LAS VEGAS — The San Francisco 49ers landed in Las Vegas on Sunday, and they’re trying to get their footing ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
Sources tell CBS Sports some 49ers staffers are not pleased with the practice field at UNLV, where the NFL designated the NFC champion practice during Super Bowl week. At issue, sources say, is the firmness of the natural grass the NFL has laid over UNLV’s artificial turf ahead of the 49ers practicing there.
A 49ers advance group that includes members of the equipment staff and grounds team traveled to Las Vegas last week to check out the facilities. They feel the grass is too soft for the team to practice on, and the team has considered alternatives, sources say.
49ers players and coaches had not yet visited the field, having just arrived in Las Vegas Sunday around 6:30 p.m. local time. They are scheduled for a walkthrough there Monday afternoon.
Sources say this is not a health-and-safety issue as much as it’s simply a preference issue. Sources say the current surface at UNLV meets all NFL, NFL Players Association and independent standards.
Among the tools the league uses to make sure a field is up to code is the “Clegg” test, which measures a field’s firmness. NFL fields have to be at or below 100g (units of gravity) to pass. According to a source, the natural grass at UNLV measures around 50g, whereas the 49ers have a preference around 70g.
The 49ers have three options as it stands Monday ahead of their walkthrough. They can a) go about their business and practice on the field as scheduled; b) bring in new, firmer sod that would, in theory, be ready for practice this week; or c) negotiate with the NFL to practice at the Las Vegas Raiders practice facility where the Chiefs are located this week.
Sources say there have been discussions about the 49ers adjusting their schedule that would allow for them to practice at the Raiders’…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/super-bowl-2024-49ers-unhappy-with-soft-practice-field-in-las-vegas-considering-three-options/
Author : Jonathan Jones
Publish date : 2024-02-05 19:14:05
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