by ESPN News Services3 minutes read
Haason Reddick: Super Bowl had ‘worst field I’ve ever played on’
Haason Reddick criticizes the field at State Farm Stadium, telling a reporter it’s the worst field he’s ever played on.
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The field at State Farm Stadium turned into a Super Bowl blip Sunday night, and after the Kansas City Chiefs edged the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35, the surface was one of many hot topics.
“The field was kind of awful,” said Kansas City defenseman Frank Clark. “We’ve had this problem before in Arizona. A lot of these stadiums are trying to do new tactics with the pitch, they’re trying to do new things. I’ve been playing soccer since I was 7 years old. The best grass is grass, of course, there.
“At the end of the day it was the field we got.”
Players from both teams struggled to stay on their feet, leading some to change their cleats. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes slipped trying to make a cut but was able to gain a few yards. Kansas City wide receiver Skyy Moore lost his footing on a jet sweep, and running back Isiah Pacheco even slipped during his celebration after scoring a touchdown.
Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata compared the field to playing at a water park.
“The stand? It was awful,” he said. “But the Kansas City Chiefs also had to play on it. To be fair, they said it was awful during the TV break too. So I’m glad we were on the same page.
“It was just smooth. You couldn’t anchor. You had to get your whole foot into the ground. If you try to use only your toe, you would slip immediately. You saw the receivers – it was like a water park out there. And we play on grass.”
Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts was among the players who switched cleats for better traction. And often after the whistle the players would stop to look down where they planted their feet before rejoining the group.
“If you watch the film, everyone on both sides slipped,” Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick said. “I’m not going to sit here and use it as an excuse or complain about it. However, it was obvious. If you see the tape, it’s there.”
However, both teams managed to total 340 or more yards of offense and they totaled 73 points.
“This is an adjustment game and we had about four guys who switched cleats at halftime,” Clark said. “Just try to find out. But bad field or not, you have to play football.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
