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TM New England Patriots (NE) Two days after the Patriots and Jets tore up the muddy Gillette Stadium playing field, team officials took the matter one step further: They had the entire field torn up for good. Utilizing a two-week window between home games, owner Robert Kraft and president Jonathan Kraft moved quickly to replace the natural grass field with a synthetic surface, FieldTurf. The surface is expected to be ready for Nov. 26, the date of the next home game, against the Bears. Mounds of dirt were hauled out of the stadium yesterday, as the sound of beeping trucks and tractors, and workers communicating on site, created a busy atmosphere on an otherwise quiet day at the stadium. Team officials deferred comment until today on the change, which had been under consideration for months, although there was a feeling among high-ranking Patriots officials that every option had been explored before moving away from grass. The team had resodded the field each of the last four years, and while the preference was to stick with the natural surface, the sloppy conditions Sunday reinforced their growing belief that the best option was to install synthetic grass.

[RageWizard]

There goes the home "field" advantage

I think Vinateri is the only guy who has figured out how to kick off of the dirt field that they were using.

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Its interesting to me because the one thing the Pats really lack is speed. Could be a bad match up against a very quick Chicago D and a very quick Detroit O. Have to wait and see...