For years, the turf at Soldier Field has been a storyline for the Chicago Bears, primarily for all the wrong reasons. It has been regarded as one of the worst playing surfaces in the NFL and players have constantly slipped and slid when trying to make a cut or tackle.
Things are finally changing for the better, however, as the team made a call to change out the turf to Bermuda-style grass ahead of their opening game of the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers.
The new grass should allow players to move better and players like Cairo Santos have already praised the change. It’s also piqued the interest of former players, including one of the greatest Bears to every step foot on Soldier Field in Devin Hester.
Hester, the greatest return specialist in the history of the NFL, shared he’s a bit envious of the new turf at Soldier Field after spending years playing on the old surface.
“I am jealous, I am,” Hester told Bears Wire while participating at the FanDuel FanFest at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago over the weekend. “I probably could have ran a little faster out there. But it is what it is, I don’t look at it as that type of situation. At the end of the day, I’m playing on it, the defender is playing on it, there’s no excuse. At the end of the day, we’re both playing on it.”
The playing surface at Soldier Field didn’t seem to bother Hester as he notched 10 return touchdowns in his home stadium while playing for the Bears from 2006-2013. Hester had 11 of his NFL record of 20 return touchdowns at Soldier Field so it wasn’t much of a hinderance to his success. Still, he thinks he could have been even better playing on better turf. “I could have had probably about four more.” Hester said with a smile when asked if he would have scored more touchdowns playing on the new turf.
The future Hall of Famer hasn’t played in the NFL since 2016, but showed he still has his athleticism while at the FanDuel FanFest. Hester competed with former teammate Matt Forte in a tic-tac-toe game where each person had to throw footballs in the corresponding spaces to win. Forte was the victor, but both he and Hester threw the ball well in the game, raising the question as to why there weren’t more trick plays for them during their playing days.
“It’s harder than it looks,” Hester said.
Hester and Forte were joined by fellow Bears greats Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman, who participated in a variety of sports experiences with other Chicago sports stars. The FanDuel FanFest is a one-day festival that brings together fans of sports and music to have a one-of-a-kind experience.
