ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� As with any new lawn, it takes time for roots to take hold and the foundation to strengthen.
And that applies to the Bills’ new Highmark Stadium, where the grass field showed signs of wear and tear before, during and after Buffalo鈥檚 preseason-opening on Saturday.
No need to worry, Bills president Pete Guelli told The Associated Press on Monday, a day after team officials 鈥� including general manager Brandon Beane and trainers 鈥� toured the field with its groundskeeping crew as part of a planned inspection.
鈥淔rom a playability and safety perspective, everybody鈥檚 very happy,鈥� Guelli said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 Year 1. So it鈥檚 a brand new field and it鈥檚 going to take time for the foundation to build up. So some of the things people saw in the game, those will dissipate over time.鈥�
Guelli was referring to clumps of turf being churned up, with one official having to briefly stop the play clock to replace a divot. Before the game, parts of the field appeared more gray than green. Afterward, the most worn portion was between the hash marks, and members of the grounds crew re-seeded parts of the field not long after the final whistle.
Bills officials are comfortable with the field’s performance
Jarring as it may have appeared, Guelli said the field getting torn up was no surprise.
鈥淥ur grounds people were aware that was a possibility. Until it actually happens in a game as the field is maturing and the root system is setting, those things can happen,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t was attended to quickly and the game was able to continue. And we were comfortable with the performance after that.鈥�
The game was the first at the $2.1 billion stadium. The a week earlier.
The team will take the field again on Tuesday morning for a practice open to fans, before hosting Pittsburgh on Aug. 27 in its preseason finale. Buffalo鈥檚 home opener is against Detroit on Sept. 17.
The new stadium has been based on pictures of seats with views obstructed by guardrails and stairs. The said it has received complaints from less than 1% of its season-ticket holders and is working to resolve each issue on a case-by-case basis.
, the Bills switched from artificial turf to grass. The old surface was routinely panned by Bills players for being among the league鈥檚 worst in annual polls released by the NFL Players Association.
Owner Terry Pegula backed the switch, saying he prefers grass. The players union overwhelmingly favors grass fields, citing statistics indicating more injuries take place on artificial surfaces.
The Kentucky bluegrass field was installed 10 months ago
The Bills went with Kentucky bluegrass supplied by New Jersey-based Tuckahoe Turf Farms, which has numerous NFL and Major League Baseball clients. The company installed the same turf on the Bills’ practice field, which was sodded about a decade ago.
The field at the open-air stadium may have been put down 10 months ago, but it takes longer than that to mature.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also about the organic matter under the roots,鈥� Bills senior VP of venue operations Andy Major said. 鈥淥rganic matter builds up over time, over years, and gives a little more stability than, say, a virgin field that has sand in those areas.鈥�
The groundskeeping crew is monitoring the field by in part by comparing it to how the grass grew over time on the practice field. The crew also has ventilation, heating and grow-light systems at its disposal.
To reduce wear and tear, the Bills elected against holding any concerts at the stadium this year, though various events will be scheduled for next year, Guelli said. For this year only, the Bills will also not host the region鈥檚 high school football championships in November.
The next big test will come with the arrival of winter, and the familiar snow and winds blowing in off nearby Lake Erie.
鈥淲e think we鈥檝e figured it out, but it鈥檚 going to take time to see all the different iterations and different conditions,鈥� Guelli said. 鈥淎nd once we get there, we鈥檒l just continue to adjust.鈥�
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