Reliant Turf and Meineke Car Care Bowl

[amazing80]

Colts don't seem to have an issue on their turf......

[paycheck71]

Field looking good for tomorrow...

@HoustonTexans Kickoff at Reliant Stadium is less than 24hrs away. Who's ready? pic.twitter.com/ihh1SgSi

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

I understand that but isn't your oldest son in college? That implies to me at least that Saturday the turf is better than on Sunday which makes sense if a game was played on it the day before.

Every year we start talking about how bad Reliant's turf is or looks and every year we hear that players prefer grass and that Reliant's turf is rated highly by players (exactly how varies every year).

Every year we see a game where the field looks like a horror story though (usually that's the game that starts this thread) and every year it seems like something happens to a player to make us all start worrying that the field isn't right.

This is just something that you might find interesting. It's from an interview with Bum that I linked to the other day over in another thread. The interview in it's entirety can be found here



Players are always going to think that grass is better for them to play on than any artificial surface because frankly early implementations of AstroTurf were bad and poorly maintained AstroTurf has been blamed for a lot of injuries. I think that no matter what you come up with it will always lose out to natural grass whether it's actually worse or not.

I predict we'll be swapping trays out until someone decides it's too much trouble, too expensive, or that the field was responsible for some very high-profile player's injury and then a change will happen whether players want that change or not.

Until then we'll talk about it every year and the discussion will look a lot like this one.

I understand your perspective, but I'm curious. How many injuries have been confirmed as due to the grass at Reliant?

Not talking about Belichick's or Dungy's statements. But looking at Andre Johnson, dude was just running and fell. He did not trip on a seam or get caught in a divet.

I'm really wondering if our perception as fans is all that relative. Just because something doesn't look pretty on a HD tv doesn't mean it's a bad playing surface.

It's been a decade now. How many injuries are 100% confirmed due to Reliant's grass? Beyond fan speculation, I think there would be something out there that is tangible.

When talking about my son, I specifically asked him about the seams and rumors of different feels with each tray. He said you could not tell where the seams were at and the field never felt soft or hard in different parts. I think the grounds crew at Reliant know that they are charged with taking care of a playing surface for multi-millionaire athletes.

If it was as bad as many are saying, then we would see grass-related injuries at every home game. But I'm not perceiving it in any sort of way, and players are voting that it's a nice field. I think player opinions carry far more weight than opinions of fans who have never been on the field.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Artificial vs. Natural Turf – The Maintenance Myth

Installing a synthetic turf field can cost as much as ten times more than planting natural grass. So to justify the expense, proponents of artificial turf often cite lower maintenance costs over the life of the field as a benefit. But is it?

While the annual maintenance costs may be lower, the savings are offset by the cost of the initial installation and subsequent replacement. The lifespan of an artificial field is approximately 8 – 10 years. When the installation cost is added to annual maintenance costs for the life of the artificial field, the average cost per year to operate an artificial turf field has been calculated at anywhere from 25% to 81% higher.

Renovating the field at the end of its short life requires disposing of the non-organic materials used to create the field, including the crumb-rubber material typically used as infill and top-dressing which may require special disposal measures and fees.

So don’t be fooled by claims of low maintenance costs, add them up yourself and measure the average cost per year – that’s what makes dollars and sense.

[CloakNNNdagger]

In March 2010, this study was reported.

Some reason for concern for the new Giants and Jets stadium at the Meadowlands: the N.F.L.’s Injury and Safety Panel has found that the rate of anterior cruciate ligament injuries is 88 percent higher in games played on FieldTurf than on grass. The new Meadowlands stadium will have FieldTurf, the cushy synthetic turf that players usually love.

The study was presented Friday at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. The panel’s chairman is Dr. Elliott Hershman, the Jets’ team orthopedist. The report examined injuries from the 2002 to the 2008 seasons, but Hershman said more research was needed before making a recommendation about what type of fields teams should have.

The study compared injuries between FieldTurf and natural grass –- which is preferred by all players, under ideal conditions — but did not compare FieldTurf with other artificial surfaces. FieldTurf has become popular in recent years because it produces a softer impact than other artificial surfaces but is easier to maintain than grass. It is a boon for outdoor stadiums in cold climates; it is a struggle to maintain quality grass fields late in the season, like Giants Stadium and Gillette Stadium, which switched from natural grass to FieldTurf. The study noted that weather conditions did not alter the findings that A.C.L. injuries were greater on FieldTurf. The study also showed an increase in ankle sprains and injuries in all lower extremities on FieldTurf over grass. The study did not look at injury rates in college football or other sports.

link

[amazing80]

I dont think the problem is with our surface, I think it is the way it is "seamed" together. On the bad days you literally see patches of sod out there patched together. I know it will be hard to imitate what Arizona has, but we need something SIMILAR to that, ONE field set in place not tons of small patches pieced together.

[Hervoyel]

Originally Posted by amazing80

I dont think the problem is with our surface, I think it is the way it is "seamed" together. On the bad days you literally see patches of sod out there patched together. I know it will be hard to imitate what Arizona has, but we need something SIMILAR to that, ONE field set in place not tons of small patches pieced together.

I think it's just too late to do anything about that. I keep thinking that deeper trays might help along with more trays. A giant greenhouse to keep them in and grow them in maybe? maybe there is some other grass they can use that might root deeper?

Arizona had a great idea with the giant sliding field. Wish we had thought of that.

[CloakNNNdagger]

Originally Posted by Hervoyel

I think it's just too late to do anything about that. I keep thinking that deeper trays might help along with more trays. A giant greenhouse to keep them in and grow them in maybe? maybe there is some other grass they can use that might root deeper?

Arizona had a great idea with the giant sliding field. Wish we had thought of that.

Just an FYI. Space and cost of space was not a factor. The Cardinals' stadium was built out in the middle of the dessert where the land was undeveloped, plentiful and cheap to begin with. Not only that, but an Arizona family (the Hurleys have owned a large chunk of this part of the Arizona dessert since the early 1900's) actually donated 15 acres for the multipupose stadium with its extra rollout field space.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by Double Barrel

I understand your perspective, but I'm curious. How many injuries have been confirmed as due to the grass at Reliant?

Not talking about Belichick's or Dungy's statements. But looking at Andre Johnson, dude was just running and fell. He did not trip on a seam or get caught in a divet.

I'm really wondering if our perception as fans is all that relative. Just because something doesn't look pretty on a HD tv doesn't mean it's a bad playing surface.

Bingo. I think a lot of fans are unhappy with the way the field looks and are heaping on a potential injury risk argument to try to bolster their case. I frankly don't care much about the appearance but there are certainly lots of outdoor natural grass stadium particularly up north which look far worse. Seriously people ***** about the wussification of football and now moan about the field not being pretty enough.

[AnthonyE]

Posted on Vandermeer's facebook.