5 Family Fest practice was canceled because of dried-out sod that caused the seams to buckle. There were no ringing endorsements on Saturday, but running back Kahlil Bell didn't have a big problem with it.
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"I think (the turf) was good today," Bell told the Chicago Tribune. "I didn't get the chance to see it last week, but I think the (Park) District did a good thing. Football is football. We both have to play on it. It's not like one team gets the good turf and the other team gets the bad turf. ... It's not a big deal." Bell carried 13 times for a game-high 73 yards.
"Field wasn't bad. It wasn't bad at all," Bears wide receiver Roy Williams said.
Quarterback Jay Cutler appeared to disagree, saying, "I don't know. It is what it is. I don't think it is going to change, so we just have to play on it."
The newspaper said giant rollers were reportedly used to level out the field and eliminate the seams. About an hour before kickoff, local television crews were told by security personnel not to photograph the field from ground level, the newspaper said.
"The field looks good and it is just exciting to get the season going again," Bears President Ted Phillips told Fox Sports beforehand. Phillips added that if the franchise decided to change to FieldTurf, it could not return to natural grass.
"I think the players still would prefer to play on grass," he said.
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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So if the field was in such great shape why the ban on field level photos that could show how uneven it still was?
I'm getting to that age where a lifetime warranty just doesn't mean as much to me anymore as an afternoon nap. Honey Badger Don't Care. Honey Badger Don't Give a Shit.
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