The field

[Hawktawk]

As some know and some don't I spent over 3 decades as a golf course superintendent. My job was providing aesthetically pleasing playing conditions on properties ranging from my 9 hole at Sun lakes of 45 acres to my last job which was Moses Lake CC of 140 acres and not one square foot of it looked half as bad as that utter POS field that was as responsible as the officiating for our loss. And I had 60 year old irrigation on the front nine, big half dead trees outcompeting turf for water, eastern washington surprise potpourri turf from bentgrass to bluegrass to rye to annual bluegrass and it was in TV golf condition.

I haven't done the math on a FB field, couple acres maybe, climate controlled, can be tarped, lights can be left on all night to enhance photosynthesis, unlimited funds and access to world class equipment, fungicides, fertility, biostimulants etc etc etc.

That Santa Clara field has been a POS from day one. I said it after we lost clemons to a knee vs the redskins in 2012 and again when we had to play on a quagmire in Carolina in the 2016 divisional and Ill say it again now. there is no excuse in a mondo billion dollar sport for any field to look like that and be that dangerous for players. Even in the early fall that shitty turf with no roots is what cost the 9ers their 120 million dollar guy Garoppolo as the turf gave way causing his leg to slide out . Russ damn near twisted his knee on a hook slide last night due to the inch plus long spikes they had to wear to kind of be able to stand up. Its BULL$H1t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These teams should be forced to maintain their fields to a minimum standard or be fined and forced to put in artificial turf.

[RiverDog]

As some know and some don't I spent over 3 decades as a golf course superintendent. My job was providing aesthetically pleasing playing conditions on properties ranging from my 9 hole at Sun lakes of 45 acres to my last job which was Moses Lake CC of 140 acres and not one square foot of it looked half as bad as that utter POS field that was as responsible as the officiating for our loss. And I had 60 year old irrigation on the front nine, big half dead trees outcompeting turf for water, eastern washington surprise potpourri turf from bentgrass to bluegrass to rye to annual bluegrass and it was in TV golf condition.

I haven't done the math on a FB field, couple acres maybe, climate controlled, can be tarped, lights can be left on all night to enhance photosynthesis, unlimited funds and access to world class equipment, fungicides, fertility, biostimulants etc etc etc.

That Santa Clara field has been a POS from day one. I said it after we lost clemons to a knee vs the redskins in 2012 and again when we had to play on a quagmire in Carolina in the 2016 divisional and Ill say it again now. there is no excuse in a mondo billion dollar sport for any field to look like that and be that dangerous for players. Even in the early fall that shitty turf with no roots is what cost the 9ers their 120 million dollar guy Garoppolo as the turf gave way causing his leg to slide out . Russ damn near twisted his knee on a hook slide last night due to the inch plus long spikes they had to wear to kind of be able to stand up. Its BULL$H1t!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! These teams should be forced to maintain their fields to a minimum standard or be fined and forced to put in artificial turf.

And to think that they moved a game from Mexico City due to field conditions.

It looked like the worst part was where it transitioned from the center part of the field that had been replaced to the original field outside the hash marks that hadn't. That's where our safety slipped on their 40 yard TD pass. One of the requirements should be if they are going to replace the turf that they replace the entire surface, including end zones.

And I agree with you about requiring teams field a suitable surface or be forced to install an artificial one.

[burrrton]

These teams should be forced to maintain their fields to a minimum standard or be fined and forced to put in artificial turf.

How this isn't already a standard I have no idea.

[Uppercut]

The field at Levi looks like its spray painted green

[Hawk Sista]

Levi, Heinz, and all of the other terrible fields. Good point on ending their billionaire QBs season. I listened to a Brock/Salk’s podcast on my way home today. They said the same thing. The NFL pays employees to make sure people are in regulation socks, but don’t have a standard for turf. This needs to CHANGE!

[RiverDog]

Levi, Heinz, and all of the other terrible fields. Good point on ending their billionaire QBs season. I listened to a Brock/Salk’s podcast on my way home today. They said the same thing. The NFL pays employees to make sure people are in regulation socks, but don’t have a standard for turf. This needs to CHANGE!

The problem is that they DO have a standard for turf. If they didn't, then the game in Mexico City wouldn't have been relocated to L.A. The problem is that they are either not applying it evenly or it isn't tough enough (if we are to assume that Mexico City was worse than Santa Clara).

I don't understand why the player's union isn't more active in this area. It's clearly under the scope of any labor union I've ever dealt with in that it involves the safety of their members. They were supposedly were involved in the decision to move the Mexico City game a few weeks ago.

[Hawktawk]

Well first of all sista great to
Hear your cyber voice . I missed you. As for this field in Santa Clara the darker green area between the hash marks was freshly laid sod due to the turf being obliterated by the pac 12 championship
And pro ball etc. just saying it’s not that hard . Not bragging but if old hawktawk the turf grass janitor had control over these two acres you would need sunglasses to
Enter the stadium and conditions would be exceptional . There is no
Excuse for these quagmires . I can’t believe the nfl is so far behind the curve of modern turf maintenancv

[trents]

Just as an observation, some universities have more advanced field surfaces than some of the NFL teams seem to. One example I am familiar with is Lane Stadium (Va Tech). They have natural turf but there is a sophisticated drainage system underneath it that makes it nearly impossible to for quagmire conditions to develop.

[idhawkman]

I can’t believe the nfl is so far behind the curve of modern turf maintenancv

Just to be clear, are you saying turf on Steroids?

[Hawktawk]

Well more like biostimulants , foliar fertility , irrigation management to drive roots and mechanical and chemical
Improvement to the structure of the soil underneath. It’s not hard

[RiverDog]

Just as an observation, some universities have more advanced field surfaces that some of the NFL teams seem to. One example I am familiar with is Lane Stadium (Va Tech). They have natural turf but there is a sophisticated drainage system underneath it that makes it nearly impossible to for quagmire conditions to develop.

Nearly 20 years ago, I took a tour of Safeco Field just after it had opened. Underneath their field surface, they had a grid work of pipeing that ran just under the surface through which they could circulate warm water through in order to coax or keep the grass from dormancy, plus they had reversable fans that they could run one direction to aireate the field or the opposite direction to dry it out...all for a field that was covered by a retractable roof.

I don't know what Santa Clara has for their field.

[politicalfootball]

Or catch a clue from baseball diamonds. Those fields are always immaculate.

[idhawkman]

Or catch a clue from baseball diamonds. Those fields are always immaculate.

Its a different time of year and most people are running on the dirt baselines not the grass. (nod toward the outfielders).

[idhawkman]

Well more like biostimulants , foliar fertility , irrigation management to drive roots and mechanical and chemical
Improvement to the structure of the soil underneath. It’s not hard

Maybe they are afraid that their players may pick up a detectible substance from the "Biostimulants". (said tounge in cheek)

[RiverDog]

Or catch a clue from baseball diamonds. Those fields are always immaculate.

You're comparing apples with oranges, my friend.

Due to the nature of the game, they don't tear up baseball fields like football does. About 3/4 of the activity in baseball occurs on the dirt infield, baselines, and pitcher's mound. Additionally, baseball plays between April and October, when the grass is still actively growing and can repair it's own damage. By the time November rolls around, the temperature has cooled off, the days have gotten shorter, and the grass no longer actively repairs itself. Plus most cities get more precipitation in football season than they do in baseball months, and with the grass having gone into dormacy, the grass does not process the water, and being that it's cold, it does not evaporate as rapidly as it does during the summer.

[RiverDog]

Pete sounded off on the field conditions and is saying the exact same thing that most of us have said:

Footing was an issue for the Seahawks on several plays Sunday, most notably on the 49ers' second touchdown when free safety Tedric Thompson slipped while breaking on the pass to Garrett Celek. Pete Carroll said he had made a big deal to the team last week about being ready for the grass at Levi's Stadium because it's usually problematic. "I told them it was going to be really lousy and then when we got out there in pregame, it looked like a pretty good turf," he said. "They had re-done the middle part of it and all that a couple of weeks ago and it felt like it was going to be a good turf but it didn’t work out that way. You could see guys couldn’t dig in ... We were prepared for it to be a difficult turf and it still was a factor." Asked about turf issues in general during his 710 ESPN Seattle radio show, Carroll said it's inexcusable and agreed that the NFL should require stadiums that struggle to maintain suitable grass surfaces to switch to artificial turf.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/pe ... spartanntp

But his farts stink more than ours do, so maybe something will get done.

[Hawktawk]

Santa Clara’s field has no roots . It never has . It might be the dirt or whatever is under it is too tight . Could be a ph issue . My guess is irrigation practices is a big part of it . Turf that gets watered daily at a short set gets lazy and doesn’t drive roots. It also loses structure and builds up sodium and bicarbonates. A better strategy is deep infrequent irrigation . This not only drives root growth but flushes sodium and bicarbonates out improving structure . It fascinates me to think of the limitless possibilities to improve turf that bad. I had such strong roots someone drove a car on my course and did donuts on a green and I lost no turf just scuffed it up .

[RiverDog]

Santa Clara’s field has no roots . It never has . It might be the dirt or whatever is under it is too tight . Could be a ph issue . My guess is irrigation practices is a big part of it . Turf that gets watered daily at a short set gets lazy and doesn’t drive roots. It also loses structure and builds up sodium and bicarbonates. A better strategy is deep infrequent irrigation . This not only drives root growth but flushes sodium and bicarbonates out improving structure . It fascinates me to think of the limitless possibilities to improve turf that bad. I had such strong roots someone drove a car on my course and did donuts on a green and I lost no turf just scuffed it up .

I won't pretend to know as much as you do about turf management, but I will add a comment that if what you say is true and the turf there doesn't have a deep enough root system, it could be that they are over watering it and not forcing the roots to go deep in search of water.

Pete mentioned in his interview that all the grass fields in northern California are a mess this time of year. Heck, all of the major football stadiums in the Northwest and many of the smaller ones have artificial surfaces, even high schools.