Super Bowl LVII has come and gone, but arguments about poor field quality still linger. It was a hot topic in the aftermath of the game and still is, and that probably comes as no surprise to New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Though his team didn’t play in the Big Game this year, Belichick has already played in one Super Bowl at Arizona. Leading up to Super Bowl XLIX at State Farm Stadium, retired wide receiver Danny Amendola says Belichick prepared the team for less-than-great field conditions.
“When you play a night game in AZ, for some reason the grass always gets a little dewy at night, and it’s so slippery,” he said on the “Green Light” podcast (via Boston.com). “I have worn seven studs on that field numerous times.
“One Super Bowl we played in, Bill made it a mandatory stud seven game. We were all b—–g and complaining, but we didn’t get too many mistakes.
The heavier studs weren’t the players’ favorite, but they kept them from experiencing the issues Kansas City and Philadelphia faced this year. Amendola has no mercy for them, adding that their coaches should have been more scrupulous in their preparation.
“On that surface, you have to change tires and put in the seven studs,” said Amendola. “I feel you have much better traction. You don’t feel like you can play with them that fast, but at the same time you’re tearing it apart, you’re holding on to the turf. . . . Whoever slipped, look at the cleats he was wearing. They were probably wearing the wrong tires.”
There’s a reason Belichick is regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time. Every single detail is important.
