The grass on the field at Paul Brown Stadium shows recovery Thursday. (Craig Ruttle photo) | ZOOM |

        The grass playing field at Paul Brown Stadium is doing “as well as can be expected” heading into the Bengals' first home preseason game of the year Saturday against the New Orleans Saints.

        A large T-shaped portion of the bluegrass field near the north end zone had to be replaced five weeks ago after the completion of the four-day Billy Graham Mission.

        “The sod has started to root in,” said Joe Feldkamp, assistant stadium director. “We can no longer pull it up by hand.”

        Sunday's rain helped.

        “We're happy with the progression,” Feldkamp said.

        The area that was replaced is a path leading from the northwest corner of the stadium to the center of the field at the 20-yard line on the north end. The damaged area extends from there down the middle of the field to the north end zone, in front of the site of the Graham stage.

        The Graham Mission paid for the new sod, which was grown and shipped from a Michigan farm.

        The new sod has taken well, although it hasn't blended completely with the existing turf. Once head groundskeeper Doug Bradley and his crew paint the field for the Bengals' game, differences in sod texture and color shouldn't be visible.

        The stadium has been plagued by turf problems since it opened two years ago. The original Bermuda grass surface failed at the end of the Bengals' 2000 home schedule, resembling a sandy “litter box” by December. Bermuda grass was installed because the original bluegrass had died on a Maryland farm.

        Last season, the field held up better than it did in its first year, but there were more problems with wear between the hash marks.

        The crew overseeded in January, and the turf was in outstanding condition before the Graham Mission.

        The next five weeks will test the field. The Bengals have preseason games Saturday and Thursday nights, and their regular-season opener is Sept.8. The Riverfront Classic football game will be played there Sept.14, followed on Sept.21 by a University of Cincinnati game against Ohio State. The Bengals will play their second home game on Sept.29.

        “We want to let the public know we might have to switch out the middle of the field early in the season,” Feldkamp said.

At training camp, competition and camaraderie forge a team Bengals training camp by the numbers Farmer returns, hamstring and all Grass-roots effort working well at Paul Brown Stadium He's the one who brings bad news Chargers 31, Rams 10 Rams fullback fractures left foot in preseason game

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