The Minnesota Vikings beatdown on the New York Giants, in week one of their 2024 schedule, behind an impressive debut in purple by former No. 3 overall pick, Sam Darnold. Watching from a remote location was the Vikings 2024 1st round pick, JJ McCarthy, recovering from season-ending knee surgery.
As expected, McCarthy has taken his injury in stride. He can be seen, daily, roaming around TCO Performance Center in a scooter, trying to continue building relationships with coaches and teammates, even though he can’t be on the field with them.
But behind the scenes, those around the 21-year-old Michigan man have some questions. Mostly, they wonder how exactly he tore his meniscus vs the Las Vegas Raiders, in a preseason matchup at U.S. Bank Stadium on August 10.
JJ McCarthy’s people question U.S. Bank Stadium turf
Remember, we still do not have the slightest idea when McCarthy’s knee turned bad, that August evening. Even JJ did not know it was injured until the next day, while walking down a flight of stairs.
According to Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP) — who recently blocked us on Twitter because he didn’t like one of our headlines — JJ McCarthy’s people are skeptical of the U.S. Bank Stadium turf, and wonder if it had anything to do with the would-be rookie’s lost season.
Doogie also wonders if being on artificial turf Sunday could play into the Vikings’ decision on whether or not to play Jordan Addison, who is dealing with another ankle injury.
“I think it’ll be a surprise if Addison is out there on Sunday, plus I don’t know if the Vikings think about this, but I’ve thought about this. It’s the new turf at US Bank Stadium. I will tell you, there are still people, I know, close to JJ McCarthy — it’s more than one [person] — who just opine, they wonder, the new turf at US Bank [Stadium], did it have anything to do [with his injury]?
I guess we’ll never know. We’ll never know the answer. But did it have anything to do with JJ’s knee injury? So, I don’t know if that’s in the back of the Vikings minds, or the front of their minds, when thinking about Addison, his ankle, that new turf at US Bank Stadium… you just, you start adding all of it together, I just don’t think [Addison] plays on Sunday.
Darren Wolfson – Mackey & Judd (SKOR North)
Minnesota Vikings just laid new turf at The Bank
So, here’s the thing. Not everyone is up-to-date on all the latest artificial turf news, around the major Minnesota sports world, but we are. And the Vikings just spent the entire spring installing brand new, state-of-the-art turf in U.S. Bank Stadium, because they were told the old stuff was bad for player injuries…
Now, apparently, that’s still not good enough. Not only do JJ McCarthy’s people think this new turf may have played a role in his knee injury, but there are still questions surrounding when to insert injured players back into the lineup, because of the new turf.
Look, I know this isn’t going to happen next offseason. Nonetheless, it’s time for the Minnesota Vikings — and whatever other powers that be — to start putting a real grass plan together for U.S. Bank Stadium.
It has the window roof, so sunlight wouldn’t be a problem. Obviously, there is a lot more in play than just sunlight. Not only would a grass field need watering, not to mention other daily maintenance that turf doesn’t require, but it would also cause major logistical issues, when trying to use the stadium for anything other than football.
But come on, this is 2024, and the Vikings are a multi-billion dollar company. These are problems that can be solved with brain power and cash. If the organization wants to squash all concerns of artificial turf injuries, a real grass field seems inevitable, eventually.
