November 20th, 2006
We hear that while the Patriots? decision to finally give up on having a natural-turf surface at home came after watching the Gillette Stadium field turn into a muddy quagmire in a disastrous Week 10 loss to the Jets, the switch to FieldTurf could also be strategically beneficial to this Patriots team. First of all, QB Tom Brady has a 19-1 lifetime record on artificial turf. Secondly, the team has traditionally scored a lot of points on turf ? with 38 points at Cincinnati, 28 points at Buffalo and 31 at Minnesota this season. Finally, it?s expected that the Patriots? offense will benefit greatly from having a fast track that offers consistent footing no matter the weather. We hear the Pats could use more of the spread offense that was so successful against the Vikings in Week Eight, putting the ball in Brady?s hands and letting him make the decisions on where to distribute it. Also, an undersized offensive line that relies on pulls and traps should be able to move easier on the faster surface. And, RB Laurence Maroney should be able to better utilize his speed and sharp-cutting ability, which were often negated by the poor field conditions.
