Rooney unhappy with care of fields

Heavy snow disrupted two games, one involving the Steelers.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney doesn't want another NFL team to get a snow job the next time bad weather threatens to disrupt a game.
Rooney, one of the NFL's most influential owners, is unhappy that Giants Stadium personnel weren't better equipped to remove the snow that fell before and during the Steelers' 6-0 loss to the New York Jets on Dec. 14.
The storm wasn't unexpected -- it had been predicted for days -- yet most of the playing field was several inches deep with snow throughout the game.
Rooney said the Steelers always make contingency plans when bad weather is predicted.
Underground heating
Heavy snow that fell during the Browns-Steelers game in January 2002 didn't pile up on the field, partly because of underground heating installed when the stadium was built the year before.
"When we played in New York, they didn't have anybody there to do the job," Rooney said. "We'll call up hundreds of kids to come out, shovel and do [cleanup work]. We have all the equipment. They only had one plow. It was really bad, one plow.
"They did try to clean the field, but they should have had the equipment to really be able to really keep it as clean as they can, and kept [a] brush going around the field between plays. At halftime, they should have really worked at it, gone and cleaned the whole field."
Stands covered in Foxboro
Rooney also noted the stands were piled with snow for the Dolphins-Patriots game at Foxboro on Dec. 7, and wants the NFL to step in and make sure that stadiums are in adequate shape for all games.
"The National Football League, they have a responsibility to look at these fields ... get involved, say what's needed and things like that," he said.
The playing field at the Patriots' stadium was covered beforehand, and there was only a light coating of snow during the game. Just as in the Jets-Steelers game, the visiting team did little in the messy playing conditions and was shut out, with Miami losing 12-0.
"We try to have a good field all the time, but there are some teams that don't want the field to be that good," Rooney said. "They think they can get an advantage."
The Steelers' decision to keep throwing despite the lousy weather may have played as big a role in their loss as the field conditions.
The Jets chose to stay mostly on the ground, with Curtis Martin carrying 30 times for 173 yards. The Steelers stayed with a pass-heavy game plan, with Tommy Maddox going 16-for-38 for 137 yards, throwing eight consecutive incompletions at one point.
Rooney doesn't blame the snowy field for the loss, and is more concerned with making sure the NFL gets more involved to prevent the situation from occurring in the future.
New turf successful
The subject of field conditions came up when Rooney was asked about the new grass field installed at Heinz Field this season. The field held up well for 10 Steelers home games, six Pitt home games and five high school games, though the grass thinned out considerably between the hash marks.
The field is about 95 percent Kentucky bluegrass, with synthetic fibers woven in to provide stability.
Rooney expects the field to be even better next season because the grass has taken root, something none of the stadium's previous all-grass surfaces could do.
The Steelers replaced the grass at least three times each year during their first two seasons in the stadium.
With no more games at the stadium until next year, seed is being added to the Heinz Field playing field before it is covered for the winter.