micah-parsons-usatsi-cowboys.jpg
USATSI

FRISCO, Texas --  In light of New York Jets future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers' season-ending, torn Achilles tendon injury on "Monday Night Football" while playing on MetLife Stadium's artificial turf, players around loudly expressed their stance that every NFL field should be natural grass. Rodgers' former Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari, who has dealt with knee injuries during his career, felt the field's playing surface played a significant role in his friend's injury. 

The All-Pro Kelce brothers, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis, also expressed their support for all natural grass fields after Rodgers' injury on their "New Heights Show" podcast. New NFL Players' Association executive director Lloyd Howell also urged all NFL venues to make the switch to grass fields. 

Cowboys two-time First-Team All-Pro linebacker Micah Parsons possesses a dissenting opinion from a few of his teammates and others who have spoken out about the grass vs. turf debate. 

"At the end of the day growing up, I never said 'we have rocks on the field, am I not going to play?'" Parsons said Thursday. "Honestly, it is what it is. I'm going out there getting paid to do a job. I'm not worried about the conditions of the field. It could be raining, it could be snowing. You're getting paid to do a job and perform. If something happens to me, it's supposed to happen. I'm not saying it shouldn't happen because of this [the field surface]. I live by faith, not by sight. It is what it is. I'm going to play on what I got."

The 24-year-old Parsons then admitted he would even play on concrete if he needed to. 

For two of the Cowboys' top offensive leaders, their playing surface preference was made clear in favor of natural grass. However, AT&T Stadium, their home in Arlington, Texas, utilizes artificial turf. 

"Grass," Dallas Cowboys 2022 Second-Team All-Pro, 24-year-old wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said Thursday when asked about his preferred playing surface. "That's it. Grass. [However,] I can't tell Jerry nothing. We need grass, it's that simple. Look at the history of the game, we're not getting any faster. We all work out and do what we have to do, but that grass feels better on us."

For quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered a season-ending fractured ankle in Week 5 of the 2020 season against the Giants on the AT&T Stadium turf, not only would he prefer grass, but he adamantly believes in the standardization of natural grass across the league for the good of the game. 

"Yeah, I'm 100% a grass guy," the 30-year-old Prescott said Thursday. "My injury plays a huge part in that. Secondly, I'm not fast, so turf doesn't make me fast one way or another. If you're fast, you're fast. You're going to be fast on hardwood, turf, grass, whatever it is. So if you're not, you're not. I know how physical the game is, how guys are getting tackled, it's a whole lot safer, in my opinion, on grass than it is turf."

Currently, the different NFL stadiums that utilize turf don't even surface their fields with the same type of turf, making road games for players somewhat of an equipment guessing game week-to-week. Prescott feels eliminating as many variables from a football's game location would allow for the league to truly see which team is best on any given Sunday. 

"I do [think it should be standardized]," Prescott said. "Obviously, we don't like turf and don't want it to be turf, but just say that it was all turf, that's hard on our bodies, hard on the way we prepare. Just trying to figure out what the different surfaces are, in the past we have had all different kinds of turf. I've gone into the games wondering if I could wear my turf shoes or turf cleats. Just understanding the product you're putting out there. We want the best product. I'm not always the guy to ask, I'm biased, but I'd say play [natural] grass and indoors every single time. This is a billion-dollar business and you want the best product on the field every time. So take the weather, take all that stuff out of it and let's see who is better."