The Detroit Lions fell short against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday, and after the game, the team didn't hold back on with its opinion of the playing field. Pro Bowl OL Frank Ragnow was among those to voice his displeasure about the field at Bank of America Stadium, which was practically frozen during the Christmas Eve showdown. Via Kyle Meinke of MLive, Ragnow sounded off on the conditions from Saturday's game.
Via MLive.com:
“Yeah, that field was tough,” Ragnow told MLive. “I don’t want to make excuses, but it was pretty hard, man. It’s tough to brace with the toe and everything. It was tough.”
It wasn't just Ragnow who chimed in. No. 2 overall pick Aidan Hutchinson sounded off, too.
“That was the most concrete field I’ve ever been on in my whole life. I didn’t think that was actually legal to play on. Warming up, you’re trying to turn the corner, and literally in warmups, I fell in my first one-on-one rep right on my face.”
“I don’t know if there is a standard you have to meet for turf, but I think it got better later in the game, so it wasn’t too much of a factor. But, I mean, it was very concrete-like for sure,” continued Hutchinson.
The Panthers' field has drawn criticism various times this year, with many players expressing displeasure over playing on turf. Bank of America Stadium used to be a natural grass field, but they made the change to a turf setup in 2021. The unlikely tundra game that occurred on Saturday is one example of why players are not keen on playing on turf. In the words of Hutchinson, it felt like they were playing on concrete.
The Lions lost by 14 points, 37-23, and while their Ragnow and Hutchinson weren't trying to excuse the result, they didn't hide their disdain over the frozen field they had to play on.
Follow Us
Subscribe