- May 21, 2026
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Patriots coach Mike Vrabel was a player. He knows the difference between playing on real grass and playing on fake grass. His team plays its home games on fake grass, even though the stadium had real grass for the World Cup.
Vrabel was asked about the issue of real grass vs. fake grass during his first press conference of 2026 training camp. He avoided addressing the question.
"My take is we would play anywhere we possibly have to," Vrabel said. "That’s my take. It's the kind of football team that I want to create — one that doesn't make excuses, that doesn't care what the environment is. We’re going to go open the season in a great environment in Seattle, and we're going to play on grass, we're going to play on turf, and it's going to rain, it's going to snow. There's a lot of things that are going to come up, and my job is to make sure that we're prepared for whatever does happen."
That's fine, but what does he think about the fact that 92 percent of the players prefer real grass? Does he prefer real grass? Does he always practice on real grass, even when the Patriots are preparing to play a game on fake grass?
It's a tough spot for any coach of any team whose owners have decided to play home games on the surface that the players don't prefer. The fact that Vrabel didn't answer the question says plenty about what he personally thinks about the issue.
Vrabel was asked about the issue of real grass vs. fake grass during his first press conference of 2026 training camp. He avoided addressing the question.
"My take is we would play anywhere we possibly have to," Vrabel said. "That’s my take. It's the kind of football team that I want to create — one that doesn't make excuses, that doesn't care what the environment is. We’re going to go open the season in a great environment in Seattle, and we're going to play on grass, we're going to play on turf, and it's going to rain, it's going to snow. There's a lot of things that are going to come up, and my job is to make sure that we're prepared for whatever does happen."
That's fine, but what does he think about the fact that 92 percent of the players prefer real grass? Does he prefer real grass? Does he always practice on real grass, even when the Patriots are preparing to play a game on fake grass?
It's a tough spot for any coach of any team whose owners have decided to play home games on the surface that the players don't prefer. The fact that Vrabel didn't answer the question says plenty about what he personally thinks about the issue.