Matthew Stafford on grass vs. turf: "Grass for me is a must"
The grass vs. turf debate heated up over the weekend, when Giants receiver Malik Nabers suffered a non-contact ACL tear at MetLife Stadium - and when former Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made a public plea for owners to ditch the fake stuff for natural playing surfaces.
On Monday, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford chimed in. And even though he has spent his entire 17-year career with teams that play their home games on plastic, he strongly prefers natural.
"There are teams that are gonna host World Cup games, soccer games, and they refuse to play on turf," Stafford said on the SiriusXM Let's Go! podcast. "They lay grass down for those guys. I wanna play on grass every chance I get. I'm an old man. I know how I feel after I play on grass versus how I feel when I play on AstroTurf. It's night and day. I think, not only for the lower leg injuries, the stuff that's happened at MetLife, but even for just slamming shoulders, slamming your head into it, whatever it is.
"Grass to me is a must. I wish we would get it done. Hopefully when I'm done playing, some of these younger guys will get to play on grass for the rest of their career."
For the massive amounts of money owners pay to players, they still refuse to fully protect the investment by giving them the best possible playing surfaces.
And it's more than just grass vs. turf. Not all grass fields are the same. Last night, Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill got a cleat stuck in the grass at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami. As evidenced by the thick swath of turf that had been unrolled in the middle of the field for the sixth football game played there since August 31, the field wasn't in ideal condition. (The University of Miami has already played four home games there.)
Grass fields, wherever used by NFL teams, must be properly maintained and, ideally, protected from excessive use.
It comes down to money and the willingness to spend it. NFL owners will drop whatever it takes to host World Cup games. And if that means putting down grass to meet FIFA's standards, they will.
Stafford plays his home games in one of those venues. Next summer, SoFi Stadium will have grass for the World Cup. Come August, the Rams (and Chargers) will be playing on turf.
When pressed, the NFL will cite statistics aimed at suggesting that the injury risks are no different. As Stafford says, it's about more than injuries. It's about the impact on the body. Grass fields absorb much more of the forces from the players' bodies than turf fields. Players feel it the next day, when they play on artificial turf.
As long as NFL owners can get by with cheaper playing surfaces, they will. Until the players prioritize playing surfaces in collective bargaining, nothing will change.