Bears' Cairo Santos Excited to Kick on Soldier Field's Bermuda Grass

Santos excited to kick on Soldier Field's Bermuda grass originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Cairo Santos is prepared, no matter the conditions. 

When it came to the Bears' shoddy grass, which was covered in dry spots and holes for their lone preseason game at Soldier Field, he was ready. 

The grass at Soldier Field doesn’t look great following Elton John’s concert over the weekend. pic.twitter.com/eIRQyvAf6A

— Alex Shapiro (@AlexShapiroNBCS) August 9, 2022

He kicked on uneven surfaces at a high school near his home and prepared for Soldier Field's conditions. 

"I learned last year," Santos said back in early August. "There were spots yesterday that we noticed and we talked about with Trent[on] [Gill] because he’s new. Look, if we have a field goal right here, we have to move it maybe off the hash. Or maybe on the field more, inside the hash more, just to get away from this hole."

Santos mentioned he found an underdeveloped high school field that was perfect for practicing kicking on uneven surfaces. 

Now, he won't have to. 

Soldier Field rolled out new Bermuda grass, which is shorter, more resilient to wear and better in warmer conditions. The field might be re-sodded with the original Kentucky Bluegrass in the winter since it's more durable to the temperatures. But, for now, Santos can take a sigh of relief. 

"The Bermuda is a better grass to kick in this cold," Santos said via Kevin Fishbein of The Athletic. "If you can grow it and protect it, then it's a great thing."

 Hopefully, the grass bodes well for his kicking performance, which starts on Sunday, Sept. 11 during the Bears' first home game versus the San Francisco 49ers. 

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