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NFL Random Thought of the Day

Porky said:
Apple meet orange. Well hello orange. I see we are both fruit but otherwise are unrelated except through my Great Aunt Mandarin.
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How many games Watson missed since entering the nfl because of injury? Look, The Falcons are one of the teams who should be in the running for Jackson, but there is injury concerns that teams didn't have with Watson. the acl Watson tore was in practice and I don't remember him missing games after that.
 
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www.espn.com

NFL approves helmet to reduce QB concussions

The first quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce concussions has been approved for use by the NFL and NFLPA.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Couldn't find a a picture of it but the same company, VICIS, makes the Zero2 Trench helmet, used by many NFL lineman.

Probably similar concept with the extra padding on the back rather than the front.

www.cbssports.com

VICIS creates the first football helmet designed specifically to better protect linemen

The new helmed focuses on protect against impact to the front of the helmet
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1362112156494405635
 
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badboy said:
First I've heard of this: $5.6 B by Fertitta.
bleacherreport.com

NFL Rumors: Rockets' Tilman Fertitta Placed Bid on Commanders Worth over $5.5B

Houston Rockets governor Tilman Fertitta has submitted a bid to purchase the Washington Commanders, according to<a…
bleacherreport.com bleacherreport.com
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Sources: Josh Harris has nonexclusive deal to buy Commanders

Washington Commanders
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owners Dan and Tanya Snyder have reached a preliminary nonexclusive agreement to sell the storied NFL franchise to a group led by Josh Harris, who also co-owns teams in the NBA and NHL, for a record $6.05 billion, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday.
Click to expand...

link
 
Boris said:
www.espn.com

NFL approves helmet to reduce QB concussions

The first quarterback-specific helmet designed to help reduce concussions has been approved for use by the NFL and NFLPA.
www.espn.com www.espn.com

Couldn't find a a picture of it but the same company, VICIS, makes the Zero2 Trench helmet, used by many NFL lineman.

Probably similar concept with the extra padding on the back rather than the front.

www.cbssports.com

VICIS creates the first football helmet designed specifically to better protect linemen

The new helmed focuses on protect against impact to the front of the helmet
www.cbssports.com www.cbssports.com

https://twitter.com/x/status/1362112156494405635
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With a supposed 7% reduction, this will translate into negligible protection against clinical concussion. Testing results have not been confirmed on actual players. The problem remains that unless one can pad the inside of the skull, concussion incident is unlikely to be significantly affected.

The brain floats loosely within the skull. Any impact on the skull creates a bell ringer phenomenon with potential damage to both the front and back of the brain.

06d3da7e7d8e8a51bfbdd2f34465e4d9.gif

WATCH THIS BRAIN GIF
WATCH THIS BRAIN GIF 2

Quarterback-specific helmet to be available during 2023 NFL season
Published: Apr 13, 2023 at 11:04 AM
Judy_Battista_1400x1000

Judy Battista
Senior National Columnist

A new helmet, designed specifically to offer greater protection when a quarterback's head hits the ground, will be available for the first time to NFL players this season.

The helmet, made by VICIS, is the first designed especially for quarterbacks and it comes just months after the end of the 2022 season, which saw the number of diagnosed concussions rise by 18% league-wide, with much of the rise attributed to a spike in concussions suffered by quarterbacks.

The Zero2 Matrix QB helmet has already undergone lab testing that simulated concussion-causing impacts sustained by quarterbacks, the league told teams in a memo.

The NFL said helmet-to-ground impact accounts for about half of quarterback in-game concussions and, according to Dr. Ann Bailey Good, a mechanical engineer for Biocore, which conducts the lab tests, the new quarterback helmet did 7% better at reducing impact severity compared with the most popular helmet worn by quarterbacks last season.

"The thing that distinguishes quarterbacks and their concussions is they have a disproportionate number of head-to-ground impacts that cause concussions," said Jeff Miller, the NFL's executive vice president of communications, public affairs and policy. "This past year we had an increase in the number of quarterback concussions, and it was the same helmet-to-ground dynamic. Many people would say it's because quarterbacks are scrambling more often, but we didn't see that. It was still the quarterback in the pocket, getting hit and the head hitting the ground as they were holding onto the ball."

The NFL and NFL Players Association produce a poster each year that shows how helmets rank based on their performance in lab tests, and also lists helmets that are not recommended and some that are prohibited from use. In the new poster that was just released, the quarterback helmet is ranked third, just behind two helmets, also made by VICIS, which are designed specifically for offensive and defensive linemen. Those helmets were tested for how they responded to impacts typically absorbed by linemen -- who take more blows to the forehead and front of the helmet. The NFL said only a handful of players wore the linemen-specific helmets in 2022 (the first season they were available), attributing the small number of users to a lack of familiarity with the new product and VICIS still being a relatively new helmet manufacturer. Meetings with team equipment managers are held each year to educate them about new helmets -- the equipment managers, then, can advise players.

The quarterback-specific helmet has been in the works for several years. Data on different impact locations and the frequency of impacts had begun to be shared with helmet makers starting in 2020, and VICIS spent most of 2022 working on the helmet, according to Jason Neubauer, the company's vice president of product development.

From the outside, the quarterback helmet does not look any different. On the inside is an engineered column structure. The tiny columns might be just 1.5 millimeters in diameter, but by changing their diameter, how many there are and the stiffness of the material they are made of, engineers can modify the way the helmet absorbs impact at the location of the hit without changing the weight of the fit of the helmet. Neubauer said that in VICIS' internal testing, the quarterback helmet showed a more than 20% improvement in impact mitigation for helmet-to-ground hits compared with the company's standard helmet that is designed to mitigate helmet-to-helmet impacts.

The next question is whether quarterbacks will try the new helmet. Players have proven to be reluctant to move on from equipment they have grown comfortable with, which is why the NFL and NFLPA give players a one-season grace period to change out of helmets that have been put on the prohibited list. Because of quarterbacks' concerns about their sight lines with a helmet, they have been especially slow to change.

The pace of helmet innovation has been rapid in recent years, particularly since the NFL and NFLPA started testing and ranking them. The seven helmets on the newly prohibited list this year -- which means they cannot be worn by new players or anyone who did not wear them in the 2022 season, and may not be worn by anyone during the 2024 season -- were all among those that were listed among the better performing helmets and were permitted just three years ago.

"That tells you that helmets that have been designed around the NFL environment have taken older models and found ways to make those models perform better for the NFL environment," Good said. "As that happens, the older models get phased out. It's not that they are performing any different, but all the other helmets are performing so much better, that players don't need those older helmets anymore."

The next position-specific helmets are likely to be made for wide receivers and defensive backs. Specific lab tests that simulate the impacts they receive -- less frequent, but often coming at high speed -- are expected to be available in 2024.
 
This is post Leonard's 2nd back surgery...........one in June 2022 and another in November 2022. He actually had problems thought to be due to his ankle and calf muscle and the back (spinal/disc) involvement was not diagnosed................leading to ankle surgery instead of addressing his back for at least a year and a half before his first back surgery. He and the team pushed hard for an early return, and he came back too early from his 1st surgery. Fifteen to 20% cannot come back at all following lumbar microdiscectomy. Recurrence of the disc problem occurs in 10-25% of cases. After recurrence, the percentages of future recurrence increases logarithmically. I wish the talented young man well, but his initial misdiagnosis with its delayed surgical treatment has gotten the ball rolling in the wrong direction.

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Colts

Colts HC Shane Steichen said LB Shaquille Leonard is “progressing well” from his second back surgery but wouldn’t put a timetable on his return.

“Shaq has been progressing well,” Steichen said, via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m not going to put a timetable on his return.”

Colts LB Zaire Franklin mentioned Leonard is “feeling good” and he’s frequently rehabbing at the team facility.

“I know he’s getting after it,” said Franklin. “It’s no lack of work that he’s putting in. I know he’s feeling good about the work he’s putting in. Last year was a lot for him, both on and off the field. I see him in there every day doing everything he can to get back. He’s just taking his time. He has a long road to it, but he’s making some progress and he’ll be ready to go.”
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
This is post Leonard's 2nd back surgery...........one in June 2022 and another in November 2022. He actually had problems thought to be due to his ankle and calf muscle and the back (spinal/disc) involvement was not diagnosed................leading to ankle surgery instead of addressing his back for at least a year and a half before his first back surgery. He and the team pushed hard for an early return, and he came back too early from his 1st surgery. Fifteen to 20% cannot come back at all following lumbar microdiscectomy. Recurrence of the disc problem occurs in 10-25% of cases. After recurrence, the percentages of future recurrence increases logarithmically. I wish the talented young man well, but his initial misdiagnosis with its delayed surgical treatment has gotten the ball rolling in the wrong direction.

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Colts

Colts HC Shane Steichen said LB Shaquille Leonard is “progressing well” from his second back surgery but wouldn’t put a timetable on his return.

“Shaq has been progressing well,” Steichen said, via Nate Atkins of the Indianapolis Star. “I’m not going to put a timetable on his return.”

Colts LB Zaire Franklin mentioned Leonard is “feeling good” and he’s frequently rehabbing at the team facility.

“I know he’s getting after it,” said Franklin. “It’s no lack of work that he’s putting in. I know he’s feeling good about the work he’s putting in. Last year was a lot for him, both on and off the field. I see him in there every day doing everything he can to get back. He’s just taking his time. He has a long road to it, but he’s making some progress and he’ll be ready to go.”
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Too bad they got rid of Darius Leonard, that dude was a beast. This Shaquille guy won't ever measure up to him.
 
What would you trade for Devin White? I’d trade pick 33 for him. Pro bowl MLB in his prime. Would have to give him an Edmunds deal but I feel he’d be worth it with DeMeco.

Perryman could move over to SAM and the LB unit would be a strength to be proud of.

www.nfl.com

Five potential trade fits for Devin White; why Hendon Hooker is the third-best QB in the 2023 NFL Draft

In this edition of the Scout's Notebook, Bucky Brooks provides five potential trade fits for Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White. Plus, one of the hottest names in the 2023 NFL Draft class.
www.nfl.com www.nfl.com


Houston Texans
Houston Texans
If new head coach DeMeco Ryans wants to build a bully in the AFC South, he could view White as a key component in that pursuit. A former Pro Bowl linebacker himself, Ryans crafted elite defenses in San Francisco around the playmaking talents of blue-chip 'backers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, who consistently wreaked havoc between the tackles. Although White's game is unique, his disruptive potential and Super Bowl experience could jumpstart the Texans' rebuilding effort. With plenty of salary cap space and draft capital available to make such a trade happen, Ryans and GM Nick Caserio could definitely pick up the phone and try to lure a potential franchise player to H-Town.
 
KoolAid Sipper said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/1647623025263804417
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Hopkins really talking PR.

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DEANDRE HOPKINS TWEETS THAT HE ‘DOESN’T WANT A RAISE’
by April 16, 2023, 2:55 pm updated April 16, 2023, 2:57 pm

Videos by OutKick


One of the intriguing ongoing storylines of the NFL offseason is the next destination for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Currently on the Arizona Cardinals roster, most expect the team to trade Hopkins.

The Cardinals are rebuilding and their starting quarterback is likely to miss at least half of next season. Certainly, Hopkins wants to play for a contender.

In his 10-year career, largely with the Houston Texans, Hopkins has only made the playoffs four times. He has only been part of two victories and never gone past the divisional round.

With that in mind, Hopkins now enters his age-31 season. He isn’t the same receiver he once was, but he can definitely still play at a high level.

He comes with risk, though, as the league suspended him for six games last season for PED use. Adding in injury, Hopkins has missed 15 games over the past two seasons.

Previously, he missed just two games in his first eight seasons combined.

Despite that teams, are likely going to be interested in the veteran wide receiver. And, according to him, money isn’t going to be a major issue.

Contractually, though, Hopkins carries some problems. His 2023 cap hit is $30 million. That’s … a lot.
If the Cardinals can’t find a trade partner, they will likely cut Hopkins to save on that massive cap number.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1647661205807583232

Interestingly, Hopkins has no control over his trade future. Although the contract he signed with Arizona included a full no-trade clause, the clause voided thanks to his suspension.
But Hopkins still has ideas about where he does and does not want to play.

Clearly, Hopkins is looking for a team that can compete for a Super Bowl with an elite quarterback. But how many of those want a 31-year-old wide receiver owed nearly $20 million with a $30 million cap hit.

It sounds, though, like D-Hop might be willing to renegotiate for the right team. Therein lies his leverage. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but if he refuses to renegotiate with a specific team, it could prevent a trade.

Then, if the Cardinals can’t find a trade partner and cut him, he can choose whatever team he wants.
And if Odell Beckham can get between $15-18 million, Hopkins should be able to earn that as well.

Maybe money isn’t the most important element for Hopkins, though.

That certainly increases his value on the market.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Hopkins really talking PR.

******************************
DEANDRE HOPKINS TWEETS THAT HE ‘DOESN’T WANT A RAISE’
by April 16, 2023, 2:55 pm updated April 16, 2023, 2:57 pm

Videos by OutKick


One of the intriguing ongoing storylines of the NFL offseason is the next destination for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Currently on the Arizona Cardinals roster, most expect the team to trade Hopkins.

The Cardinals are rebuilding and their starting quarterback is likely to miss at least half of next season. Certainly, Hopkins wants to play for a contender.

In his 10-year career, largely with the Houston Texans, Hopkins has only made the playoffs four times. He has only been part of two victories and never gone past the divisional round.

With that in mind, Hopkins now enters his age-31 season. He isn’t the same receiver he once was, but he can definitely still play at a high level.

He comes with risk, though, as the league suspended him for six games last season for PED use. Adding in injury, Hopkins has missed 15 games over the past two seasons.

Previously, he missed just two games in his first eight seasons combined.

Despite that teams, are likely going to be interested in the veteran wide receiver. And, according to him, money isn’t going to be a major issue.

Contractually, though, Hopkins carries some problems. His 2023 cap hit is $30 million. That’s … a lot.
If the Cardinals can’t find a trade partner, they will likely cut Hopkins to save on that massive cap number.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1647661205807583232

Interestingly, Hopkins has no control over his trade future. Although the contract he signed with Arizona included a full no-trade clause, the clause voided thanks to his suspension.
But Hopkins still has ideas about where he does and does not want to play.

Clearly, Hopkins is looking for a team that can compete for a Super Bowl with an elite quarterback. But how many of those want a 31-year-old wide receiver owed nearly $20 million with a $30 million cap hit.

It sounds, though, like D-Hop might be willing to renegotiate for the right team. Therein lies his leverage. He doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but if he refuses to renegotiate with a specific team, it could prevent a trade.

Then, if the Cardinals can’t find a trade partner and cut him, he can choose whatever team he wants.
And if Odell Beckham can get between $15-18 million, Hopkins should be able to earn that as well.

Maybe money isn’t the most important element for Hopkins, though.

That certainly increases his value on the market.
Click to expand...
*Cough* someone needs to convince him he can make someone a contender. *Cough*
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
As I've posted previously regarding this subject, what he's experienced will leave his cardiac and pulmonary functions permanently compromised. There should not be any need to seek so many consultations in order to conclude that on-the-field football should not be a consideration

I have all the confidence in the world in the Bills, the NFL, and the NFLPA making the best recommendations in the best interest of Hamlin's long-term health...................View attachment 11597
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Bills will help Damar Hamlin obtain the proper medical advice on whether to play again
Posted by Mike Florio on February 11, 2023, 2:46 PM EST

NFL Players Association medical director Thom Mayer has guaranteed that Bills safety Damar Hamlin will play football again. NFL medical director Allen Sills was far more equivocal.

“This is about a player and a patient and about getting the very best care,” Sills told the Washington Post on Friday. “And, again, I do want to protect the privacy of those involved. But what I would say is I know that the Buffalo Bills have already engaged a number of outside consultants and will continue to do so. And they’ll gather opinions and then, [with] all of those opinions, they’ll sit down with Mr. Hamlin, his family, his agents, all the people that love him and lay that out. And that’s what we do in medicine every day is say, ‘Here’s our understanding of risks. Here’s our understanding of the situation. Let us make sure that you have all the information and make a good decision.’ And ultimately that is the decision.”

Sill said the league isn’t leading the effort. The decision ultimately is one for Hamlin to make, with appropriate advice and counsel.

“It’s his decision,” Sills said, “and he is the person that will need to drive that decision, and then we’ll all line up and support that. So I think that’s something to happen down the road. I think right now the focus is on his recovery and his continued improvement. And then there will be another day and time to discuss all that. But it will be strictly led by him and those that are close to him. And the Buffalo medical staff, I know, has, as I said, already engaged and will engage a lot of experts to help provide input and opinions into that process.”

For now, Hamlin and his representatives aren’t thinking about Hamlin playing again.

“At this time we are only focusing on Damar’s health and ensuring that he makes a full recovery,” agent Ira Turner told the Post via email. “Any decisions as it pertains to football will be made by Damar when he is ready to do so.”

That’s the way it should be. First, he needs to get back to full health and strength. Then, he can decide whether to play again.
Click to expand...
Bills reporting Hamlin has been fully cleared for football activities

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/36224496/bills-damar-hamlin-ok-play-suffering-cardiac-arrest
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Damar Hamlin has been cleared for football activities. Doctors have told him that there is no definitive reason that he cannot return to football. Maybe not definitively. But for reasons that I have previously posted base on my extensive cardiovascular trauma experience , I would strongly advise him otherwise.
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Yea I just seen a tweet where he is working out with the team today. Amazing story if he truly recovers, but I gotta admit it will probably make me nervous watching his first few games.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
pirbroke said:
Yea I just seen a tweet where he is working out with the team today. Amazing story if he truly recovers, but I gotta admit it will probably make me nervous watching his first few games.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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I'd be worried way past the first few games...........I'd worry for his entire career, however long that may be. No doubt he has some permanent cardiac and pulmonary changes from the cardiac arrest with his lack of circulation and oxygen. Lipstick on the pig only temporarily hides what's beneath. The push by many, including the media, for this having an "amazing" end may lultimately lead to an amazingly undesirable outcome. I certainly hope not.
 
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CloakNNNdagger said:
I'd be worried way past the first few games...........I'd worry for his entire career, however long that may be. No doubt he has some permanent cardiac and pulmonary changes from the cardiac arrest with his lack of circulation and oxygen. Lipstick on the pig only temporarily hides what's beneath. The push by many, including the media, for this having an "amazing" end may lultimately lead to an amazingly undesirable outcome. I certainly hope not.
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He can pursue his chosen career or he can live off endorsements for a long time if he so wishes.
No sense in tempting fate.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
Another example of the NFL manipulating injury statistics. Over the years, it has been quite evident that games played on well-maintained grass were safer than those played on artificial turf. The NFL quietly and purposely ignored this. But after the 2021 season, the NFL came out of the woodwork emphasized, published and publicized that season's statistics which showed that less injuries occurred on artificial turf. The problem??................2021 was an obvious outlier. Now that 2022 have been reviewed, and the injuries have unquestionably been grossly associated with artificial surfaces. The NFL has once again has gone mum, going back in hiding from the facts. But the voice of the entity of those actually affected.........the players...........are finding a venue.

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J.C. Tretter: Injury data from 2022 season makes clear that grass fields are safer
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 1, 2023, 5:06 AM EDT


NFL owners glossed over the differences between grass and artificial playing surfaces at this week’s league meeting. But the NFL Players Association is renewing its call for grass fields.
In fact, NFLPA President J.C. Tretter says that the data from 2022 makes it clearer than ever that grass is safer than artificial turf.

“We got interesting data, I don’t think it’s been put out there, I think it will be out there in the coming weeks,” Tretter told Pat McAfee. “The data this past year show . . . there is a very large gap between the two surfaces. They quickly glanced over that at the league meetings and didn’t really dive into those details this past week, but there is a large difference between grass and turf. The players are very clear what they want.”
Tretter noted that multiple NFL stadiums that use artificial turf will install temporary grass fields when they host World Cup matches in 2026.

“When the World Cup comes to town, all these owners roll out the green carpet for all these soccer teams to play on grass at their stadiums, and then roll it back out to put the turf back down for their employees to play on,” Tretter said.

Tretter said that when the NFL briefly had an increase in grass injuries in 2021, owners used that increase in injuries on grass to suggest that grass was no safer than artificial turf. But Tretter said in 2022, the injury rates diverged, and the difference between injuries on artificial turf and on grass is as big as it has ever been.

“There’s a significant difference in injury rate on turf as on grass,” Tretter said.
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CloakNNNdagger said:
Below is ESPN's data graph that the NFL is using to conclude that artificial turf is as safe as grass (in 2021). This data is based on only non-contact injuries, which is purported to isolate the surface alone as the purest factor causing lower extremity injuries. This assumption is not only grossly flawed, but entirely disingenuous by the NFL. A great proportion of contact lower extremity injuries are caused by feet sticking in artificial turf................it is a fact that cleat "grab" on grass is much more likely to "give" than to remain stuck.............a characteristic that has saved myriads of players from severe lower extremity injuries. But, NFL, let's just exclude all data of contact injuries which make up most lower extremities..................Great idea!!................NFL "honesty" hard at work!

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https://twitter.com/x/status/1590147175874715648
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What I have found all along in my research, and been saying for years.............and the NFLPA has failed to point out and include the contact lower extremity injuries, which are very important when assessing the dangers of turf (see my previous post above for it's specific and very real importance).

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NFLPA says injury rates were significantly higher on artificial turf than grass in 2022
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 20, 2023, 3:59 AM EDT


During the 2022 season, ESPN published data supplied by the NFL that purported to show that injury rates on grass and artificial turf were approximately the same. The NFL Players Association says that data was misleading, and that the NFL highlighted one outlier year’s worth of injury rates when the full body of research makes clear that players are injured more often on artificial turf.

According to the NFLPA, the NFL selectively released injury data from 2021 only, and 2021 happened to be an unusual year because injury rates on artificial turf and grass were very similar that year — although even in 2021, players were slightly more likely to be injured on turf. But in every other season besides 2021, the NFLPA says, injury rates were significantly higher on turf.

That includes the 2022 season, when injury rates on turf were as high as ever — and when the NFL didn’t make an effort to get those injury rates published by the media.

NFLPA President J.C. Tretter wrote on the NFLPA’s website that the injury data from the 2022 season makes clear that 2021 was a statistical outlier, and that in every other season for which there is injury data to compare grass and turf, grass has proven significantly safer.

“In short, last year, the gap – much like the NFL’s credibility with players on this issue – was as wide as it has ever been, proving that (as the NFLPA suspected) 2021 was in fact an outlier,” Tretter writes. “Now, 10 of the previous 11 years show the same exact thing — grass is a significantly safer surface than turf.”

Tretter said the players can’t trust the NFL when it would selectively release misleading data on players’ health and safety.
“The credibility the league has with the players on health and safety issues is virtually nonexistent,” Tretter writes. “Instead of following the long-term data (which is clear on this issue), listening to players and making the game safer, the NFL used an outlier year to engage in a PR campaign to convince everyone that the problem doesn’t actually exist.”

The union would prefer that every NFL stadium have a grass field, but it making little progress in convincing the league to take the issue seriously. In fact, this year one more stadium will have a turf field, as the Titans have announced that they’re replacing their grass with an artificial surface.
 
CloakNNNdagger said:
****************************************************************************************************

What I have found all along in my research, and been saying for years.............and the NFLPA has failed to point out and include the contact lower extremity injuries, which are very important when assessing the dangers of turf (see my previous post above for it's specific and very real importance).

******************

NFLPA says injury rates were significantly higher on artificial turf than grass in 2022
Posted by Michael David Smith on April 20, 2023, 3:59 AM EDT


During the 2022 season, ESPN published data supplied by the NFL that purported to show that injury rates on grass and artificial turf were approximately the same. The NFL Players Association says that data was misleading, and that the NFL highlighted one outlier year’s worth of injury rates when the full body of research makes clear that players are injured more often on artificial turf.

According to the NFLPA, the NFL selectively released injury data from 2021 only, and 2021 happened to be an unusual year because injury rates on artificial turf and grass were very similar that year — although even in 2021, players were slightly more likely to be injured on turf. But in every other season besides 2021, the NFLPA says, injury rates were significantly higher on turf.

That includes the 2022 season, when injury rates on turf were as high as ever — and when the NFL didn’t make an effort to get those injury rates published by the media.

NFLPA President J.C. Tretter wrote on the NFLPA’s website that the injury data from the 2022 season makes clear that 2021 was a statistical outlier, and that in every other season for which there is injury data to compare grass and turf, grass has proven significantly safer.

“In short, last year, the gap – much like the NFL’s credibility with players on this issue – was as wide as it has ever been, proving that (as the NFLPA suspected) 2021 was in fact an outlier,” Tretter writes. “Now, 10 of the previous 11 years show the same exact thing — grass is a significantly safer surface than turf.”

Tretter said the players can’t trust the NFL when it would selectively release misleading data on players’ health and safety.
“The credibility the league has with the players on health and safety issues is virtually nonexistent,” Tretter writes. “Instead of following the long-term data (which is clear on this issue), listening to players and making the game safer, the NFL used an outlier year to engage in a PR campaign to convince everyone that the problem doesn’t actually exist.”

The union would prefer that every NFL stadium have a grass field, but it making little progress in convincing the league to take the issue seriously. In fact, this year one more stadium will have a turf field, as the Titans have announced that they’re replacing their grass with an artificial surface.
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What needs to be done to make any change happen? Rallies, trials, personal conversations, or something else?
There's hardly an understanding of the NFL. The league will do what is more profitable. As long as it's not punishable.
 
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