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Soldier Field’s new grass an upgrade over ‘sandy field ... spray painted green’

It’ll go against everything Bears kicker Cairo Santos has trained for, but he was happy to see Soldier Field get fresh Bermuda sod this week after the grass was so bad in the preseason that he said it was “reckless” for the NFL to hold a game on it.

Santos called the switch from Soldier Field’s traditional Kentucky bluegrass to Bermuda “a great thing” if it’s possible to maintain it.

“The other one, the grass got ripped out too easily,” he said. “It just became a sandy field that they spray painted green.”

Santos, who lives in Florida, has plenty of experience kicking on Bermuda grass and said it typically allows him to get a better view of the bottom of the football when he approaches for a field goal, plus it provides sturdier ground for his plant foot.