Interesting SI Comments...

[Steel Life]

From Michael Lombardi (CNN-SI)... [url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/michael_lombardi/06/30/frankly.football/1.html"]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... all/1.html[/url]

• "Hopefully, we win the Super Bowl," Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette while working at the youth camp that bears his name. "That's my goal this year and I think we've got the personnel for it." For Roethlisberger's sake, I really hope the Steelers have repaired the offensive line problems that prevented them from making a stronger run in the playoffs last season. Roethlisberger is the hardest quarterback in the NFL to get on the ground and always gets a very long whistle from the referee.

• If I ...Were the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would spend whatever it took to replace the turf at Heinz Field. The Steelers' defense relies on speed and quickness, and when the field is slow and mostly mud, like it will be this November, it makes it very hard for anyone to look quick or explosive. In the last two games of last season played on that "cow pasture," the normally stingy Steelers defense allowed 660 total yards and 60 points (losing both games to the Jaguars). Your home field must match the style and talent of your team.

[Mr Smartmonies]

From Michael Lombardi (CNN-SI)... [url="http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/michael_lombardi/06/30/frankly.football/1.html"]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... all/1.html[/url]

• "Hopefully, we win the Super Bowl," Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette while working at the youth camp that bears his name. "That's my goal this year and I think we've got the personnel for it." For Roethlisberger's sake, I really hope the Steelers have repaired the offensive line problems that prevented them from making a stronger run in the playoffs last season. Roethlisberger is the hardest quarterback in the NFL to get on the ground and always gets a very long whistle from the referee.

• If I ...Were the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would spend whatever it took to replace the turf at Heinz Field. The Steelers' defense relies on speed and quickness, and when the field is slow and mostly mud, like it will be this November, it makes it very hard for anyone to look quick or explosive. In the last two games of last season played on that "cow pasture," the normally stingy Steelers defense allowed 660 total yards and 60 points (losing both games to the Jaguars). Your home field must match the style and talent of your team.

This is a very interesting topic that needs to be discussed here. On one hand the Steelers have a splendid record at Heinz field with Roethlisberger last 4 years. That would make you think the field suits them. But the writer makes a point about the Speed of defense being neglected. I really do think Polamalu has found himself slipping out of postion on that mud. opinions needed here.

[Steel Life]

I would think that improving the field is practically unanimous. It's going to be a topic every time they're on national TV, so heaven help them if it gets as bad again this year. They should've gone the WVU route.

[Mr Smartmonies]

I would think that improving the field is practically unanimous. It's going to be a topic every time they're on national TV, so heaven help them if it gets as bad again this year. They should've gone the WVU route.

I can't understand why their so stubborn.

[SteelerNation1]

The PLAYERS nearly unanimously said they wanted grass. I guess that's why they stayed with the grass.

[Mr Smartmonies]

The PLAYERS nearly unanimously said they wanted grass. I guess that's why they stayed with the grass.

your right.

[birtikidis]

i think the rooneys should look at our home record in the playoffs and decide if there is any advantage to even playing at heinz field in december and january.

[Shawn]

[quote=Mr Smartmonies]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... all/1.html[/url]

• "Hopefully, we win the Super Bowl," Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette while working at the youth camp that bears his name. "That's my goal this year and I think we've got the personnel for it." For Roethlisberger's sake, I really hope the Steelers have repaired the offensive line problems that prevented them from making a stronger run in the playoffs last season. Roethlisberger is the hardest quarterback in the NFL to get on the ground and always gets a very long whistle from the referee.

• If I ...Were the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would spend whatever it took to replace the turf at Heinz Field. The Steelers' defense relies on speed and quickness, and when the field is slow and mostly mud, like it will be this November, it makes it very hard for anyone to look quick or explosive. In the last two games of last season played on that "cow pasture," the normally stingy Steelers defense allowed 660 total yards and 60 points (losing both games to the Jaguars). Your home field must match the style and talent of your team.

This is a very interesting topic that needs to be discussed here. On one hand the Steelers have a splendid record at Heinz field with Roethlisberger last 4 years. That would make you think the field suits them. But the writer makes a point about the Speed of defense being neglected. I really do think Polamalu has found himself slipping out of postion on that mud. opinions needed here.[/quote:1arh5369]

From my understanding a slower field helps the D. This is something I have always been told and took it as fact.

[Flasteel]

[quote=ShawnMedGuy]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/w ... all/1.html[/url]

• "Hopefully, we win the Super Bowl," Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh Post Gazette while working at the youth camp that bears his name. "That's my goal this year and I think we've got the personnel for it." For Roethlisberger's sake, I really hope the Steelers have repaired the offensive line problems that prevented them from making a stronger run in the playoffs last season. Roethlisberger is the hardest quarterback in the NFL to get on the ground and always gets a very long whistle from the referee.

• If I ...Were the Pittsburgh Steelers, I would spend whatever it took to replace the turf at Heinz Field. The Steelers' defense relies on speed and quickness, and when the field is slow and mostly mud, like it will be this November, it makes it very hard for anyone to look quick or explosive. In the last two games of last season played on that "cow pasture," the normally stingy Steelers defense allowed 660 total yards and 60 points (losing both games to the Jaguars). Your home field must match the style and talent of your team.

This is a very interesting topic that needs to be discussed here. On one hand the Steelers have a splendid record at Heinz field with Roethlisberger last 4 years. That would make you think the field suits them. But the writer makes a point about the Speed of defense being neglected. I really do think Polamalu has found himself slipping out of postion on that mud. opinions needed here.

From my understanding a slower field helps the D. This is something I have always been told and took it as fact.[/quote:262w7i3y]

A slow field (ie: tall grass) negates any speed advantage a team might have, irrespective of offense or defense, but a muddy/ slippery field gives a decisive edge to a team's passing offense. Defenses have to react more whereas quarterbacks and receivers know where they're going in advance and don't have to rely on split-second cuts (they'll take chop-steps or slow their stems somewhat). It can make life kind of rough for a running back to get to the edge or cut-back to find a hole, which is why in those conditions you'll normally see teams try to pound it between the tackles or take to the air (despite a slippery ball).

[JAR]

Thar's lead in that turf... another reason the Rooney's will say away, which I'm happy with. Football is meant to be played on grass, not the sissy fake stuff.

Consumer watchdog warns of lead in artificial turf

By ANGELA DELLI SANTI | Associated Press Writer
June 23, 2008

TRENTON, N.J. - An environmental watchdog group said Monday it found excessive amounts of lead in several brands of artificial turf, and it warned some of the biggest manufacturers and sellers that it will sue unless they recall or reformulate their products.

The report from the Center for Environmental Health comes after New Jersey officials found unacceptably high lead levels in some synthetic surfaces and federal authorities recommended lead testing on fraying sports fields.

The center's tests, which it hired an independent lab to verify, went beyond sports fields. They found excessive lead in indoor/outdoor carpeting, artificial lawns and playground grass made with nylon and polyethylene, said Charles Margulis, a spokesman for the group.

The group classified the amount of lead as excessive if it exceeded 600 parts per million, which is the maximum allowable in paint. About 50 products were tested, and at least 15 were found to have high lead levels.

In one test, the lead was so accessible it could be wiped away with a cloth, according to the Oakland, Calif.-based group that focuses on identifying toxins in everyday consumer products.

Testing by the New Jersey Health Department found high lead levels in nylon and nylon-blend fields, but only in fields that had endured a lot of wear. The lead found at three New Jersey turf fields could be absorbed by humans, a follow-up test showed, but the state epidemiologist said the lead levels were not high enough to cause poisoning to people who play on the fields.

Margulis said the center has begun notifying 15 turf manufacturers and retailers of its intent to sue under California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act unless the companies agree to recall the products or reformulate artificial turf so it contains less lead.

Names on the list include some of the country's largest retailers, like Ace Hardware and Lowe's, and some of the best-known turf manufacturers, like AstroTurf. The companies have 60 days to respond.

Davis Lee, a Georgia Tech professor and consultant to turf manufacturers, said he was skeptical about the latest results.

"Their results are not consistent with what I've seen," he said. "I've done several months worth of testing. I've not seen anything that would raise a concern."

Rick Doyle, president of the Synthetic Turf Council, an industry trade group, said the lead in turf is encapsulated in the blades and does not leach out or become airborne.

"It does not pose a risk to human health or the environment," Doyle said. "It is not readily absorbed by the body or released into the environment."

Messages left with Ace, Lowe's and AstroTurf weren't immediately returned.

Earlier this month, AstroTurf issued a statement saying additional tests by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services confirmed the safety of synthetic turf fields.

The United States has about 3,500 synthetic playing fields made of various materials, including nylon and polyethylene, and about 800 are installed each year at schools, colleges, parks and stadiums, the Synthetic Turf Council has said.

Pigment containing lead chromate is used in some surfaces to make the turf green and hold its color in sunlight. It is not clear how widely the compound is used.

Lead can cause brain damage and other illnesses, particularly in children.

Health officials say the main risk is cumulative exposure. While it is unlikely that anyone will play on a turf lawn or field once and sustain an excessive lead exposure, the risk of health problems rises with repeated exposures.

The government has no standard for how much lead is allowable in artificial turf.

[url="http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--artificialturf-le0623jun23,0,2457158.story"]http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/ ... 7158.story[/url]