July 03, 2023
The saga of the infamous Super Bowl LVII field continues on. As is known to Eagles fans everywhere, the field at State Farm Stadium in Arizona was a mess, causing constant slipping issues for players, an issue that stymied the Birds' historically great pass rush. According to a report from NBC Sports' Mike Florio, the NFL is "privately" blaming the players' cleats for those woes. Florio writes:
The NFL has an unofficial excuse for the situation, one that has been communicated when owners ask about it. Per a league source, the league blames the players for not wearing the right shoes. (The Eagles changed their cleats — and it didn’t seem to matter.)
Setting aside the fact that there should have been no reason for the teams to anticipate needing different types and sizes of cleats for a game that supposedly will be played under pristine conditions, the manner in which the field was torn up during the game shows that, regardless of whether the teams were able to properly adjust, the field never, ever should have been in that condition.
Not for the most-watched game of the season. Not for any game, if the league truly cares about the health and safety of the players. [NBC Sports]
That's pretty bogus. It's literally (literally!) their job to ensure something like that does not happen in the biggest game of the year. They failed. It clearly affected both the Chiefs and the Eagles even if you find yourself diving into "Sodfather" conspiracy theories. It's a shame. The Eagles have wisely not taken to blaming the field publicly less they look like the cry babies the San Francisco 49ers have turned out to be. It was a factor, but Eagles fans should take greater issue with former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon's complete inability to slow down Patrick Mahomes for a second than this sordid excuse for a Super Bowl field.
Follow Shamus & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @shamus_clancy | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Shamus' RSS feed to your feed reader
