The San Francisco 49ers are allegedly facing a minor obstacle as they get ready for their Super Bowl LVIII matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
As stated by Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports, “some 49ers staffers are not pleased” with UNLV’s practice field, where the team will be practicing this week.
Despite the surface being softer than the 49ers were accustomed to, Commissioner Roger Goodell informed reporters that it had been authorized unanimously, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Prior to the 49ers coming to Las Vegas, Jones stated that the main problem “is the firmness of the natural grass the NFL has laid over UNLV’s artificial turf”. The grounds crew and equipment personnel from San Francisco visited the facilities last week in preparation for this week’s practice, and they reported that they “feel the grass is too soft for the team to practice on.”
Although they haven’t yet visited the field, 49ers coaches and players are expected to conduct a walkthrough on Monday afternoon. Jones continued by saying that the group has already outlined the three possibilities and taken into account alternatives.
“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,” Jones said.
According to reports, San Francisco has also talked about changing its practice schedule to allow them to use the Raiders facilities while Kansas City isn’t present. Nevertheless, insiders told Jones that “the most likely scenario is thatSan Francisco is still a UNLV student.
In the NFL, playing surfaces have long been a problem because of the players’ danger of injury. The Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles had issues with the Super Bowl LVII field at State Farm Stadium last season.
The league is hopeful that Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium won’t have the same problems.
