According to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Bears center Hroniss Grasu tore his right anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) while scrimmaging at Soldier Field during the Bears’ “Family Fest” on Saturday. The second-year man out of Oregon was slated to be Chicago’s starter at center for the 2016 season. After suffering this horrific injury, Grasu could possibly be out all year.
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After the retirements of Manny Ramirez and Nate Chandler, and the head-scratching release of Matt Slauson, the Bears’ offensive line will have to rely heavily on either seven-year veteran Ted Larsen or rookie Cody Whitehair to fill the void at center. Chances are both will be in the starting lineup, but the question is who will be the better fit at center, and who will hold down the left guard position.
Overall, this unfortunate injury leaves the Bears with very thin depth on their offensive front. Coming into training camp, the O-line was arguably the one thing most fans worried about. Now, fans are left wondering just how things are going to get patched up before the start of the regular season.
Earlier this offseason, after being released by the Bears, safety Antrel Rolle complained that the field conditions of Soldier Field and their practice facility at Halas Hall was the reason for the season-ending knee injury he sustained in 2015. Chicago’s home turf is infamous throughout the NFL as being the worst to play on. Seeing Grasu tear his ACL without making any contact with anyone on a play yesterday could only further support the claims of Rolle and the rest of the league.
Unfortunately, Soldier Field isn’t owned by the Bears, and they don’t have full authority to install field turf. In order for that to happen, the City of Chicago will have to step in and have that done. Regardless of who holds the responsibility of getting rid of the shabby sod at Soldier Field, fixing this problem is a must. Until this takes place, the chances of Bears players and other opponents suffering freakish injuries such as Grasu’s will keep happening.