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LAS VEGAS – Perhaps ultra-swaggering dynamo receiver Deebo Samuel could set the record straight about the practice field conditions the San Francisco 49ers will have to address this week at UNLV.
As it turns out, the coverage leading up to Super Bowl 58 wasn’t all that good.
“Ask Kyle,” Samuel said Monday night during a kickoff media session inside Allegiant Stadium.
That would be 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who asked a similar question from a podium a few yards away.
“Ask Devo,” Shanahan said.
Super Bowl Central: The latest news, stats, odds, matchups and more for Super Bowl 58.
CBS’ Jonathan Jones reports that the 49ers were dissatisfied with their practice field because it didn’t have enough hardness after the NFL installed two natural grass fields on top of an artificial turf field. After that, the question seemed quite valid. The 49ers’ logistics team, including equipment and grounds staff, initially expressed concerns during a visit to UNLV last week, followed by a visit from general manager John Lynch. The 49ers held a light walk-through session on the field on Monday, and the team appears to have determined there is no viable alternative and will hold a full practice on Wednesday.
By Monday night, the 49ers had essentially resolved the issue. we think.
“That’s not the case,” Shanahan declared. “The players did well today and will do well Wednesday as well.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed the concerns during a press conference Monday afternoon, insisting the field was “very playable” and had passed testing to meet minimum standards, but said the field was “very playable” and had passed testing to meet minimum standards. The Kansas City Chiefs are currently practicing, but that option has been raised as a possibility.
But that didn’t seem to be the case with Goodell. He was a staunch advocate of field quality.
“We have 23 experts,” Goodell said. “We had a union. They all think it’s a very playable surface. It’s softer than the surface we’ve been practicing on, but that happens. It’s well within all our testing standards. That’s what we think — that’s what we all think.” Our experts and neutral field inspectors all agree that this is a playable field. ”
NFL Players Association (NFLPA) officials contacted by USA TODAY Sports had no comment, but the organization will only address the issue publicly on Wednesday when new executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. holds his first press conference since replacing DeMaurice. He insisted on taking it away. Smith. The NFLPA has adamantly raised concerns about risks to on-field quality and safety in recent years.
In this case, the 49ers’ major beef comes a year after criticism surfaced regarding the condition of the game-day field used for Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Measurable. According to Jones’ report, the 49ers prefer a field with a hardness of 70 g (gravity units), compared to the 50 g hardness measured at UNLV’s practice field. Without a surface installed between the grass and artificial turf, the field was described as “spongy.”
Perhaps the solution comes by raising standards. Either way, the 49ers are resigned to accepting it as is.
“We’re going to deal with what we have,” Shanahan said. “It’s okay. I have no intention of changing my plans.”
Imagine the chaos that would ensue if the 49ers had to modify their practice schedule due to poor fielding. Talk about the need to limit distractions. Changing practice locations at this point would have been a logistical nightmare.
NFL optics could have been even worse. It would have been extremely embarrassing if one of the teams participating in the NFL’s signature event had had to find an alternate practice location.
please think about it. A league worth billions of dollars can’t even secure a suitable practice field for its showcase event?
With the 49ers dropping the issue, it now appears to be a hypothetical question. It’s unclear whether the 49ers were pressured by the league to make the move, but it seems clear the NFL avoided any embarrassing drama.
Shanahan said he’s “not worried at all” about the stadium situation. “It’s getting better every day.”
Perhaps George Kittle, the thoughtful and talkative 49ers tight end, can provide the straight scoop.
Or maybe there’s no headline.
“I’m playing football in February. I have nothing to complain about,” Kittle said from the podium Monday night. “I’m in Las Vegas playing another week of football with my teammates in the Super Bowl. There’s only two teams doing that. I’m not going to complain. It’s no problem for me. ”
Then again, where is Allen Iverson when you really want him talking about practice?
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