LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers landed in Las Vegas on Sunday and are looking to gain the upper hand heading into Super Bowl LVIII.
Sources tell CBS Sports that some 49ers staff members are unhappy with the UNLV practice field, where the NFL has designated the NFC champion to practice during Super Bowl week. The problem, sources said, is the firmness of the natural turf the NFL laid over UNLV’s artificial turf before the 49ers practiced there.
An advance group from the 49ers including members of the equipment staff and grounds crew traveled to Las Vegas last week to check out the facilities. They believe the grass is too soft for the team to practice, and the team has considered alternatives, according to sources.
The 49ers players and coaches had yet to visit the field, having just arrived in Las Vegas on Sunday around 6:30 p.m. local time. A guided tour is planned for Monday afternoon.
Sources say this is not a health and safety issue, but rather a simple matter of preference. Sources say UNLV’s current surface meets all NFL, NFL Players Association and independent standards.
Among the tools the league uses to ensure a field is up to code is the “Clegg” test, which measures the firmness of a field. NFL fields must be equal to or less than 100g (gravity units) to pass. According to one source, UNLV’s natural turf is around 50g, while the 49ers have a preference around 70g.
The 49ers have three options Monday before their walkthrough. They can a) go about their business and train on the field as planned; b) bring in new, firmer turf that would, in theory, be ready for training this week; or c) negotiate with the NFL to train at the Las Vegas Raiders training facility where the Chiefs are this week.
Sources say there have been discussions about the 49ers adjusting their schedule to allow them to practice at the Raiders’ facilities when the Chiefs are not there. But sources also indicated that before the 49ers take the field, the likely scenario is that San Francisco stays at UNLV.
Every year during the Super Bowl, the NFL designates one team as the home team and the other as the away team. This alternates each year, and this year the AFC champion is considered the home team. Usually, this means the home team practices at the home NFL team’s facilities while the away team practices at top college facilities nearby.
Last year, the Chiefs were the away team practicing at Arizona State, while the Eagles were at the Cardinals’ facility.
The playing surface debate has been a polarizing topic in the NFL for years – especially last season.
While the Raiders’ new complex has both artificial and natural turf fields, UNLV’s Fertitta Football Complex only has artificial turf. Although the NFL, through joint studies with the NFL Players Association, shows little difference between injury rates on natural turf and artificial surfaces, players routinely complain about how their bodies feel after practicing or having played on artificial surfaces.
The NFL had a problem with its Super Bowl LVII field last year. The Chiefs and Eagles had difficulty walking on the slippery surface of State Farm Stadium. Philadelphia’s league-leading pass rush didn’t sack Patrick Mahomes once in the game.
Afterward, longtime NFL groundskeeper George Toma said the field had too much water and not enough sun ahead of the match.
Allegiant Stadium has a similar set system to Arizona last year. The league is aware of the criticism and addressed any concerns during a conference call last month.
“We installed a brand new natural turf surface that is currently installed on the field outside of Allegiant Stadium,” NFL Executive Vice President Peter O’Reilly said recently. “This has been around for a little while now and is working through all of our standard testing procedures which will take place over time from installation through the day before and this Saturday right before the game. These adjustments and a maintenance program of base are in place so that we have an optimal field on match day.
