Martz hire raises turf issue 

If Bears want to recreate St. Louis 'Show,' they need to replace Soldier Field's grass surface

February 2, 2010

When Mike Martz was in St. Louis, his offense was called "The Greatest Show on Turf."

If the Bears want to recreate the St. Louis experience, they need turf specifically an infill playing surface at Soldier Field.

The Bears and the Chicago Park District have been open to the idea of replacing Soldier Field's grass playing surface, and this could be the ideal time to make the change. It would cost about $1.5 million to make the switch to an infill surface, better known by the brand name FieldTurf, and in the long run it would be considerably cheaper than regular re-soddings.

In the past, however, the Bears have been resistant to playing on an artificial surface. And they could decide against it again this year.

The thinking is that if the Bears do away with their grass field, it would be problematical to go back to it. So they have to ask themselves if it's wise to change their playing surface for the foreseeable future based on a coach who could be a one-year stopgap.

Dan Pompei

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote: