The latest NFL Players Association report cards graded the Steelers’ home field as the worst in the NFL “by a wide margin.” Coincidentally (or not), the Steelers are replacing the playing surface.
Via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, team owner Art Rooney II said Thursday that the new grass will be Tahoma 31 Bermuda. It’s a mix of Bermuda and bluegrass. The Eagles and Bears currently use it.
“It sounds crazy, but they grow the grass on a plastic sheet first to make sure the roots are growing,” Rooney said at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “It’s a different blend of what we have been using. They’ve been using it in other places and it’s been working.”
The Steelers previously used Kentucky bluegrass. The field experiences extra wear and tear because both the Steelers and the Pitt Panthers play at Acrisure Stadium, sometimes on the same weekend.
The Steelers have resisted using artificial turf. But they haven’t ruled it out.
“The only way we would consider [an artificial surface] is if the sod farms can’t produce good grass for us,” Rooney said. “We’re kind of at their mercy. If something happened with the sod farms not producing enough of the good grass, we would have to consider a change.”
Hopefully, it won’t come to that. Other teams in a four-season climate have found a way to make grass fields work well. It’s a matter of making the proper investment.
Given the Steelers overall scores on the latest NFLPA report cards, it’s fair to ask whether the Steelers are willing or able to pay what it takes to give the players the best facilities and field.
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