Natural Grass vs Field Turf

[thewildrabbit]

I can't help think that as bad as the Dick Jauron teams might have been at 7-9 for three seasons, it really was the many injuries to the players / starters that helped kill every season. Besides all the other problems.(Save the 2009 season in which he blew it up himself before it even started.) It seems like every year it was almost twenty plus players on IR every season.

 

.Chan Gailey tried to counter this problem by bringing in more trainers, and it didn't seem to help as center Eric Wood who suffered another knee injury last year, who in his four years has never finished a season. Seems like every year the Bills players suffer many more injuries then other teams.

 

My thoughts are the Bills installed new turf in 2011, A Turf Titan 50 system. But I wonder if natural grass would help keep the players on the field and off IR. Mind you the Buffalo Bills recently installed A-Turf in 2011, and with a 12 year guarantee so in all probability they won't even consider anything different for quite a while.

 

http://www.aturf.com/index.php/site/buffalo-bills-field/

 

 

"While many players prefer FieldTurf, others fear possible injuries playing on it. Former Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins believes FieldTurf might have caused his two knee injuries. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger argues that it is “a great field, but FieldTurf is just killing guys because they can't get their feet out of the ground.”

Two different studies published in 2012 lend credence to players' concerns over injuries. Elliott Hershman and others reviewed NFL injury data from games played between 2000 and 2009. They found that the injury rate of knee sprains as a whole was 22 percent higher on FieldTurf than on natural grass. Rates of ACL injuries were 67 percent higher on FieldTurf."

 

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20130125/PC20/130129550/real-grass-vs-artificial-turf

 

Yikes, 67%!

 

The reason the Bills replaced the AstroTurf ...

 

In the ‘Worst Artificial Infilled Playing Field’ category, the Shaw Sportexe field in Minnesota was ranked as the worst artificial surface in the league by NFL players, followed by Astroturf’s surface at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo and Astroturf’s surface at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

 

http://www.fieldturf.com/en/artificial-turf/artificial-turf-news/nfl-players-rank-fieldturf-as-best-artificial-surface/

 

 

 

I know that Thurman Thomas loved the turf at Rich Stadium because of the crown and downward slope from the middle, he literally was running downhill. I believe that has been changed to a more level field.

 

Anyway, I'm old school and like natural grass. I like seeing the players sometimes covered in mud in the rain and snow. Big clods of grass / dirt hanging from their face masks after a play. Unlike bazeball, football doesn't stop because its raining or snowing. I would love to see Tom Brady get sacked and have his jersey get dirty playing in Buffalo on grass....ahh well, never gonna happen.

[mrags]

I too am old school and love the grass Vs turf. It can't be explained. About the only thing good about the turf is that its clean.

 

But it will never happen in Buffalo because of the snow, cold, rain. It just won't.

 

I like you though, wish it was here. I love watching Bears games, Packers, Carolina, even Jags games are cool because of it IMO.

[ALF]

Arizona has a dome that has a natural grass field that is rolled outdoors for more sun. Build a low heated building outside that can keep it unfrozen and playable in winter would be perfect.

[mrags]

Arizona has a dome that has a natural grass field that is rolled outdoors for more sun. Build a low heated building outside that can keep it unfrozen and playable in winter would be perfect.

probably a way to keep it heated without rolling it out. Just like a heated kitchen or bathroom floor. Heat coils/pads under the grass would work.

[NoSaint]

Watch the messes in Pitt or Washington recently and it makes it hard to advocate grass.

 

Now.... That's not to say turf is without worries but I don't think it as a home field accounts for most of the issues we've seen.

[mrags]

Grass is safer to play on. Hands down.

 

 

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Arizona has a dome that has a natural grass field that is rolled outdoors for more sun. Build a low heated building outside that can keep it unfrozen and playable in winter would be perfect.

 

Having a specially designed greenhouse/growhouse to nurture the field is a cool idea. The grow lights would provide for photosynthesis and warmth and the irrigation could be controlled perfectly.

 

Of course there's the immense cost involved.

 

Do you pay $400 million for a grass field and growth system which is expensive to maintain or do you pay that same money for a dome and artificial grass field which requires almost no maintenance?

 

I love the idea though.

[Dragonborn10]

Head, helmet, frozen grass = gumming your food in your fourties... No thank you.

 

Ask RG3's knee how it likes grass field...

Edited May 25, 2013 by Dadonkadonk

[dwight in philly]

green bay has some sort of heating system beneath the field that lombardi had installed, would be worth the expense.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

green bay has some sort of heating system beneath the field that lombardi had installed, would be worth the expense.

 

Lombardi had that installed I believe.

 

It doesn't help the grass to grow but just helps prevent the field from becoming frozen hard.

 

IF the Bills went to a grass field (which they would never do due to the enormous additional cost), it might help a bit.

 

Do they still play the Section 16 Football games at the stadium?

 

Even in Washington DC which is considerably more "grass friendly" than the Ralph, they have a very time with the playing surface in the autumn months.

[biglukes]

 

 

Lombardi had that installed I believe.

 

It doesn't help the grass to grow but just helps prevent the field from becoming frozen hard.

 

IF the Bills went to a grass field (which they would never do due to the enormous additional cost), it might help a bit.

 

Do they still play the Section 16 Football games at the stadium?

 

Even in Washington DC which is considerably more "grass friendly" than the Ralph, they have a very time with the playing surface in the autumn months.

Correct, they still play the section 6 championship games at the Ralph

[ALF]

If Buffalo's next stadium is a dome , then a natural grass field that could be rolled out to another low building with heat, grow lighting and watering. Ideal field year round, a lot less injuries, players want to be here. (just dreaming)

[Dean Cain]

If Buffalo's next stadium is a dome , then a natural grass field that could be rolled out to another low building with heat, grow lighting and watering. Ideal field year round, a lot less injuries, players want to be here. (just dreaming)

 

I've been to the new Browns stadium it's pretty good for a grass field, and has subterranean heating to keep the surface at 65 to prevent frost.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

I've been to the new Browns stadium it's pretty good for a grass field, and has subterranean heating to keep the surface at 65 to prevent frost.

 

That's very interesting.

 

The field heating system at Lambeau field (unless it has changed) was electrical wires, think of a large toaster grid.

 

According to this, the stadium in Cleveland has a completely different system:

 

The playing surface is a Kentucky Bluegrass irrigated field, with a sand-soil root zone and an underground heating system that involves nine boilers and 40 miles of underground piping. The heating system prevents the field from freezing and extends the growing season of the turf. Although it was designed for football, the playing surface was built large enough to accommodate international soccer matches.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FirstEnergy_Stadium_(Cleveland)

 

Can't speak for how the playing surface in Cleveland has held up in late season games nor do I recall them having a home playoff game since that stadium opened.

 

Like I said earlier, the grass field in DC gets pretty bad late in the season although that might be partly because they have college games there too.

[NickelCity]

probably a way to keep it heated without rolling it out. Just like a heated kitchen or bathroom floor. Heat coils/pads under the grass would work.

 

Yep. My alma mater had this under the soccer field. Worked remarkably well.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Yep. My alma mater had this under the soccer field. Worked remarkably well.

 

What school is that if you don't mind saying?

[vorpma]

I dream of a stadium in downtown Buffalo on the water front with natural grass and a December game with playoff implications. The sky is gray, snow is falling and the field is muddy; football as it was intended to be played!

[PromoTheRobot]

I dream of a stadium in downtown Buffalo on the water front with natural grass and a December game with playoff implications. The sky is gray, snow is falling and the field is muddy; football as it was intended to be played!

And we lose because our fastest players can't get traction. No thanks.

 

PTR

[BaaadThingsMan]

Wait, so the frozen tundra is actually the comfortably heated tundra?

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Wait, so the frozen tundra is actually the comfortably heated tundra?

 

If you're an earthworm!