I can think of no reasonable reason other than they are waiting for a conclusion in Brian Hartman's lawsuit over the knee injury that ended his career. Changing turf would be a defacto admission of liability I guess. Not that a few million would matter at all to an NFL franchise, but maybe it sets a precedent or something. The NFL has always been hightly concerned with the health of their players. #nolawyernoHolidayInn
That's the only thing that makes sense I remember when I moved from Texas to Western New York my junior year of high school. Played on a new, perfectly manicured grass at Magnolia before moving. Got to New York, and we had a turf field. I thought it was nice. I went for my first game of the season, an away game...show up to play, and there's dandelions growing on the team's field. I was shocked. I was slightly offended. I remember thinking, "What the....this is high school football! Dandelions?" I can't imagine having that feeling as a pro making millions.
If every non-contact injury on a playing surface sets a precedent for lawsuits... the NFL will never see the end of it. There is a huge burden of proof on the Hartmann camp mainly because there has not been a "rash" of injuries on this playing surface that exceeds the normal non-contact injury rate. It would be easier, cheaper, and avoid future PR issues for the Texans to switch... yet they haven't.
You are legally allowed to make changes to the field mid-lawsuit without admitting any liability. The Plaintiff cannot use the change of field as an admission that you were negligent in its maintenance before. It basically stems from a legal principle that the law wants to encourage people to make changes for the benefit/safety of others without fear of admitting wrongdoing in an ongoing case.
Just heard on NFL Network, that the Chiefs players were complaining about the field, and how they are using sand to fill in the seams. They just need to get it over with and go with the best Field Turf or synthetic available. The evidence keeps mounting up. First game of the season and the grass already looks like crap.
And which evidence is that? I just want to know what led to the big differences that are now more perceptible (thanks to social media) vs. what's been there for the last 13 years. Did they change the rotation of the pallet scheme? Are the people who actually put the pieces together less qualified than before? We know they aren't playing college/HS games on the same surface (like they were before), so I really want to know if this is most definitely a "worsening" of the current situation, or if this is how its always been.
The turf they used for the for A&M and ASU game last week looked really nice. Don't understand why they continue to trot out the embarrassment they call a field out there
It's been a problem for years, just starting to get more attention in the last few years. Google "Reliant field problems" Some Results: 2012 http://deadspin.com/5960895/former-...-owners-for-being-injured-by-its-crappy-field 2010 http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...blames-welker-injury-on-reliant-stadium-turf/ 2011 http://houston.cbslocal.com/2011/12/04/texans-players-say-field-not-up-to-par/ 2014 http://houston.cbslocal.com/2014/09/09/nrg-stadiums-playing-surface-an-abomination/ 2014 http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...deveon-clowney-injury-due-to-texans-turf-woes and so on. I've heard that the grass can be hard on one pallet and soft on another, it's not a smart system, and it's rightfully so getting called out more and more.
They use fieldturf for EVERY game but the Texans. High school and college games all use the field turf. If you have a Twitter account and want change - I encourage you to tweet @HoustonTexans, @HCHSA and @nrgenergy with the #TexansGameday hashtag. Here's a few of mine from today, and I am going to do this for EVERY home game - <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Hey <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans">@HoustonTexans</a> & <a href="https://twitter.com/HCHSA">@HCHSA</a>. Really tired of the Houston bashing because you idiots refuse to use the fieldturf <a href="https://twitter.com/NRGParkFan">@NRGParkFan</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexansGameday?src=hash">#TexansGameday</a></p>— Brad Groux (@BradGroux) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradGroux/status/643096862753341440">September 13, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/nrgenergy">@nrgenergy</a> are you going to let a field w/ your name on it have terrible turf? <a href="http://t.co/gSTzpB9rPH">http://t.co/gSTzpB9rPH</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HCHSA">@HCHSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans">@HoustonTexans</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexansGameday?src=hash">#TexansGameday</a></p>— Brad Groux (@BradGroux) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradGroux/status/643098807895375872">September 13, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Again, this is all pretty anecdotal and it got an upswing in 2014 from the rumor that Clowney's injury could have been related (but it also could have been the machinations of a player who has major character issues), and we know that the micro fracture was not because of this injury... it was because he had a bad knee. When astroturf was deemed unsafe, there was significant substantiated data all-around. That's all I'm asking for. Its not like they just decided to start using this system. The team/coaches have the power to force change.... and they have yet to do so... so this is either an overblown/overrated issue, or there's something else at play.
Similar stuff has been used in the past... I know they used a tray system for the World Cub in 1994 in Detroit (Silverdome). Nobody else in the NFL does it.
No, because is is engineering stupidity. You can't setup grass like you can a basketball floor. Grass grows unevenly, dirt settles unevenly... it has been stupid since day 1. This all stems from the fact that they added the retractable roof for $40 million dollars - so they said they'd grow grass if it passed. We all know they should have just built a dome, because the stadium roof is open all of 1-2 days a year. If they move to fieldturf, they'd have to admit that they could have gotten away with a dome - saving the county $40 million in the process. I just sent them this - <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/HCHSA">@HCHSA</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/HoustonTexans">@HoustonTexans</a> It's been 13 years, you can admit we would have been fine with a dome. Use the fieldturf for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TexansGameday?src=hash">#TexansGameday</a> already!</p>— Brad Groux (@BradGroux) <a href="https://twitter.com/BradGroux/status/643103607626166272">September 13, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Do you really think that's it? I highly doubt it.... there would be absolutely no ramifications to any of that (if it even happened to be true). They do need to open the roof more. I've been to several open roof games and the direct sun, while it can be uncomfortable, is not much different than what I've experienced in Austin for UT games
The ramifications would be the fact that they had to admit they were wrong. They wanted a retractable roof because they wanted a "first" for the stadium that replaced the dome. The stupid thing is, the Livestock Show and Rodeo make way more money for the stadium, and the county than the Texans. The only logical reason is, they are afraid of legal ramifications and/or public shaming if they cave on the turf issue.
