NFL exec says goal is to limit different playing surfaces - ESPN

NEW YORK — Turf vs. grass: It's complicated.

The topic is under discussion at this week's NFL owners meetings, where league officials say recent research on playing surfaces in stadiums is «off to a good start.» But that comes with inherent challenges — mainly, 30 NFL stadiums have a wide variety of fields, making it «hard to make a strong recommendation against any one thing,» vice president of health and safety Jeff Miller said.

The NFL Players Association has made clear it prefers grass, calling it «simply safer» in a September statement.

«I think the goal needs to be to limit the number of different surfaces that our clubs play on, so a player has an appreciation when he steps onto the field in one city that's going to feel very similar to the surface that he steps on in a different city so it doesn't feel hard or soft or slick or sticky,» Miller said. «He knows what that's going to feel like, therefore the appreciation for it is going to satisfy him to some degree.»

The NFL does not have a uniform policy on the types of surfaces used in league cities. The NFLPA is mandated in the collective bargaining agreement to work with the NFL on best practices.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson are among star players to suffer significant injuries on turf this season, amplifying the discussion leaguewide.

Miller added initiatives on playing surfaces will «change substantially' over the next three years, including potential involvement with FIFA, which will hold several soccer games in NFL stadiums in the coming years.

The NFL shares its research with teams, which can choose unilaterally to make changes. This year, three NFL teams (Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota,