All-Pro Says NFL Teams Should Follow What Cardinals Do

The Arizona Cardinals could be a league leader for surfaces in the future.
The NFL logo is seen on  Jan. 31, 2023, on the field for Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium.

Syndication Arizona Republic
The NFL logo is seen on Jan. 31, 2023, on the field for Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Syndication Arizona Republic / Rob Schumacher / USA TODAY NETWORK
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ARIZONA -- It's not often where the Arizona Cardinals are used as a standard for the rest of the NFL to follow, though their playing surface was recently highlighted by an All-Pro lineman.

Playing host to the Los Angeles Rams vs Minnesota Vikings playoff game last night, all eyes were fixated on the field of State Farm Stadium.

Arizona - who grows their own grass and rolls the field into the stadium for games - should be used as a precedent for indoor teams according to David Bakhtiari:

Most indoor/dome stadiums offer artificial playing surfaces rather than natural grass for reasons cited in the likes of cost efficiency and durability.

The argument of fake vs. real grass is an often debated one for players, fans and media, as many believe the risk of injuries rise when playing on artificial surfaces.

According to a study done by the NIH (National Institutes of Health), "The overall incidence rate of lower extremity injuries for the combined 2021 and 2022 seasons was 1.22 injuries/game for natural grass and 1.42 injuries/game for artificial turf."

The NFLPA last year said a whopping 92% of players prefer real grass over turf, and president JC Tretter offered the following statement:

"Our occupation is dangerous enough, and the increased rate of lower extremity injuries linked to the field surface we are forced to play on is unacceptable. The NFLPA is advocating for teams to convert artificial practice and game fields to natural grass fields. In the meantime, we’re fighting on behalf of our players to develop better safety standards and testing methods for artificial turf. There is room for innovation by artificial turf manufacturers, but until the risk of injury on turf mirrors the risk on grass, playing on turf is not in the best interest of our players."

Perhaps the Cardinals did start a trend for future stadiums, as the Las Vegas Raiders introduced a similar field tray that rolls a natural grass playing surface in and out of the building when Allegiant Stadium was completed back in 2020.


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Donnie Druin
DONNIE DRUIN

Donnie Druin is the Publisher for All Cardinals and Inside The Suns. Donnie moved to Arizona in 2012 and has been with Fan Nation since 2018. In college he won "Best Sports Column" in the state of Arizona for his section and has previously provided coverage for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Arizona State Sun Devils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin for more news, updates, analysis and more!