After the injury plagued disaster of a game for us on Sunday, I think it’s time for our players to have the real stuff to play on, and practice on.
Supposedly we have the best fake turf, and it still sucks.
Not saying conclusively it would have prevented anything … but the consensus everywhere is real grass is the way.
Spend the money.
Real grass is legal in Michigan, but you can only have 12 plants at home. Bringing them on the road, well depends on the state.
And, um. Growing grass outside Ford Field in winter?
I mean to be fair i dont think any of the lions injuries were turf related.
Monty got gator tackled
And CJ got hit by a buss.
Ill have to look at houston and Big V
We can! However I’m not sure the lions want to spend the money to treat it. The raiders play in dome but on real treated grass so it can be done
Chubb was an real grass Just saying maybe some listen to much to whiners Ya think?
Ok…so you build a million dollar track system to move the grass outside the dome cover. Now what? Do you have great weather to grow grass in Detroit, Michigan in November/December? This is not Arizona weather in November. This is Detroit weather
What about a sub-surface drainage system for all of the water? The natural grass needs water. Millions of gallons of water over the season. That water has to go somewhere. How about we rip up Ford Field and put in a drainage system to support natural grass?
Traffic - Ford Field is not just a Football Field. It generates huge dollars from other events. Let’s have 30,000 people trample all over a grass field on Saturday night…just in time to play some football on a Sunday afternoon. The grass will love that. Artificial turf can handle the traffic…natural turf cannot.
The injury rate is not high enough (yet). The NFLPA releases vague/cloudy numbers, but most data I’ve seen (as a field turf manager) is around %1.0 difference in injury between natural and artificial.
The artificial turf has come a looooooong way since the days of Silver Dome turf (I played on it twice and it was brutal - you could barely walk the next day). The artificial surfaces can almost mimic the natural grass. In 10-15 years it will be identical.
They have a retractable field though
Sunlight is a requirement for plants to grow
That’s why the dome in AZ was designed so the whole playing field could slide outside into the sunlight when not in use
Many forget you cant grow plants without sunlight
And grass is a plant
The grass isn’t treated within the stadium. It’s done outside then move inside the day before the game. Actually its store outside near the stadium. This has nothing to do with a retractable stadium.
Again it can be done if the lions are willing to spend on the operation. If you can grow weed in a greenhouse then it can be done.
Your right how its done in AZ now explain how your doing that in a foot of snow or couple weeks of sub zero temp . You said green house have you ever been in one with the humidity they keep so high? How about when you wheel the grass thats frozen into the stadium an it turns to a mud pile.
I said before Chubb was playing on grass. Grass likely wouldn’t have stopped the ankle or thigh injuries those happen. Knees maybe turf might cause some. You get rolled up on has nothing to do with turf. GB will play half there games at home on frozen ground same in Ohio teams .
You show facts about grass over turf I will listen but most what is said on this thread , is just repeating what few people X players may think doesn’t make it a fact.
Last time I checked, we have a sun.
Thompson was injured when Saints left tackle [Trevor Penning]was slung to the ground by defensive end The full force of the 325-pound Penning landed on the back of Shaq Thompson’s leg and ankle.
That had nothing to do with the turf or grass. Shit Happens .
@Cynodon that should be pinned and required reading here. Thanks for spelling it out, even if it goes unread by the folks that need to read it most.
There are several soccer stadiums that have grow light systems. It can be done. Not cheap or easy, but doable.
I guess I don’t really care, since I’m not the one that has to play on ground up tires. But players seem to despise fake turf. If real grass saved one starters knee or achilles per season, it’s probably worth the cost.
There probably won’t ever be a real definitive study of the injury factor of ground tires vs real grass, because most are injuries caused by contact.
This has EVERYTHING to do with a retractable field. How else do you think the move the field in and out the stadium?? They don’t lift it a carry it out. IJS 
I remember talk around here, years ago. That Ford Field was designed so a retractable roof could be added later. Or was this proven to be BS.
I just didn’t realize there were so many posters who knew all the ins and outs of the field grass industry. Like they’ve really investigated this issue.
Especially if it’s a $20m-$40m a year player.
But that’s sunk salary cap money they gotta spend anyways which is different from spending on off field off cap stuff.
It’s possible with a set up like this. Water and drainage could be pretty easily solved too as part of the installation of the surface.
The main issue would be the cost of installation, the ongoing cost of managing the field (all that light won’t come cheap), and the cost of covering and uncovering the grass when there are concerts and other events.
Real Madrid have just installed this cool system, but the cost would be in the tens of millions.
Basically the answer is money.