Panthers Unhappy With Patriots' New Turf At Gillette Stadium
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Patriots recently replaced their brand-new FieldTurf playing surface at Gillette Stadium, amid complaints from players after their Week 1 loss against the Chiefs. It appears that they did not solve the problem.
Members of the Carolina Panthers have publicly criticized the Patriots' turf after their 33-30 upset win at Gillette Stadium, with safety Demetrious Cox citing it as the cause of a sprained ankle he suffered during the game.
"They've got a new turf. I think my foot just got caught in the turf funny and then it twisted," Cox told reporters on Wednesday, via the Charlotte Observer. "It was really soft. Guys kept saying that their feet were getting caught. ... It was kind of weird."
Panthers kicker Graham Gano, who drilled a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired on Sunday, was similarly critical.
"It's not a great field," said Gano. "But I understand because they play in cold weather it's got to be a little bit different. From what I heard they have to put a lot more sand in it so it doesn't freeze during the winter. But it wasn't the most ideal conditions. ... You could tell it was a new field."
Head coach Ron Rivera added that he could tell by the way players responded to him that they "weren't happy" about the playing surface.
The turf also drew complaints from the NFLPA, which asked the team to remedy the issues with the playing surface prior to the Patriots' Week 3 win over the Texans.