Tag: player safety

Patrick Mahomes takes a side in the grass vs. turf debate

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes made his thoughts on the grass vs. turf debate clear in comments to the media on Wednesday.

An Achilles tear sustained by Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers on Monday caused a familiar football debate to reemerge.

Rodgers’ injury happened on a turf field, and some quickly speculated that the injury may not have occurred if the game was played on natural grass.

 

But where does Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ opinion lie in the discussion?

“I think it’s pretty simple, the numbers say that grass is healthier for the players,” Mahomes said during Wednesday’s press conference. “I want to play on the best surface that will keep me healthy.”

Mahomes, who plays on a natural grass field at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, makes a solid point. Data exists that backs up the fact that more injuries occur on turf, while others (including NFL execs) say their data suggests otherwise.

However, it’s in the NFL’s best interest to use artificial turf given its cost-effectiveness and ease of maintenance. So, naturally, some would argue their data would obviously vouch for the cheapest option.

Regardless, it’s a hot topic that’ll likely continue to be discussed as the NFL is now split 50/50, with 15 NFL stadiums using turf vs. 15 stadiums using natural grass. If more injuries occur on turf fields, the more likely players are going to speak up.

‘Swag factor goes down’: Cowboys wearing soft-shell helmets in practice as part of new NFL mandate

Several position groups sported the Guardian Cap on Tuesday in an effort to cut down on the number of training camp concussions. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Today’s NFL players will say one of the nice things about June minicamp work is the relaxed dress code. Rather than strap on every piece of padding they’ll eventually need come fall, these early sessions feature shorts and lightweight practice jerseys.

But this offseason, there’s an extra piece of equipment for many Cowboys players and their counterparts across the league.

The Cowboys’ offensive and defensive linemen, linebackers, and tight ends wore Guardian Caps at their first mandatory practice of the week, a new mandate by the league this year. The soft-shell pads fit over players’ regular helmets and absorb a good deal of the force delivered by even incidental head contact.

What they don’t do is look fashionable, as confirmed by Cowboys guard Zack Martin.

“Yeah, the swag factor goes down quite a bit with those things on,” he told reporters on Tuesday after sporting the protective cap for the first time, “but we’re all about safety, so, you know…”

The caps are part of the league’s ongoing efforts to cut down on the frequency of concussions in the game, especially in this early phase of the offseason, when younger and inexperienced players are often battling hard to make the roster.

ESPN reports that the first two weeks of training camp produce approximately 30 concussions each year, with a greater degree of head contact in that window of time. The rate of injury drops as teams near the regular season as squads tend to shift to a lighter practice load.

This year, Guardian Caps will be required for every preseason practice beginning with the start of the training camp contact period and going through each team’s second preseason game.

The cap’s manufacturer claims that force from head contact is reduced by up to 20% if all players involved in the contact are wearing it.

Some teams, like the Pittsburgh Steelers, have elected to have all of their players wear the bubble lids.

For the Cowboys, it’s currently an adjustment for certain positions only. And while they’re technically not required yet, Martin says the team tried them out Tuesday as a dress rehearsal of sorts.

“They wanted us to get a day or a couple days to kind of get used to them before we head out to Oxnard,” he explained. “It’s maybe a hair heavier, which is kind of annoying: getting everything unbuckled and then buckled back up when you have to. But it’s part of it. Everyone is doing it.”

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NFL, NFLPA agree to daily COVID-19 testing of players through Sept. 5

The NFL and the NFLPA have agreed to daily COVID-19 testing of players through Sept. 5, 2020.

The National Football League and the NFL Players Association reached a major agreement on the day most teams are moving into the on-field portion of training camps.

The NFLPA released the following statement Wednesday morning via Twitter.

“We have reached an agreement with the NFL to continue daily testing through September 5th,” the tweet read. “We will continue to monitor positivity rates within each club and relevant information from each team community to inform our assessment of testing frequency ahead of the regular season.”

Prior to this agreement, daily COVID-19 testing was only mandated through the first two weeks of camp.

The increased testing will only further protect players, coaches and staff as the team gets more physical on the field with the progression of practices.

The regular season is set to kick off on Thursday, Sept. 10. when the Chiefs hosts the Texans.

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