The Tennessee Titans have made a clear claim in the NFL’s ongoing turf-versus-grass debate. They are team field.
The Titans announced on Tuesday that they will be replacing the natural grass at Nissan Stadium with the latest innovation in artificial grass. The team cited the players’ safety and a history of injuries at home from playing on natural grass in a “transitional climate zone”.
The change comes as players and coaches have weighed the risk of injury from playing surfaces, with many arguing for a move to natural grass where artificial grass is already in use.
Head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the decision in a Titans publication, noting the declining quality of Nashville’s natural grass throughout the season.
“Nothing is more important than the health and safety of our players,” said Vrabel. “We had a lot of problems (with the grass at the Nissan Stadium) after a certain part of the season. It is difficult to grow weed. It’s going to be smooth.
“Our lawn is not up to par with some other lawns. At the beginning of the year, in the summer, in the training camp, in the pre-season, I can see that she’s very consistent. But when the season subsides and the weather changes, there is a noticeable difference in the field’s performance.
According to the Titans, “the team is replacing the grass with monofilament, organic-filled Matrix Helix Turf to “ensure a consistent gaming experience year-round.”
Ground crews in Nashville clear snow before a Titans vs. Texans game in December. (Andrew Nelles/Portal)
Vrabel added that the team had previously installed the new turf in their practice bubble and that “the response has been very positive”.
The Associated Press reports that the Titans have led the NFL each of the past two seasons, with most players playing in large part due to injuries. They set a league record for players who played in a non-strike season with 91 in 2021.
The Carolina Panthers, who play in a similar climate to the Titans in Charlotte, replaced the natural grass at Bank of America Stadium with turf in 2021. The team cited natural turf wear as the reason for the move as the Panthers agreed to share the field with MLS’s Charlotte FC.
The story goes on
Artificial turf at some NFL stadiums has come under fire, including the surface of SoFi Stadium, which hosts the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers and is on the Super Bowl rotation. The turf has been accused of playing a role in the cruciate ligament rupture suffered by Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in last season’s Super Bowl. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll and safety Ryan Neal both surfaced in October following a series of injuries during a game between the Seahawks and the Chargers.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was also blamed for a number of injuries, prompting a 2020 NFLPA surface review. That same year, NFLPA President JC Tretter called for all stadiums to switch to natural grass until artificial-grass manufacturers could produce a proven safer turf alternative.
Turf technology is constantly evolving and has come a long way since the flood of AstroTurf fields around NFL and MLB stadiums following their introduction in Houston in 1966. Biomechanics engineer and NFL advisor Richard Kent told Yahoo Sports in September that he believes turf will one day outperform natural turf in terms of player safety.
“There’s no reason to believe we can’t build artificial turf that is safer and better performing than natural grass,” said Kent. “With the right team and the necessary resources, it’s definitely doable.”
The Titans concluded that technology has advanced enough to offer a significant improvement over grass for the upcoming season — at least for the team’s climate in Nashville.