Steelers HC Mike Tomlin told the media he wasn’t aware of recent field issues at Acrisure Stadium because they practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. It turns out he nearly received a heads-up from University of Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi.
“After we played [Boston College], I knew that I should have called Coach Tomlin up and said, ‘Dude, you better change it,'” Narduzzi said Monday via 93.7 The Fan’s PM Team. “I feel guilty, so blame it on me. I felt guilty. Matter of fact, I texted him after the game, said I should have said something, ’cause I didn’t think it was…I thought what is wrong with it? It wasn’t right. It seemed like it was dry, like the weather got to it.”
The Steelers and the NFL have come under fire since Pittsburgh’s 23-9 win over Cleveland on Oct. 12, partially because players from both teams reportedly complained to the NFLPA about field conditions. With however many billions of dollars the NFL and each individual team are worth, a few hundred thousand dollars to prioritize player safety should be a no-brainer.
Chris Boswell had a close call when his plant leg slid into a divot on a missed 54-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter. And earlier in the game Miles Killebrew suffered a significant knee injury. It’s not certain if the grass was the cause, but it couldn’t have helped.
One of the natural culprits that many point to is that the Steelers share Acrisure Stadium with the Pitt Panthers. They resod the field multiple times throughout the season, but the extra games played can make it tough to maintain the playing surface. That said, Narduzzi claims it’s never been this bad.
“We’ve had great grass for 11 seasons, or 10 seasons if you don’t want to count this season,” he said.
He wanted to tell Tomlin but felt it wasn’t his place. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to have team personnel scout field conditions in the days and even hours leading up to the game. It’s not like it’s very far away from the practice facility to gather that potentially valuable information. Could Tomlin have persuaded Art Rooney II and Acrisure Stadium to lay new sod in time for the Browns game? I’m not sure the answer to that, but they at least would have known what to expect.
The field was resodded immediately after the Steelers-Browns game, so it should be in near-perfect condition for the Steelers’ upcoming game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football. Though Pitt will have played on it once since then. Maybe now Narduzzi will give Tomlin a heads-up next time this happens.
