Ahead of the New England Patriots' preseason home game against the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday, new artificial turf is being installed at Gillette Stadium. ESPN's Mike Reiss revealed that the timing of the installation stems from the artificial turf surface that replaced the natural grass field used for the World Cup being "deemed noncompliant by the NFL." However, Nolan revealed that the noncompliance "was based on the NFL and NFL Players Association independent laboratory testing protocols." While the new turf is expected to adhere to protocols, players surely would've preferred that the grass field from the World Cup be left in place. Players have been vocal about their desire to have grass fields installed at NFL stadiums, but the league has remained committed to utilizing artificial turf surfaces.