Re: Ravens to resume playing home games on natural grass
Posted: Mon Dec 07, 2015 3:32 pm
The Patriots switched back to artificial turf immediately after losing to the Jets in 2006 in the middle of the season.Apbaball wrote:1984-87 must have been the low point for the number grass fields. The Bears switched back to grass in 1988 and several other teams followed suit.NFL500 wrote:Here's the breakdown by division of which teams currently play their home games on natural grass:
AFC East: Miami
AFC North: Cleveland, Pittsburgh
AFC South: Jacksonville, Tennessee
AFC West: Denver, Kansas City, Oakland, San Diego
NFC East: Philadelphia, Washington
NFC North: Chicago, Green Bay
NFC South: Carolina, Tampa
NFC West: Arizona, San Francisco
So 17 of the NFL's 31 stadiums presently have natural grass fields. Also, here's an except from the Ravens' website with comments from players explaining their support for putting in grass at M&T Bank Stadium next season.
Team President Dick Cass said M&T Bank Stadium has stacked up very well against other artificial surfaces when it comes to injuries, but there is data that shows there are fewer lower-body injuries when playing on a high-quality natural field compared to artificial.
Cornerback Lardarius Webb suffered both of his ACL tears while changing directions at M&T Bank Stadium.
“It’s a black and white difference,” Webb said, adding that he can feel a difference in his knees when he practices outside on the Ravens’ grass field compared to inside on the artificial turf at the Under Armour Performance Center.
“Turf is harder on your body, harder on your joints, harder on your muscles,” veteran defensive end Chris Canty said. “It’s a higher rate of injury.”
In addition to helping with lower-body injuries, tight end Crockett Gillmore said he expects it will help prevent concussions. He estimated that players get more concussions from their head slamming into the hard ground than they do from the actual hit.
“Last week, I hit my head pretty hard on the grass in Cleveland,” Gillmore said. “I actually saw my facemask print in the grass. If I hit my head that hard on turf, it would have been lights out for a couple days.”
Weren't there some teams like the Patriots and Bengals who played on grass for awhile in the 1990s or early 2000s?