We are less than 7 minutes into the game as Miami kicker Jay Feely just missed a FG attempt. Looking at how terrible the field surface is, I'm surprised the NFL didn't take more precautions to ensure the facilities they would be utilizing for this international game would be more adequate and safe for their players. By the looks of the field, all the green will be gone by halftime, its not like the NFL hasn't been planning this game for months, why wouldn't they either request a playing surface more suitable for the NFL game or perhaps even provide the money for one to be put in. This surface is for soccer, and the looseness of the turf has the potential to cause a serious injury to one or more of the players in this game. As the league looks towards making international games part of the schedule in the future, they may want to do a better job of protecting their players. Players and owners have openly complained about the potential international games as far as losing a home game, and the travel time. If a player tears an ACL on this substandard field, the NFLPA will be doing everything it can to make sure these international games don't continue. And owners will not want to participate in these games for fear of losing star players, which translates to attendance at the games they really care about at their home stadiums. I hope the NFL wasn't trading the safety of their players for a large pay day, oh wait I mean this chance to share the NFL game with the world.
