Soldier Field is a legendary football stadium for many reasons, but it still has one incredibly major flaw — the actual field. We’ve heard for several seasons about how bad the playing surface is for the Chicago Bears’ home games and their kicker for the past two seasons, Cairo Santos had plenty to say about its shape ahead of the 2022 season.
Santos recently had a chance to kick at the stadium for the Bears’ Tuesday practice in preparation for their Saturday showdown against the Kansas City Chiefs and he didn’t like what he saw.
In a sitdown with Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun Times, Santos opened up in detail about the conditions of the playing surface, which is natural Kentucky Bluegrass, and it was clear he was upset.
“Especially Week 1, our first game of the season — I’ve seen better. It’s just what we have to deal with. The less of a problem you make it in your mind, it helps you overcome it and just go.”
“I was going to a turf field at a high school, which was perfect. It was almost like, ‘OK. I’m getting too comfortable.’ So in my neighborhood, there’s a soccer field and the grass is a Bermuda grass. It’s real long. I was like, ‘OK. This is more like it.’“The ball flies different. It’s not super even all the time… It’s important to put yourself in that situation.”
Cairo Santos on poor conditions of Soldier Field
As bad as the surface is, Santos has handled it well. He set the franchise record in accuracy by nailing 93.8% of his kicks in 2020 and followed that up with another strong season in 2021. Perhaps his success is credited to the unique preparation he puts in during the offseason.
Kicking at Soldier Field is tough enough with the harsh, cold elements. It’s called the Windy City for a reason, but these conditions are 100% uncontrollable. The one thing the Bears organization can actually control, and put some effort toward maintaining, is the field.
NFL teams make millions of dollars each season. The fact that the Bears can get away with putting not only their players, but their visiting opponents in danger for 8-9 games a year should be illegal.
It’s time for the league to raise the standards, mandating all surfaces are in tip-top shape before the game begins. In this case, the field is already in rough shape before the first game has even kicked off. It’s downright embarrassing.