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Do we have to play on that terrible Heinz Field quagmire Sunday night?

What can they do in six days to fix it? :huh:

Not a whole lot IMHO, especially if they get more rain between now and then. It's just a HORRIBLE playing surface! When that Miami punt stuck nose first in the muck without so much as a wiggle last night, you knew that was one messed up field. I think Pittsburghs groundskeepers must be pure amatures. I mean who lays sod directly on top of...sod!?! :wacko:

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Do we have to play on that terrible Heinz Field quagmire Sunday night?

What can they do in six days to fix it? :huh:

Truck loads of kitty litter.....because we're coming to town.

That place is a cat box anyway.

Squealers fans.....bring your pooper scoopers.......Bengals are gonna take a few big dumps in your endzones.

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Yeah, I was watching parts of the Steelers game and couldn't believe how sh*tty the field looked. You would think they would do something more to fix that piece of crap up. I remember when PBS stadiums field was like that and it was an embarassment. Great new stadium, f*cked up field !!! Oh well, if we were to come away with a "W" and injury free, I could care less about the field....

WHODEY !!!

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Well the Bengals get to play on the piece of crap field a night after University of Pittsburgh plays host to WV, so I don't think there will be a big difference in the playing field from last night. My favorite part of last night was watching the grounds crew peal the tarp off the field and watched how gallons of water flowed from the tarp back onto the field. Hello grounds crew, your are supposed to try to keep the water off the field not let flow back on it in nice big puddles. The Steelers should be ashamed of that field, and the NFL should force them to change their surface to field turf or build a roof. Just like NE's field and Chicago's field should be forced to change.

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This article was before yesterday's game.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07322/834861-66.stm

Yeah, I was watching parts of the Steelers game and couldn't believe how sh*tty the field looked. You would think they would do something more to fix that piece of crap up. I remember when PBS stadiums field was like that and it was an embarassment. Great new stadium, f*cked up field !!! Oh well, if we were to come away with a "W" and injury free, I could care less about the field....

WHODEY !!!

They just put new turf down a couple of days ago. :lmao:

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...The Steelers should be ashamed of that field, and the NFL should force them to change their surface to field turf or build a roof. Just like NE's field and Chicago's field should be forced to change.

I don't know about Chicago, but Gillette Stadium switched during last season to the same Field Turf used in PBS.

I really dislike the Gillette Stadium logo sewn into the new field

FieldTurf Selected For Immediate Installation at Gillette Stadium - FOXBOROUGH, Mass., Nov. 15, 2006

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Well the Bengals get to play on the piece of crap field a night after University of Pittsburgh plays host to WV, so I don't think there will be a big difference in the playing field from last night. My favorite part of last night was watching the grounds crew peal the tarp off the field and watched how gallons of water flowed from the tarp back onto the field. Hello grounds crew, your are supposed to try to keep the water off the field not let flow back on it in nice big puddles. The Steelers should be ashamed of that field, and the NFL should force them to change their surface to field turf or build a roof. Just like NE's field and Chicago's field should be forced to change.

C'mon, injuries aside, bad turf makes the game more exciting.

And, hey, you never know, just maybe we can blow out Big Ben's knee.

You know what they say, karma blows.

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Pittsburgh needs to give up on the natural grass like everyone else has. And yes people are raising a stink all over the radio and internet about last night's game so spare us the "woe is us" Bengals' conspiracy! I commend the Bengals' for at least taking action on their field early on, and the Bengals' obviously have better field people.

Laying sod on top of already ruined sod was just stupid - they should've just kept it the way it was and it would've at least drained and been barren and slippery (like PBS used to be).

I'm suprised no one tore a knee in half in that gunk (by getting foot stuck and being twisted/tackled etc...,).

The NFL needs to step-in and order them to go to Field Turf, enough is enough.

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Fun game. I enjoyed it completely.

And obviously the Steelers won because their practice bubble better prepared them to play under those conditions, right? :rolleyes:

I think you are one of 5 people who actually enjoyed that ridiculous nonsense. "Old school" football is one thing, that was just bad football all-around, albeit humorous.

And the point of the "bubble" is to allow teams to practice productively in bad conditions and prevent injury and unnecessary illnesses (as well as simulating noisy road conditions) during the week when needed, as often and conveniently as they need to. It's called protecting your investment. Something our 4-7 Bengals' front office doesn't really grasp yet.

But you can watch the Steelers in the playoffs this year again and watch the Bengals' regular season games/losses on your DVR I guess, and make fun of their "bubble" all you want. I'm sure they think you're an endless stream of wisdom and toughness.

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I think you are one of 5 people who actually enjoyed that ridiculous nonsense. "Old school" football is one thing, that was just bad football all-around, albeit humorous.

I'm in good company as ESPN just did a fan poll and over 70% claimed to enjoy games played in extreme conditions....including last nights sloppy affair. Apparently the other 30% are dinks like you who prefer a brand of artificial football where uniforms never get dirty and the action smacks of that seen in video games.

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And the point of the "bubble" is to allow teams to practice productively in bad conditions and....

And what? The fact remains that a bubble doesn't help teams prepare for playing in extreme conditions. In fact, if you want to prepare for extreme conditions you better practice in the same conditions you'll be forced to play in, and in the process learn what plays can and can't be run, what footwear works best, which players are most capable of making the needed adjustments, etc.

Again, a fun game to watch and filled with as much game strategy as any game you'll ever see....including the sterile version that fanatasy geeks prefer.

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I thought it was funny at times, but not all that exciting. The game itself was pretty boring - despite the conditions, the only interesting/unexpected results I recall were a couple of atrociously missed FGs, dropped balls, and the punt that got sucked into the ground. Other than that, it was a whole lot of nothing happening.

I am definitely a fan of bad weather games, this one just didn't get crazy. Wasn't as fun as, say, the fog bowl or the 'tuck' game that was played in heavy snow in Foxborough.

The only realy interesting bit was seeing how long those losers could go without scoring, which did end up being historic. Oh, and getting to make fun of Pissburgh.

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I thought it was funny at times, but not all that exciting. The game itself was pretty boring - despite the conditions, the only interesting/unexpected results I recall were a couple of atrociously missed FGs, dropped balls, and the punt that got sucked into the ground. Other than that, it was a whole lot of nothing happening.

My opinion exactly. I don't mind a little rain or snow, but not when it wrecks the game.

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C'mon, injuries aside, bad turf makes the game more exciting.

And, hey, you never know, just maybe we can blow out Big Ben's knee.

You know what they say, karma blows.

Sorry but according to Steelers fans, you are not allowed to use the word karma. This was a big deal around here last summer when Ben played Tony Hawk on his cycle. So please tread lightly or you may endure the wrath!

http://forums.bengalszone.com/index.php?showtopic=11374

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I think you are one of 5 people who actually enjoyed that ridiculous nonsense. "Old school" football is one thing, that was just bad football all-around, albeit humorous.

I'm in good company as ESPN just did a fan poll and over 70% claimed to enjoy games played in extreme conditions....including last nights sloppy affair. Apparently the other 30% are dinks like you who prefer a brand of artificial football where uniforms never get dirty and the action smacks of that seen in video games.

No the other 30% are fans that think dome stadiums are good for football. Best kind of game is when it is snowing like a mother f-- out. Nothing like watching a blizzard come down in places like Green Bay, Denver, or Buffalo. I even get off on it when playing Madden on PS3...

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Steelers weighing field options following a Monday night mess

By ALAN ROBINSON, AP Sports Writer

November 27, 2007

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The Dolphins and Steelers rolled around in the muck and mire for more than 59 minutes without scoring, resembling a bunch of school kids playing a pickup game in a muddy backyard.

Running and passing plays appeared to be going in slow motion. Punting was difficult, kicking was nearly impossible. Players sunk ankle deep at times into the swamp-like field, and one punt nearly disappeared as it struck nose-first into the brand new turf, burrowing itself like a golf ball.

Welcome to Muddy Night Football.

"It was horrendous," Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward said. "No offense. You could have put (Tom) Brady's offense out there without anyone scoring."

Only this wasn't Lucy pulling the ball away from a slip-sliding Charlie Brown on Peanuts' imaginary playground, but a for-real NFL game with the potential to affect playoff races and the winless Dolphins' place in league history.

For one dreadful night, a perfect storm of weather-related events conspired to turn the Heinz Field grass into a surface that resembled a poorly maintained high school field. Neither team scored until Jeff Reed's 24-yard field goal with 17 seconds remaining won it for Pittsburgh 3-0.

The sod had been in place less than a day, put down hurriedly after five high school and college games last weekend chewed up the old turf. While the grass was new and plush, installing it atop the old field meant it didn't drain as well.

Add in a drenching rainstorm, the kind seldom seen in Pittsburgh so close to winter, and lightning, and it made for one of the weirdest NFL games of recent vintage.

During breaks, grounds crew members gouged the new sod with pitchforks to accelerate the drainage and emptied bags and bags of the water-drying substance more commonly seen at major league baseball games.

"On TV, maybe it didn't look so bad," Steelers punter Dan Sepulveda said. "But when you're out there, it's unbelievable."

No, it looked bad on TV, too.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin often talks about splash plays -- big plays that make a major difference in a game -- but every play on this rainy night in Pittsburgh was a splash play.

Perhaps the Steelers should have followed the advice given on the Web site for the company that provided the new sod: "During the first three weeks, avoid heavily or concentrated use of your new yard. This gives the roots an opportunity to firmly knit with the soil and insures that the turf will remain smooth."

A three-hour pounding by 22 athletes, who weigh an average of 250 pounds or so, likely constitutes heavy usage.

The Steelers have had ongoing turf problems since Heinz Field opened in 2001, replacing the grass three times during the 2002 season. None of those were quite this bad.

Now, the question is whether this game -- a national embarrassment to one of the NFL's most successful and well-run franchises -- will push them to install artificial turf.

"We have to look at those options and we will," coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. "I'm not concerned about it right now. The field we have here is the field we have."

With the Steelers (8-3) staying at home Sunday to play the Bengals (4-7), an NFL official will remain in Pittsburgh this week to monitor the field.

On Tuesday afternoon, it was still chewed up, with several long sideline-to-sideline strips of brown turf caused when rain water gushed through the seams of the protective tarps laid atop the field.

However, the Steelers apparently do not plan to replace this sod with more new sod.

"The field conditions were less than satisfactory for playing the Monday night football game," team president Art Rooney II said Tuesday in a statement. "We consulted with the NFL prior to laying down new sod and our grounds crew did the best it could under the circumstances.

"Unfortunately, we were faced with the worst possible weather conditions and we acknowledge that it did have an impact on the playing surface. We will continue to work with the NFL game operations people this week as our grounds crew works to improve the conditions of the field in time for Sunday night's game."

Perhaps the surprise is some Steelers players still do not want artificial turf, even though it would allow more events to be staged at Heinz Field.

"No, you can't simulate grass," Ward said. "That FieldTurf (used in the Steelers' indoor practice building) is still turf. Guys fall on it and it can get hard. You can still get a concussion. Players around here, if you ask them, even if it was pretty bad (Monday), we will stick with grass."

Tomlin didn't think the bad field was a big deal, even though the turf was clearly the culprit in one of the lowest-scoring games in NFL history. It was the first time since a Lions-Giants scoreless tie in 1943 that an NFL game went to the final minute without any scoring.

"It's football, man, it's an outdoor game," Tomlin said. "It is played as you move into December. Everybody loved to play dirty football when you were a kid. What else is new? Guys had a great time, it created some adversity and we overcame it and found a way to win the game."

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"That FieldTurf (used in the Steelers' indoor practice building) is still turf. Guys fall on it and it can get hard. You can still get a concussion. Players around here, if you ask them, even if it was pretty bad (Monday), we will stick with grass." --- Hines Ward

Yet another NFL player documenting how much they hate practicing on fake grass in a sterile indoor bubble. Plus, the risk of injury is HIGHER.

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