The recently installed playing surface at Gillette Stadium has not been a hit with players — including those who call the stadium home.
One anonymous New England Patriots player told MassLive.com’s Kevin Duffy that the new turf, while more suitable than the surface that was ripped up last month, is far worse than what the team plays on in away games.
“(The turf is) better than it was at the beginning of the season, but still not good,” the player said. “… Everybody else’s turf is way better.”
The Patriots put down new turf in May, then replaced it after Week 1 following complaints that it was too soft. That problem apparently has not been remedied, as the Carolina Panthers expressed their displeasure with the new field after beating the Patriots in Foxboro last Sunday.
Panthers safety Demetrious Cox blamed the turf for an ankle injury he suffered during that game.
“I think my foot just got caught in the turf funny and then it twisted,” Cox told reporters last week, via The Charlotte Observer. “It was really soft. Guys kept saying that their feet were getting caught. … It was kind of weird.”
The Patriots will visit the New York Jets this Sunday before returning home to host the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 22.
Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images
