The veteran Giants safety has a pretty straightforward opinion on the usage of turf fields in the NFL.
MetLife Stadium is boring.
Over the last few years we’ve seen other NFL teams — the Raiders and Rams/Chargers, to name a few — unveil literal space shuttles for new stadiums. The Giants and Jets, on the other hand, have a wind tunnel with — get this — a jumbotron on each corner.
But is the East Rutherford venue with FieldTurf also dangerous for players? Is turf responsible for a number of injuries in the NFL?
Logan Ryan, without specifically mentioning his home field, thinks yes for the latter question.
Logan Ryan on high number of lower body/ soft tissue injuries, such Jabrill Peppers: “We really gotta talk about these turf fields, man,” says it’s hurting players’ earning potential, players don’t like playing on it.
Couldn’t agree more #Giants pic.twitter.com/deG5D4ikO6
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) October 28, 2021
Logan Ryan just ranted for a little bit about how the NFL needs to go away from turf fields. Came as part of his response about Jabrill Peppers’ season-ending injuries. #Giants
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) October 28, 2021
Fellow safety Jabrill Peppers suffered a ruptured ACL and high-ankle sprain in the Giants’ home win over the Panthers this past Sunday. The injuries have knocked Peppers out for the rest of the season.
But he’s nowhere near the only Giant that’s dealt with injury-related issues, which obviously is a major problem.
Kadarius Toney (ankle), Saquon Barkley (ankle), Kenny Golladay (knee), Sterling Shepard (hamstring), Darius Slayton (hamstring), and Evan Engram (calf) have all missed time.
And that’s just the group of offensive weapons.
Guard Shane Lemieux (knee) and center Nick Gates (leg) are out for the season while left tackle Andrew Thomas (ankle and foot) is on injured reserve and needs to miss at least two more games.
Blake Martinez is also out for the year with a torn ACL suffered in a Week 3 loss at — you guessed it — MetLife Stadium.
Injuries are a part of the game, sure. But the rate at which they’re occurring is alarming.
And this isn’t just a 2021 problem. Remember last year when the San Francisco 49ers took on the Jets at MetLife Stadium? Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, defensive end Nick Bosa, and running back Raheem Mostert, among others, all exited that game early. While Bosa missed the remainder of the year with a torn ACL, Garoppolo sat the following two games with an ankle injury and so did Mostert with a knee injury.
Follow Ryan Honey on Twitter: @RyanHoneyESNY
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