Field conditions come under fire
Pockmarked with dead spots and divots, the turf at Soldier Field would have made an aging public golf course blush Saturday. Nowhere was it more evident than the yardage stencils on the east side of the field, where dead spots competed with white chalk for attention.
The Bears submitted grass reports to the NFL all week and were told it met the standard. But NFL Players Association president J.C. Tretter said it wasn’t good enough.
‘‘We clearly need to re-evaluate what is an acceptable surface for players to compete on,’’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘‘We need new testing metrics looking at the performance and safety of every field. The NFL can and should do better.’’
Super-agent David Canter tweeted that the Bears’ preseason opener against the Chiefs should have been canceled.
‘‘Player safety should be tantamount to everything,’’ he wrote. ‘‘We know it’s a pipe dream but this isn’t safe.’’
Bears kicker Cairo Santos said Saturday was an improvement over the conditions in practice Tuesday at Soldier Field but still was unacceptable.
‘‘I think it’s reckless that we have a product of the league out there, big-time players on both teams out there, and it’s too bad if the field becomes an issue where there’s an injury and that star of the league is out for the season,’’ Santos told the Sun-Times. ‘‘And that can happen. It’s a reckless thing that they’re not taking care of it to the standards [of the players].’’
The Chicago Park District owns and operates the stadium. The Bears are considering moving to Arlington Heights, where they’re in the process of buying land.
The plan all year has been to resod Soldier Field between the last concert at the stadium Sept. 3 and the Bears’ regular-season opener Sept. 11.
The turf was already in bad shape before the Elton John concert Aug. 5. A day before the show, the Fire announced they were moving their match Aug. 21 to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview ‘‘due to the expected field condition at Soldier Field,’’ which the team suspected would not meet Major League Soccer standards.
Head coach Matt Eberflus said he thought the grass was ‘‘firm’’ and ‘‘good,’’ saying the grounds crew was ‘‘trying to do their best.’’
The grass has ‘‘always been that way,’’ quarterback Justin Fields said. ‘‘To be honest, last year I used our home field as an advantage.’’
Roquan works out
Linebacker Roquan Smith, who demanded a trade Tuesday, did conditioning work with teammates about two hours before kickoff. He stood on the Bears’ sideline in team-issued street clothes to watch the game.
Speaking on the team-sanctioned pregame show, general manager Ryan Poles reiterated what he said Tuesday.
‘‘I love the player and what he’s done on the field,’’ Poles said on WBBM-AM (780). ‘‘This is a very unique situation that we’re handling the best we can. We hope to have him in a Chicago Bears uniform.’’
Smith has been a ‘‘hold-in’’ since the start of training camp, attending team meetings but not practicing while he angles for a contract extension worth around $100 million over five years.
This and that
Defensive end Robert Quinn and offensive tackle Riley Reiff, who have 21 years of combined experience, were healthy scratches. Starters David Montgomery, Cole Kmet, Angelo Blackson and Byron Pringle were among the 23 Bears who didn’t play.
◆ Safety Michael Joseph (hamstring), cornerback Jayson Stanley (knee) and linebacker Javin White (knee) left with injuries.