Soldier Field Expected To Be In Good Shape For Bears' Preseason Opener

Bears Chair George McCaskey is "confident" the turf at Soldier Field will be "in excellent condition" for the team's first exhibition game on Saturday against the Bills, according to Brad Biggs of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. SMG Dir of Sponsorship & Media Luca Serra, whose stadium management company runs Soldier Field, said that "rain over the weekend 'helped tremendously,' and the field now appears to be in playable condition." Biggs notes the cancelation of the team's Family Fest practice Friday due to the playing surface "hasn't changed McCaskey's mind about what is best for the organization." McCaskey said, "Our primary concern is player safety. We want to prolong careers. We want our guys to be available on a week-to-week basis. The evaluation is ongoing. Every year we take a look at it. Our considered opinion is that right now the best surface for our team, primarily considering player safety, is a natural grass field." The players "are split on what type of surface they would prefer." Bears LB Brian Urlacher has "clamored for FieldTurf, but many players are happier playing on grass." Biggs notes if the field "was better maintained, it wouldn't be a hot-button topic." SMG's top Soldier Field manager "quickly declared himself responsible for letting the sod dry too long before" Friday's scheduled Family Fest activities. But Serra said that the sod "had a higher clay content than they've ever seen," causing the field to "develop cracks that could have tripped up and injured the players." The Soldier Field sod "came from Central Sod farms," in Marengo, Ill., and SMG is "evaluating whether it makes sense to look for another company" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 8/9).

TURF WAR: McCaskey said the Chicago Park District, which owns Soldier Field, "has already said that it was a miscalculation on their part, that they need to do a better job, and we need to do a better job, take an active role in monitoring their treatment of the field." He added, "It needs to be a collaborative effort. And we're confident it's going to be." In Chicago, Sean Jensen notes the Bears organization "remains committed to a grass surface" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/9). Soldier Field GM Tim LeFevour said that the Chicago Park District "could go to artificial turf quickly, but that's not what most Bears want." LeFevour: "Bears players say they still want to play on grass, so it's one of those things that, you hear a lot [of] veterans, a lot of the older players, a lot of the leaders of the team say we would like to switch to an artificial surface, and yet the majority of the players aren't saying that" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 8/8).