Hopefully we are getting the latest, greatest, state of the art field turf that is even better than whats out there right now and other teams look at NRG as the future.
I feel like this is an understated change to our home field. Shiftier guys like Hilton and Tavon Austin are supposed to be a lot more dangerous on the "fast track" of field turf. Maybe that's Keshawn Martin, maybe they find someone in the draft. Maybe they do nothing, and TY drops 200 yards on us.
We can all hope that there will be no need for an "out". It's unfortunate that we had to lose a #1 overall pick in order to get the dangerous field system removed, but at least they did it so hopefully we won't have to deal with anything like this again....or if we do, we can say that we've done everything in our power to prevent it. I think it's premature to write off the guy's career even though he's facing a rough recovery and frankly, most of those who are counting him out were hoping he'd fail from the beginning in order to make a case about drafting either a complete bust of a QB in Manziel or drafting Alex Smith 2.0 (or in Remii's case, drafting a 3rd WR with the first overall pick)
http://www.fieldturf.com/en/artificial-turf/how-fieldturf-works The patented design of FieldTurf is radically different from any other synthetic system. While synthetic turf systems might look the same, there are stark contrasts between FieldTurf and the rest. There are three main components to a turf system – fiber, backing, and infill. Here are the basics of a turf system along with how FieldTurf does things differently. 1) FIBER Turf fibers are responsible for comfort and safety of the player, durability, a natural, grass-like look with soft and pleasing grass-like feel and resilience. The ideal fibers should reduce skin friction, skin abrasion and offer superior durability, high resilience and temperature stability. Today, turf fibers are made from polyethylene and come in either slit-film or monofilament structures. 2) INFILL The infill system is the single most important aspect of all synthetic turf fields. It is the basis for the safety of the turf system by providing the appropriate cushioning to absorb impact as well as being the foundation to a field’s performance level by offering traction for players to cut, plant and release just like they would on natural grass. Whereby turf fibers are directly related to the aesthetics of the field, the infill – which is spread between the fibers – delivers what the athlete needs: A safe surface with proper performance attributes. The infill market is becoming more complex with new products being introduced at a rapid rate. With so many choices, it is important to understand the difference between the various systems. 3) BACKING Artificial turf backings are comprised of a primary backing and a secondary backing. Both the primary and secondary backings work together to provide dimensional stability to the entire system. The primary backing is comprised of woven polypropylene fabrics that allow the artificial turf fibers to be tufted into material in rows and facilitate seaming between artificial turf panels. The secondary backing is often referred to as the ‘urethane coating’ and is applied to the reverse side of the primary backing in order to permanently lock the tufted fibers in place. Turf backings are either precision coated using the ‘Finger Unit’ method or they are ‘Solid Coated and Perforated’.
The one thing that seems iffy to me about field turf is breathing in the infill particles. I see them flying like dust in some NFL games.
Same here, if we had gone with Bridgewater, Mack, Bortles, or even Manziel, I'd be hoping right now that they become the next big thing. Team success is what really matters.
It's strange, but for some reason there has been a rash of cancer stricken teenage soccer goalies who play on field turf.
This is the Field Turf (the actual company) product. It has many design flaws and I pray the Texans don't go with Field Turf (the company). First, the Finger Coating method they use is flawed. It doesn't create the tuft bind that they claim (tuft bind is the amount of force it takes to pull one tuft, or bundle, out of the backing). They claim 10 lbs and it's actually in the 6 lb range (the lowest acceptable measurement). Others (AstroTurf, GreenFields) achieve much higher tuft binds which leads to a more durable system. Second, their pile height of 2-1/2" is far too tall and the gauge (width between the rows) is too wide. This forces them to put in a ridiculous amount of infill as compared to other systems. What it gives you is a very streaky looking field with rubber flying out everywhere. They put in 10 lbs/ft² of rubber and sand in their fields. The others only require between 3-5 lbs and achieve just as good fall ratings. Third, they use a low face weight. Their systems are typically 36 oz/yd². The industry average is 40. A really nice field is going to be in the 45-48 oz range at only 2 to 2-1/4". Finally, their fields are just ugly. Seattle is a prime example. They use cheap raw materials and put almost nothing into the aesthetics of the field for tv. The Seattle field is known as an embarrassment to the industry. I hope the Texans don't fall for the marketing machine that is Field Turf and takes the time to learn about the other options that are out there.
LOL, I get absolutely the most brain-dead anonymous rep ever. The only thing worse than a whiner is a cowardly whiner that won't put a name to their words even with the relative anonymity of the internet.
UK rugby teams have been installing hybrid grass fields by the same company who do the grounds for Broncos & Packers. Maybe it's because they have newer systems with newer tech or it's the different climate but they do look fantastic.
That report is trash. Are there a rash of cancer stricken football players? They are on the ground as much or more than goalies. Why is it only girls? What about male keepers? Are there other environmental factors? They found 38 people that played soccer and have cancer. There's something like 13,000,000 soccer players in this country...many of whom play on synthetic turf every day (myself included). It's the same as the lead scare that ran through the turf industry about 8 years ago. The one field that tested positive for lead happened to be on top of a former shooting range. Gee, I wonder how the lead got there.
