While it’s a far cry from the night in November 2007 when a punt hit the ground and didn’t bounce, the quality of the grass in Pittsburgh was poor on Sunday.
Kicker Chris Boswell slipped and fell while trying to kick a field goal during the 23-9 win over the Browns. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers suggested that it contributed to the potentially serious non-contact knee injury suffered by special-teams ace Miles Killebrew.
And while Boswell declined after the game to comment on the condition of the grass, Rodgers did not hold his tongue.
“The field got borderline unplayable, “Rodgers said, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
“I just felt like it got real beat up,” Rodgers added. “By the time the third quarter rolled around, that thing was really beat up. It reminds me a little bit of the field in Green Bay in the early years, but not until, like, November or early December where it would get kind of torn up a little bit. Then they went out and found an incredible field maintenance guy that came over and helped our guys out, and the field in Green Bay is absolutely immaculate, but the field today got pretty torn up.”
It’s no surprise, since Pitt plays its home games there.
The good news is that the sod is being replaced. The next game will be played there on October 25, by Pitt. The next night, the Steelers host Rodgers’s original team — the Packers.
Maybe the Steelers should bring Green Bay’s grass guy to Pittsburgh sooner than later for some advice on how to improve the surface. If they can do it in Wisconsin, they can do it anywhere.