The New England Patriots go through turf like their AFC East opponents cycle through head coaches.
The Patriots will replace their field surface for the third time since March 2014, ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported Monday.
The Patriots had installed this set of turf, billed as “the newest, most advanced monofilament FieldTurf surface available,” in May, replacing a surface that had been installed in March 2014. The Patriots first replaced their grass field with artificial turf midway through the 2006 season.
The turf that was installed four months ago is “not meeting team standards,” Reiss reported. Players have noted the surface is “especially soft,” according to Reiss.
New England played just three games on the turf — preseason matchups against the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Giants and Thursday night’s NFL season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs — and cornerback Cyrus Jones and linebacker Dont’a Hightower suffered knee injuries in two of those contests. Chiefs safety Eric Berry also ruptured his Achilles tendon on the turf Thursday night.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady commented last season that he would prefer to play on grass. The Patriots practice on grass.
Thumbnail photo via David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports Images
