The MetLife Stadium turf passes an NFL inspection Thursday following the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers’ complaints.
The diehard football fan usually loves grass. Witnessing two teams go at it on a freshly-cut grass field provides the best experience. Fans know which players have been on the ground, as the grass stains serve as battle scars.
Once upon a time, the New York Jets actually played on natural grass in New Jersey. For three seasons (beginning in 2000), Giants Stadium featured grass instead of the previously-used AstroTurf—which everybody has come to realize did much more harm than good.
As crazy as it sounds, the San Francisco 49ers may have preferred the old carpet that basically hid concrete. Many of the team’s players complained about the field’s surface that played host to a bunch of San Fran injuries (including Jimmy Garoppolo, Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Soloman Thomas and Nick Bosa, who’s been lost for the year with an ACL tear).
Head coach Kyle Shanahan had this to say following his team’s 31-13 victory at MetLife Stadium.
“I know that’s as many knee injuries and ankle stuff and people getting caught on the turf that I’ve ever been a part of,” Shanahan said. “From what I saw, the other team did, too. I know our players talked about it the entire game, just how sticky the turf was. I think that was the first time people played on it. That was something our guys were concerned about right away and the result definitely made that a lot stronger. Unfortunately, it’s a place we have to go back next week.”
That led to an investigation and an eventual Thursday inspection that cleared the stadium’s new turf from any issues, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The NFL, the NFL Players’ Association and independent inspectors were involved in the inspection.
Yesterday, reps from the NFL, NFLPA, MetLife Stadium, #Giants & #Jets, Field Turf & independent field inspector conducted another review of the field surface at MetLife Stadium. The group again verified the field meets all applicable standards & protocols for NFL field surfaces.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 24, 2020
MetLife’s turf will next be in use next Thursday when the Denver Broncos come to town. The Jets look for their first win when they travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts.
New York is hoping it greets MetLife’s new field turf with a victory in the books.
