Broncos Insider Reveals Controversial State of Cardinals' Field

People around the Denver Broncos are concerned about the state of the field at State Farm Stadium — home of the Arizona Cardinals. The Broncos will take on the Cardinals in said stadium on Friday night.

9NEWS' Broncos insider Mike Klis uploaded a video on Twitter of how the field looks, triggering some hand-wringing around Broncos Country.

All Sean Payton has to do is run all his plays outside the hashes and the Broncos should be fine for their preseason opener tomorrow night at State Farm Stadium. #9sports pic.twitter.com/97LvLRrHsV
— Mike Klis (@mikeklis) August 10, 2023

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Meanwhile, when asked whether the field conditions will affect which players see action, Broncos head coach Sean Payton dismissed the concern with his typical blunt delivery.

“The field? No," Payton said.

Cardinals ownership received a healthy dose of criticism for its field conditions in the Super Bowl this past February, and the state of the field now, while concerning, is a product of the team holding its training camp practices there instead of at a satellite location, as the Broncos do.

Considering how the Walton/Penner ownership group spent upwards of $500,000 to upgrade the field at Empower Stadium late last season in a meaningless game with zero playoff implications, the Bidwills in Arizona perhaps showcase that there's Walmart money, and then there's everyone else.

Coach Payton did offer up his true insight into the conditions at State Farm Stadium.

“We’ll go out as best as can ahead of the game and get an idea of which shoes," Payton said on Wednesday. "They had trouble with the Super Bowl there. I don’t know if it’s the same field. I know they practice there all during training camp. My experience with that field is that it has always been a fast and firm track. It may not always be green because they are getting so much work on it, but it’s always been a good, firm surface that you can run on. We’ll pay attention to it when we get there. If we have to change what we are wearing, then that is part of the deal.”

The takeaway? If Payton's not worried about it, Broncos Country shouldn't be.

The Broncos will examine the field conditions pre-game, and despite Payton's words, if the grass is atrocious, maybe it'll impact which players see action, but I doubt it. Payton has emphasized multiple times this offseason his view on professional football, which is a more old-school, smashmouth outlook overall.

A less-than-ideal field isn't going to inhibit Payton's macro plan for continuing to build the figurative callous around this Broncos squad, including the veterans and starters, who, remember, are poised to play a 17-game schedule in oftentimes horrendous weather conditions where the field can be treacherous.

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