Ryan Tannehill aligns with Will Levis against Titans controversial change
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill shares brutally honest opinion of Nissan Stadium’s new playing surface.
The NFLPA (National Football League Players Association) has been advocating in recent years for teams to play on natural grass playing surfaces.
Despite some outspoken players, the Titans made the controversial decision to switch to a turf playing surface in Nissan Stadium for the 2023 season. The Titans were one of 16 teams playing on grass in 2022, but cited health concerns as a reason for the change.
Titans starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill was brutally honest about his feelings towards the change when speaking to the media on Wednesday, joining Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis in being against turf playing surfaces.
"I don't love it," Tannehill said when asked his thoughts on turf by Titans media. "I've always enjoyed playing on grass more than turf. It's just easier on your body, your joints, your skin as you're on the ground. But that's where we're at."
"We've played a lot of games on turf and we're going to play a lot more games on turf now," Tannehill continued. "I don't think it effects the quality of the game, but it definitely effects how you feel the next day."
According to a write up from Jim Wyatt on the team's website, Nissan Stadium had more lower extremity injuries than each of the monofilament synthetic turfs in the league from 2018-2021.
With that in mind and prioritizing the safety of their players, the Titans decided that a new, more consistent surface was in everybody's best interest. Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he noticed a slickness and inconsistency in grass late in the season.
But the NFLPA has pushed back on the idea that turf surfaces are safer than grass surfaces. NFPLA President JC Tretter released data on injuries that he believes is more in line with the game's recent history and the testimony of the players themselves.
"What this graph shows is that for six consecutive years, injury rates on synthetic surfaces were far higher than on natural surfaces," Tretter wrote, accompanied by his data on NFLPA.com (full article here).
Tannehill is far from the only player who feels this way. While Buffalo Bills outside linebacker Von Miller is starring in commercials to speak out against turf, new Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis is speaking on panels, aligning with Tannehill's sentiment that he feels far healthier after playing on grass.
"As I start my pro football career, I think about the guys who came before me and have championed a safer way to play football. Excited to join the next generation in advocating for teams to play on grass," Levis wrote in a Twitter post two days after being drafted by the Titans.
The monofilament synthetic turf that Tennessee is installing in Nissan Stadium is far safer than the slit film turf that many players believe should be completely removed, but it is still not the dependable grass surface that players say feels better on their bodies.
This is the same surface currently used in the Titans' indoor facility at Saint Thomas Sports Park. But even so, with two quarterbacks that are essential to your franchise being outspoken against the change, it may not be the best idea for your home stadium.
