Indianapolis, IN (February 25, 2011) – Over the next few days, the eyes of the most important people in professional football will be on Lucas Oil Stadium’s FieldTurf as coaches, general managers and scouts will watch the hottest prospects perform at the NFL Combine.
Once again, the FieldTurf system at the home of the Indianapolis Colts will be grounds to the event. Since 2006, the NFL has always selected FieldTurf as the surface for the Combine. Before then, players complained that their running times were slow because of the previously installed AstroTurf. The problem was rectified when FieldTurf was installed at the The RCA Dome. Then in 2008, when the Colts opted once again for FieldTurf for their new Lucas Oil Stadium, the NFL followed suit with the Combine.
The crown event of the week will be the 40-yard dash. Long known for its superior performance, the state-of-the-art FieldTurf surface has allowed prospects to achieve their fastest 40-times. Here are the top ten best times from the past 10 years:
4.21 - *Trindon Holliday, WR, LSU - 2010
4.22 - *Jacoby Ford, WR, Clemson - 2010
4.24 - *Chris Johnson, RB, East Carolina - 2008
4.25 - *Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland - 2009
4.26 - Jerome Mathis, WR, Hampton - 2005
4.27 - *C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson - 2010
4.27 - Stanford Routt, CB, Houston - 2005
4.28 - *Mike Wallace, WR, Ole Miss - 2009
4.29 - *Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Tennessee State - 2008
4.29 - Fabian Washington, CB, Nebraska - 2005
4.29 - *Johnny Knox, WR, Abilene Christian - 2009
*Ran 40-yard dash on FieldTurf
Lucas Oil Stadium will also play host to the next Super Bowl 2012.
As well, in a recent NFLPA survey, the FieldTurf system in Indianapolis was voted as the best artificial turf surface in the NFL, marking the tenth year in a row players have selected a FieldTurf field for the top rank.
