Vikings

The Soldier Field Turf May Be More Of A Threat Than the Bears On Sunday

Photo Credit: Quinn Harris-USA TODAY Sports

On Dec. 20 of last year, the Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears, 17-9, in a Monday Night Football game that would turn any newcomer away from the sport itself. The gameplay was ugly as sin. Dalvin Cook had more yards running (89) than Kirk Cousins had passing (87). The officials ejected Eric Kendricks in the fourth quarter. Nobody could get anything going.

The only positive to come out of the game? The Vikings left it unscathed. Nobody got injured.

That’s incredible, given the surface they were playing on. I’m not a botanist, but the grass in the middle of the field looked dead. If your neighbor’s lawn was that brown, you’d ask them if their sprinkler system was out. It was also a cold night, and the ground was rock solid. You might as well have played the game in a parking lot.

The turf wasn’t the sole reason the game became an eyesore, but players occasionally slipped and fell during the course of play. It looked bad enough to compel me to ask Cousins about it after the game. “No, it felt good to me,” he countered. “I actually went with shorter cleats after warmups. I wore my longer cleats in warmups and decided I didn’t need them. Came back out in my normal cleats. I felt fine, but I’m also not running as much as some other positions.”

Cousins’ comment about his cleats became a forgotten line in a lost season. There were bigger issues at the time. The clock was ticking on Mike Zimmer. Justin Jefferson, who only had 47 yards in that game, had yet to reach the playoffs. Nobody knew how many of the core players would return the following year.

But cleats became a focal point after Minnesota’s 41-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers last week.

Players use five-stud cleats in most games. The cleats are shorter, and the shoes have two fewer pods of cleats than the seven-stud version. However, coaches encourage players to use seven-stud cleats in adverse conditions. For example, afternoon dew had built up on the Lambeau Field turf last week. Many of Minnesota’s players felt fine wearing their five-stud cleats in warmups before the 3:25 p.m. kickoff. But as it got darker, the field became slipperier. Players fell during crucial routes or defending Green Bay’s skill players. It also affected the players in the trenches.

Most of Green Bay’s players wore seven-stud cleats, but many of Minnesota’s players did not. Most Vikings players changed at halftime, but the Packers were already up 27-3 by that point. O’Connell said he encouraged the players to wear seven-stud cleats but didn’t make it mandatory.

“We made (that) a point throughout the week,” Kevin O’Connell said after the game. “We were able to practice outside a couple days. You’re never going to force people to wear those things, but it was strongly encouraged, and a lot of our roster has played up here before. When I did see some guys on the ground and having some issues, they then put those cleats on. Hopefully, it’s a learning lesson for all of us that we don’t need to go through some of that early to rectify that problem.”

O’Connell delivered this message even-keeled, to the extent that it almost got lost among his other comments on Minnesota’s loss. But he was pointed in his criticism. He felt some of his guys were wearing the wrong equipment. To be fair, he’s the head coach; he could have mandated it. But some players feel they play better in five-stud cleats. For example, Chandon Sullivan spent the past three seasons with the Packers and eschewed the seven-stud model on Sunday.

“They feel different, any time you’re standing on a bigger platform,” explained offensive coordinator Wes Phillips. “But I will say this, Sully, who came from Green Bay, their nickel, he never wore sevens. So I do think it’s based on the player, but you do have to go out in pregame and make sure that you’ve got it right before we get out there. You can’t make that decision afterwards, after it’s already happened. ‘Oh, I slipped down,’ because we don’t know the impact of that play.”

The Vikings lost two linemen, Brian O’Neill and Austin Schlottmann, to injury last Sunday. O’Neill, a Pro Bowl right tackle, tore his Achilles tendon and is out for the season. Schlottmann is Minnesota’s backup center and was playing in place of Garrett Bradbury. His injury forced Chris Reed, a guard, to play center. All of Minnesota’s O-linemen have a next-man-up mentality, but O’Neill is a massive loss, and every offensive play starts with a center-quarterback snap exchange.

It’s hard to know how the playing surface, or each player’s equipment, factored into O’Neill and Schlottmann’s injuries. But the players must take as many precautions as possible, not just from a performance standpoint, but to protect themselves before the playoffs. A reluctance to wear seven-stud cleats didn’t cost the Vikings Sunday’s game in Green Bay. But they didn’t do themselves any favors, offered Phillips on no uncertain terms.

“We definitely have to take the conditions into account, and we have to be professional about whatever environment we’re playing in,” he said. “The margin for error in this league is small. … It was noticeable that it happened with us, and it didn’t happen with them.

“It was something that was addressed. But guys got to understand the margin for error is so small. It can’t be like, ‘Oh, I’ll get it next time.’ You don’t know how many times you’re going to have that play to change a game or continue a drive. We have to be professional about it. Whether it’s technique at times – you cut off the wrong foot on any surface, you’re going to fall down. But it was noticeable. It was addressed prior to the game and post-game. We’ve got to be better there.”

So why didn’t the players use seven-stud cleats from the start of the game? Because the playing surface changed as the game went on, and seven-stud cleats aren’t optimal in better conditions.

“I’ve been thinking about it a little bit,” said Adam Thielen. “Just seeing it a little bit on tape, it looks to be a different surface than what we saw last week. I heard that they maybe had changed out their field. So just trying to use as many resources as possible.

“We’ll just have to see how it goes. The tough part is, the pregame can be deceiving, as we found out last week. Felt pretty good about the footing and surface during pregame, but once the game started, it got dark out, and the field changed a lot.”

The players also typically practice in five-stud cleats. They play indoors at US Bank Stadium, and most of their opponents had quality turf – at least from what I could see. The turf in Philadelphia, Miami, and Buffalo was in good shape. The Vikings played at Tottenham Stadium in London, a world-class soccer facility. The Detroit Lions play indoors. Dan Snyder’s crabgrass in Washington was an outlier. It’s probably the worst playing surface in the league, but that game was played in early November.

“You’re not really used to the seven-studs, just because they’re so long,” said Justin Jefferson, who didn’t change to seven-stud cleats until halftime. “They go further into the ground. So if you don’t really practice with them, you don’t really cut in them as much. It’s difficult, just because you’re not used to running with those long of a stud. You trip a lot more than you normally do, but it definitely helps when you don’t really have a good field, and it’s very slippery.

“So seven-studs definitely helped.”

Jefferson will wear his seven-stud cleats in Chicago, which he anticipates will have a similar playing surface to Green Bay’s. However, the seven-stud cleats aren’t universally better. If worn in the wrong environment, they can be detrimental to a player’s performance.

“Well, just a little bit longer,” said Thielen, comparing the shoes. “A little bit, maybe bigger, as far as the cleat at the bottom of your shoe. So that’s really the only difference. I think sometimes it’s tough. If you do have a good surface, if you’re wearing the seven-studs, they tend to grab and almost make you trip a little bit.

“But for the surface we had last week, it was perfect. And once I put those bad boys on, it felt great.”

Some players say they don’t notice a major difference. Patrick Peterson will wear his seven-stud cleats in Chicago because he feels he’ll perform better, and he knows he’s vital to Minnesota’s success in the playoffs. He’s their top corner and needs to stay on his feet at age 32.

“I think it’s a personal preference, I really do. But for me, I can’t afford to be on the ground,” he said, laughing. “So I wanna keep myself the best opportunity to stay upright throughout that game. And for me, seven-studs always came through for me, even if it was a rainy surface, a muddy surface, or like the surface we just played in Green Bay.”

Minnesota’s starters need to build an early lead and hand it off to the reserves. They should beat Nathan Peterman and the Bears handily, and they can’t suffer any injuries before the playoffs. Equipment plays a part in it, and they can’t let it become a narrative. It’s up to each player, but Green Bay served as a lesson. It’s hard to win if you can’t stay upright.

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