Bears kicker Cairo Santos is accustomed to kicking in the NFL’s worst conditions, but he was hoping for at least a few good weeks at Soldier Field before the grass deteriorated.
Too bad.
He was dismayed by how rough the field was at the stadium for practice Tuesday, and it probably won’t be much better by Saturday when the Bears open the preseason against the Chiefs unless it gets re-sodded.
“Especially Week 1, our first game of the season — I’ve seen better,” Santos said, somehow sounding surprised yet not surprised whatsoever at the same time. “It’s just what we have to deal with. The less of a problem you make it in your mind, it helps you overcome it and just go.”
Soldier Field grass in midseason form— pic.twitter.com/do8bSa10bI
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) August 9, 2022
Even without the wind and the eventual frigid temperatures, the playing surface itself continues to be a problem.
Players of all positions have had issues with it — “That’s just part of Soldier Field... It’s gonna give a little bit, so you’ve just gotta realize the surface you’re playing on and get adjusted,” defensive end Robert Quinn said — but Santos said it’s so uniquely bad that he has to find poorly maintained public parks in Florida to simulate it in the offseason.
“I was going to a turf field at a high school, which was perfect,” Santos recounted. “It was almost like, ‘OK. I’m getting too comfortable.’ So in my neighborhood, there’s a soccer field and the grass is a Bermuda grass. It’s real long. I was like, ‘OK. This is more like it.’
“The ball flies different. It’s not super even all the time... It’s important to put yourself in that situation.”
Santos, by the way, has managed it just fine. He set the franchise record by hitting 93.8% of his field goals in 2020 and made 86.7% last season. That said, it’d be easy to guess where he stands on the possibility of the Bears moving to an indoor stadium in Arlington Heights.
