The Dolphins have fired the company that provided Hard Rock Stadium a "defective sod" after the "chewed up playing surface" was criticized following the team's Week 9 game against the Raiders, according to Adam Beasley of the MIAMI HERALD. Dolphins President & CEO Tom Garfinkel said, "We believe we’ve identified the issue. We installed a new field -- from a different vendor -- this week and I have a lot more confidence that we will not have issues for the [Notre Dame-Miami] game this weekend or for next weekend’s games.” Along with "changing field providers, the Dolphins have also changed the strand of grass used from paspalum back to Bermuda." These corrections have the team "convinced that the problem, which has drawn criticism both locally and nationally, will be fixed going forward." There is "no plan" at this time to "switch to Field Turf because it is simply too hot for use in South Florida and over player safety." Beasley notes the Dolphins have also been "victims of some bad luck" as a "heavy rainstorm opened up just minutes before kickoff last Sunday, making for a sloppy surface" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/10). Dolphins coach Adam Gase said Garfinkel has "done a great job of researching and finding the right solution to get us kind of playing in the right direction." Gase: "Those guys are working hard to make sure that we kind of get this thing squared away" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 11/10).
