Not all football fields are created equal.

Whether players butt heads on a patch of grass or on synthetic fibers that are sand and rubber based, the rules of football are the same. But certain elements of the game aren't. Believe it or not, the type of field players do their work on in a given game plays a role in how they'll do.

Generally, there are two types of surfaces: Natural grass and synthetic turf. We all know what grass is; the synthetic turf is designed to look and feel like grass but with better durability and traction. Turf has come a long way -- gone from league stadiums is the original AstroTurf, which was essentially a well-manufactured layer of green carpet with little padding or "give." The last team to use the "green carpet" AstroTurf was the Colts, but they scrapped it when they left the RCA Dome last year.

Natural grass

The majority of teams that use natural grass choose either a bluegrass or a specific Bermuda type of grass. Either way, both provide a strong natural surface. Grass wears down during the course of a season, particularly in stadiums that use their fields for more than just NFL games during the fall and winter. Grass also has more "give" than it's produced alternative, which is part of the reason why it hasn't caused as many injuries. That's good for the health of the athletes, but bad for the overall effort by the players. Any significant weather event will make the field slippery. Traction on grass is already not perfect, but throw in some rain or snow and it becomes far more difficult to make cuts and change direction. Effectively, you need a sunny day to get the best out of grass.

The following teams play on natural grass:

Arizona Cardinals (University of Phoenix Stadium)
Carolina Panthers (Bank of America Stadium)
Chicago Bears (Soldier Field)
Cleveland Browns (Cleveland Browns Stadium)
Houston Texans (Reliant Stadium)
Jacksonville Jaguars (Jacksonville Municipal Stadium)
Kansas City Chiefs (Arrowhead Stadium)
Miami Dolphins (LandShark Stadium)
Oakland Raiders (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum)
San Diego Chargers (Qualcomm Stadium)
San Francisco 49ers (Candlestick Park)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Raymond James Stadium)
Tennessee Titans (LP Field)
Washington Redskins (FedEx Field)

Four teams use something called the DD GrassMaster, which is a natural surface supplemented with the kind of fibers used in artificial surfaces. According to their Web site, and according to NFL Gamebooks, it's considered a natural surface (they claim that only 3% of their entire field is artificial). These fields are essentially grass fields.

Denver Broncos (Invesco Field)
Green Bay Packers (Lambeau Field)
Philadelphia Eagles (Lincoln Financial Field)
Pittsburgh Steelers (Heinz Field)

Synthetic turf

Synthetic turf is a popular choice among NFL clubs for both sporting and financial reasons. It's cheaper to own over the long haul than grass because the upkeep is minimal and the field won't deteriorate, so teams like that aspect of it. But it also makes for a faster surface because players can cut and change direction nicely thanks to its traction, and that's pretty much the case whether it's nice outside or if the weather isn't nice. Only when the weather is downright awful does the turf not do its job. That said, six of the 14 teams that use turf play in domes.

Essentially, the play of the athletes is faster on turf than on grass, and that goes double for skill-position players who have a history of injured legs. Granted, the best players can play on any surface, but those who are coming off of knee surgeries or are older and have worn-down legs tend to play better on the fake stuff than the real stuff.

The one downside to the fake turf is that it can occasionally cause significant injuries just by a player planting his foot the wrong way when changing direction. Many players have suffered leg and knee injuries on routine plays on turf with one such example being Michael Vick's broken fibula in a preseason game in 2003 when he was tackled while his cleat was stuck in the turf.

There are several varieties of turf used in the NFL, but the most prominent is FieldTurf, which is designed to be an enhanced version of AstroTurf with green fibers designed to look and act like grass sewn into a padded surface made up of rubber and sand. Other synthetic surfaces like AstroPlay, Momentum Turf and the latest, SoftTop Turf, are similar to the FieldTurf.

The following teams play on synthetic grass:

FieldTurf
Atlanta Falcons (Georgia Dome)
Cincinnati Bengals (Paul Brown Stadium)
Detroit Lions (Ford Field)
Indianapolis Colts (Lucas Oil Stadium)
Minnesota Vikings (Metrodome)
New England Patriots (Gillette Stadium)
New Orleans Saints (Louisiana Superdome)
New York Giants (Giants Stadium)
New York Jets (Giants Stadium)
St. Louis Rams (Edward Jones Dome)
Seattle Seahawks (Qwest Field)

AstroPlay
Buffalo Bills (Ralph Wilson Stadium)*
*- Bills play on FieldTurf at Rogers Centre in Toronto

Sportexe Momentum Turf
Baltimore Ravens (M&T Bank Stadium)

SoftTop Turf
Dallas Cowboys (Cowboys Stadium)

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