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          NFL Nation

          Redskins again deal with issues about playing surface

          • John Keim, ESPN Staff WriterNov 25, 2017, 03:15 PM
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              John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2013 after a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the team in 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and later for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored four books. You can also listen to him on 'The John Keim Report', which airs on ESPN Richmond radio, and follow him on Twitter @john_keim
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          The aerial shots showed a field that looked bad -- green on the edges but worn out down the middle -- a look FedEx Field has shown before. And the optics were made worse when Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins stubbed his front foot as he was throwing a pass in that brown section.

          Some players have privately grumbled about the field for a long time. The Seahawks did so publicly after seeing defensive end Chris Clemons tear his ACL playing on the surface in a playoff game after the 2012 season. The Washington Post reported that the NFL Players Association is looking into the field situation.

          Former Redskins offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus tweeted out his disapproval of the surface, but current Redskins linebacker Mason Foster defended the turf in a series of tweets.

          "It probably doesn't look like a professional NFL field should," Cousins told 106.7 the Fan during his weekly appearance on the "Grant and Danny" show on Friday. "If you think the field is rough now on Thanksgiving, we've got two more home games in mid- to late December. That's probably going to be a bigger challenge.”

          The Redskins use Bermuda grass and said a recent freeze turned it brown. NFL spokesman Michael Signora said their game-day operations personnel did not observe any issues with the field. And the Redskins have called it a “non-issue.”

          Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he doesn’t have any concerns.

          “Kirk, I guess, was talking about it a little bit, but I didn’t notice it,” Gruden said. “I’m not out there with cleats on. I’m just on the sideline standing there. I’ll just leave that up to the grounds crew and the players and let them hash it out.”

          But on film he also saw Cousins getting his foot caught in the ground. Was that because of the field or because he rushed the throw? Cousins said after the game that he indeed felt rushed by what he thought was pressure from New York’s linemen.

          Regardless of the reason, on a night when the field looked the way it did, questions will be asked.

          “Yeah, it did get caught there a little bit. You could see it slip a little bit there,” Gruden said. “It very well could have [been caught in the turf].”

          The Redskins have made multiple attempts over the years at improving the field, including resodding. Yet here they are again with a discussion focused on their field.

          Two years ago, Sports Illustrated ranked all the fields, using experts in field equipment and construction. They placed FedEx at No. 26 and wrote that the warm-weather Bermuda grass “has turned to nearly all hard dirt during past winters, a process easily navigated through with money allocated for resodding.”

          The Redskins have two more home games -- On Dec. 17 and 24.

          “I don't know why it is that way or what causes it," Cousins told 106.7. "I've kind of learned to accept it and understand it's part of the deal. Playing here on the field has never been that great in the second half of the season, for whatever the reason."