It’s pretty obvious from some of my stories that I am a great fan of tradition. I love Heinz Field. What makes football unique from other sports is that it can be played outside of an antiseptic environment. The perfectly-fake grass and domed fishbowls take away a dimension of football that makes it great. Football is a game of overcoming adversity. Part of that is mother nature. Same for both teams.

I was at the Dolphins game and I enjoyed every minute. Yes, once in a while everything bad happens at once like last year. Tremendous rain, high school games, University of Pitt and the re-sod. Once in a blue moon you find yourself in unique conditions. But you shouldn’t change everything because one time we had an extreme experience.

I applaud the Steelers for keeping the course and not knee-jerking into artificial turf after one difficult game. If the Indy Colts can have home field advantage with their plastic surgeon bubble, then the Steelers can have an advantage in a mud bath. Part of why I love football was being in that stadium for the Dolphins game.

I also applaud the Steelers for continuing to allow the high school playoff games. This organization always did understand the huge love affair with its community. The Rooneys continue to be very special in so many ways. Heinz Field is one of them.

I love the field conditions at Heinz!!! That is what football is all about – tough conditions, rain, snow, rough and rugged – that’s how I like it. I thought the dolphins/steelers game was highly entertaining last year – even greater because you don’t see poor conditions too much anymore. I thought Fred Taylor’s comments were a joke – ‘someone is going to sue’. I think he forgot that he signed a contract for millions of dollars – rough conditions are part of the game. I can’t wait until we get some home field in the next few years and we get to throw down in the snow!!!

Good question and agree with both the comments of rose and smash.

Question though: do you think that it’s possible that the organization changes the turf in order to help out Big Ben and the passing game? If he were to make that request, wouldnt they do it, having invested that much money in him in the first place?

I just think they need to schedule better. I don’t see why they need to have pitt games and like 3 high schools games in the same weekend before a home game. Just schedule that crap around Steelers games. The Steelers are only there 1/2 of the time anyway. It’s not that hard.

I agree with the comments about above football being a game that centers on overcoming adversity and playing in ‘less than favorable conditions’ but that game was a joke. If they don’t change the playing surface, which it seems obvious that they aren’t, they should make a conscious effort to schedule better. If they want to continue to host 4 or 5 games in a weekend, they should resurface the field so that it will hold up better.

Just imagine if the Dolphins would have kicked the lone field goal in that game. The Browns would have won the North, gone to the playoffs, and the Steelers would have watched from home. All because the Steelers lost a mud fight with the hapless Dolphins.

That game was boring and hard to watch (although I’m sure it would have been awesome to be there for it). I like the elements coming into play, but that was over the top. I would be okay with field turf or just working out a system of scheduling and grass maintenence that kept that game from happening. I’d hate to tell the HS’s to scram, but that’s a lot of football being played in a short time. They have to figure something out.

I will say that though the field may not be to Ben’s advantage, on average, it is a significant advantage for Jeff Reed vs. most other kickers. I love when a team drives down the field with time running out to attempt a 45 yard field goal, knowing that it has no chance.

Well, one, the complaints weren’t about “conditions.” Rain or snow or wind or loud domes are conditions. This was negligent and unsatisfactory maintenance of the surface of play, comparable to making them play in an ice rink, or digging a few wholes/traps and covering them w/ bamboo shoots. It wasn’t a problem w/ the “conditions.” That game was a joke.

I’m all for the “community” aspect, so as an outsider I’m not going to say, “stop scheduling 10 games in 11 days”, thus denying high schoolers the chance to play there. But as someone said, they either have to find a more reasonable schedule , or there should be no choice but to go (back to) turf.

Besides, it will go well with your new high flying, skill position oriented, line-ignoring style of play! ;)

If our players demand a change, then I agree, let’s make some change. Otherwise, it’s fricking football, guys. They’re supposed to play in the mud sometimes. I thought that all those ESPN types complaining about the field conditions were ridiculous. That Miami game reminded me of a thowback game, and it was kinda nice. As Chicago Steeler said, it happened once. It’s not like it’s been 5 straight years of horrible Heinz Field conditions. I don’t remember this type of complaining after the fog bowl in Chicago, or when old Candlestick Park would get soggy because it was built below sea level.