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While this year’s Super Bowl was one of the greatest games in the history of the famed title game, it was slightly marred by one issue: the turf.
Subsequently referred to as “Sodgate,” the conditions of the field during Super Bowl LVII were so severe that it became a talking point after the game. Even Eagles general manager Howie Roseman was asked about the field conditions, to which he responded “both teams played on the same field.”
Now, while field conditions might be considered something that’s impossible to prepare for, that’s certainly not the case when it comes to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who knew what to expect from the State Farm Stadium field prior to Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks.
According to former Pats pass-catcher Danny Amendola, Belichick not only prepped the team on the potential turf issues but also implemented a rule for their cleats in an order to mitigate the field problems.
“When you play a night game in AZ, for some reason the grass always gets a little dewy at night, and it’s so slick. I’ve worn seven studs on that field numerous times,” Amendola said on a recent episode of Chris Long’s Green Light podcast.
“Bill made it a mandatory seven-stud game. We were all bitching and moaning, but we didn’t have too many slips. On that surface, you’ve got to switch the tires out and put the seven-studs in. I feel like you get a lot better traction. You don’t feel like you can play as fast in them, but at the same time, you’re chopping it up, you’re gripping the turf. Anybody that slipped [in Super Bowl LVII], look at the cleats they were wearing. They were probably wearing the wrong tires.”
Yet another example of how Bill Belichick is simply on another level than his peers.
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