Browns Blog

What a mess

The situation reached an embarrassing point when a ball stuck into the muddy surface on a punt during a Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins last season.

Having been to almost every stadium in the NFL, I've yet to see a field worse than the surface at Heinz. Even in good weather early in the season it doesn't have the plush look seen at other stadiums located in the north.

The Rooney family, which owns the Steelers, enjoys the fact that the University of Pittsburgh and high school teams play at Heinz. Having the field torn up by all the play it receives is the Rooney's way of telling their fans that Heinz is a stadium of the people.

It's also a stadium that has a field that could spin out injuries at a higher rate than fields that are maintained better. The NFL has a right to take a further look at the situation.

In the end, however, the Steelers should make the decision concerning the condition of the field. If anything, the organization is hurting its own cause. The Steelers play 10 games a season at Heinz, while the most another team could play there is twice.

The Steelers have long gone about business in a different manner than many of the other franchises. Unless there's an outpouring of complaints from other teams, let the Steelers play in the mud.