Worn turf makes Gillette Stadium a dust bowl

``The field is in terrible condition," Belichick said yesterday. ``I don't think anybody in this organization is happy about it, or thinks it's in good condition. Everybody in this organization would like to see that field in better condition than what it's in. Everybody."

Belichick's remarks might be considered surprising by those who perhaps believed the coach was in favor of having a chewed-up field. He said that wasn't the case, that he doesn't believe the Patriots earn any advantage because of the poor field.

``I think we play better on a better surface," Belichick said.

Several Patriots players echoed his thoughts.

``Would you rather have grass or dirt?" said running back Heath Evans. ``It's not good for us, it's not good for anybody else. No one is happy with it, but both teams have to play on it.

``What to do about it, who knows? The coaches, us, the opponents -- no one is happy about it. That's all we're supposed to say. That's the truth, too. You deal with the conditions that you're dealt with."

The field conditions were noted by a few Miami players after the Patriots' 20-10 victory Sunday.

Mare had a 40-yard field goal attempt blocked in the first quarter when his plant foot slipped, and he changed his cleats after the attempt. In the third quarter, punter Donnie Jones couldn't handle a snap and was tackled on a fourth-down play that negated a potentially significant field-position shift. Jones said the ball was slick because it was covered with dirt. Long snapper John Denney said the ball was covered with a fine powder that he dusted off on each snap.

Each year, players are polled by the NFL Players Association on the best and worst playing surfaces in the league. In 2004, for example, the artificial turf in Indianapolis's RCA Dome was voted the worst playing surface (Gillette Stadium was 21st).

The Colts put in a new synthetic surface prior to the 2005 season, and that is one possibility for Gillette Stadium in the future. Giants Stadium and Buffalo's Ralph Wilson Stadium are two facilities in the Northeast to make the switch in recent years.