Even though Jaguars’ running back Travis Etienne Jr. had a career day on the artificial surface at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he still prefers playing on grass.
I mean, it”s always better to play on grass than turf,
Etienne told PFT by phone after Sunday”s 25-20 win over the Bills, when asked about the rash of injuries during the game.
I feel like the turf, it kind of doesn”t give as well as the grass give. But man, yeah, you hate to see injuries happen. . . . We’d much rather play on grass but at the end of the day it’s out of our control.
It”s not out of their control, and as more and more players’ make a stink about crappy field conditions (especially at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium), the league at some point will have to listen to the men who have to work on subpar surfaces.
The question is whether the players would ever strike over the issue. Although the current labor deal lasts into the next decade, it”s fair and appropriate for the player to begin making it known that the next time the owners and players gather to talk turkey on terms of the working relationship, the players will be willing to take a stand for real grass.
The Jacksonville Jaguars stopped the surging Buffalo Bills right in their tracks on Sunday, beating Josh Allen and Co. 25-20 in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was the Jags” second game in a row across the pond, also taking down the Atlanta Falcons last weekend at Wembley Stadium. The team spent the entire week in the UK preparing for this Week 5 tilt and according to Travis Etienne that gave them an edge.
I felt like it really created a great edge for us,
Etienne said.
Just knowing how I felt [last Sunday] in the Falcons game, the first game that we had out here and having the whole week out here, just being able to get our bodies adjusted and not having to have that jet lag on us throughout the game. I feel like it played a huge part.
It makes sense, as Jet lag is a real thing when you”re traveling from the States to England considering the time difference.
That might have affected the Bills to a certain extent.
Etienne had a massive game for the Jaguars, rushing for 136 yards on 26 carries including two touchdowns, absolutely torching Buffalo”s run defense. The former Clemson standout had a gut feeling he was going to show out:
I kind of felt like I was going to have a good day this morning,
Etienne said.
Just getting ready for the game, just listening to some music and just hanging around the locker room I kind of felt it was going to be a good day for us and it was going to be my day, honestly.
The Jaguars are now 3-2 and next face the Indianapolis Colts in Week 6, at home in Florida.
