With all of the world heavily focused on the World Cup this past week, especially those who are fans of the Patriots since Gillette Stadium, now referenced as Boston Stadium, is hosting matches, there has been a lot of talk about the conditions of the fields being used by the players.
That is particularly true in New England for one big reason: during the NFL season, the Patriots play on artificial turf. But during the World Cup, real grass was brought onto the field.
That prompted plenty of reactions from Patriots players, most notably Kevin Byard, Brenden Schooler, and Rhamondre Stevenson, all voicing their preference for real grass and making it clear they wish it would remain in the stadium for the upcoming season.
It was a strong message sent to team owner Robert Kraft, and although he hasn't said much on the matter over the years, he has a chance to set a new trend across the NFL by listening to his players and bringing real grass back to the field.
It has been a hot topic in the league for several years now, and given the high likelihood that artificial turf has increased players' risk of injury, that feels like more than enough reason to seriously consider what they have to say on the matter.
Robert Kraft has the opportunity to make a serious change to Gillette Stadium that Patriots players want to see
There are many pros and cons to NFL games being played on real grass vs. turf, and many of the negatives center on the state of the field when the weather is far from ideal.
That was a prominent part of the dynasty's early days, with some of the most iconic games played in the snow and rain on a messy, muddy field. And although that is something players would have to get used to again, they continue to advocate removing the turf for good.
It would be fair to say that the risk of serious injury, which we've seen rise since turf became standard across many NFL stadiums, has increased, and players would like to avoid that as much as possible. Their comments on the matter should be taken seriously, but at this point, owners haven't budged on their position.
Kraft has a chance to be the first to take what his players are saying and use it as a reason for change, which could set off a trend across the league for other owners to do the same.
Considering the less-than-ideal grades the Patriots have received from their players in recent years from the NFLPA report cards, making a move as big as this would certainly help morale and boost Kraft's grade in the process. Assuming that means something to ownership, it feels like a no-brainer to get going on changing the field.
Whether it happens or not is hard to say, especially since Kraft hasn't made his feelings clear about grass vs. turf at all recently. However, seeing soccer games played in their home stadium on real grass will surely keep this conversation going, and Kraft won't be able to avoid it for much longer.
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