The Baltimore Sun is confirming earlier radio blabbing that former Giants coach Jim Fassel has resigned as Ravens offensive coordinator. Head Coach Brian Billick, one of the more offensive personalties in the sporting world if not all of mankind, is expected to assume Fassell’s duties.
Any more questions for Denny Green, folks?
While passing up a convenient chance to blame the Revs’ MLS title hopes for the field conditions at Gillette Stadium, the Boston Herald’s John Tomase details the biggest story to involve the New England groundskeeping staff that didn’t include a snowplow.
The Patriots have come under fire for playing on a field that looks like it hosted a tractor pull. With the Gillette Stadium sod torn up for the middle 50 yards between the hashmarks, footing on everything from kick returns to firing off the line to field goals has been an issue.
The league told the Patriots last week to clean up their act. Their problems would be solved with FieldTurf, a blend of polyethylene fibers that looks and feels like grass and sits on a bed of œsynthetic earth made of rubber, silica sand and – no lie – recycled Nike sneaker soles.
œIt™s definitely different than regular AstroTurf. That stuff was hard like carpet, said Patriots safety Don Davis, who also is the team™s player rep. œThe synthetic surface they™re talking about is more like a grass surface. I haven™t played enough games on it to say it™s exactly like grass, but it™s obviously better than turf.
Eight NFL teams currently play on FieldTurf – the Jets, Giants, Falcons, Bengals, Seahawks, Colts, Rams and Vikings. Another 21 use it on practice fields, including the Patriots.