Soldier Field installs new bermuda grass before Bears kick off season - NBC Sports

The grass on Soldier Field is being replaced with Bermuda grass less than a week before the Chicago Bears open their season versus the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

ASM Global, the company that handles the field conditions, planned to install the grass directly before week one after concerts for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bad Bunny and Rammstein finished at the stadium the weekend prior.

The new, Bermuda grass is supposed to have the capacity to be played on immediately upon its installment.

The field's grass was usually sodded with Kentucky Bluegrass, which typically thrives in cooler weather and recuperates and regrows more quickly from wear. Bermuda grows in warmer weather and is more resilient to wear than Kentucky. There's a possibility the grass is re-sodded in the later weeks of the season with Kentucky Bluegrass since it holds better in colder weather.

Soldier Field's grass has been an ongoing problem for years. It has received multiple complaints from players, coaches and the president of the NFLPA, J.C Tretter.

A plethora of dry spots and holes were left from a weekend's concert before the Bears' only preseason game at home versus the Kansas City Chiefs. Pictures of the poor field conditions bombarded Twitter with the putrid sight. The NFL claims it passed inspection and regulations to be played on, but it still caught the attention of many, including opposing head coach Andy Reid.

"A lot better than my high school field," Reid said after the game. "Not much."

On the other hand, second-year quarterback Justin Fields mentioned the field's condition as an "advantage" to him and the offense because of their awareness of the field's state. Hopefully, they use their insight as a strategy when they open up their season on Sunday, Sept. 11 versus the 49ers.

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