Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow shared his thoughts Wednesday about a topic that has generated recent controversy in discussions among NFL players and analysts: turf or grass, and whether injuries are more likely to occur on certain surfaces.
"You do notice the field quality," Burrow told reporters. "That's the first thing you notice when you walk out there. It kind of changes the cleats you wear. It changes how you cut and how you run routes - all of the above. So I think having a universal turf would be a great thing for us as players. I don't know the stats on injuries or anything based off of the playing surface. I personally like playing on turf. I do wish that each stadium had the same turf. I don't know - it just feels faster to me."
The Bengals' home field at Paycor Stadium is among six in the NFL with a slit-film turf surface. A letter the NFLPA and board of player representatives sent last week urged the league to immediately remove the surfaces at Paycor as well as MetLife Stadium (New York Giants and Jets), Lucas Oil Stadium (Indianapolis Colts), Ford Field (Detroit Lions), U.S. Bank Stadium (Minnesota Vikings) and Caesars Superdome (New Orleans Saints).
"Statistically, there are higher in-game injury rates compared to other surfaces," Michael Smith said during "TNF Nightcap" on Amazon Prime Video. "Missed-time injuries, lower-extremity injuries, foot and ankle injuries."
Paycor Stadium's synthetic turf, manufactured by Shaw Sports Turf and including Strenexe XD slit-film fibers, was installed before the 2018 season.
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