Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers dissatisfied with UNLV practice field ahead of their Super Bowl game against the Chiefs

The 49ers will be taking on the Chiefs in the Super Bowl LVIII.

Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers dissatisfied with UNLV practice field ahead of their Super Bowl game against the Chiefs

Kyle Shanahan (Via Imago)

Just days ahead of the Super Bowl game, both the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers have arrived in Vegas to begin their practice sessions for the big game. However, the Kyle Shanahan-led Niners are a bit dissatisfied with their practice field at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

According to a report from CBS Sports, Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers are currently exploring alternative options to practice since they are unhappy with their current one. The issue is the firmness of the natural grass the league has laid over UNLV’s artificial turf.

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Per reports, it is not a safety concern for the Niners but more of a preference. The current UNLV field meets all NFL, NFLPA, and independent standards when it comes to safety level. But the issue is how the practice field feels for the Niners.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the 49ers aren’t happy with the practice field since “there are seams on the practice field and it feels like they’re practicing on a sponge surface.”

Now, they reportedly tried negotiating with the league to practice in the Las Vegas Raiders facility, where the Chiefs will be practicing, since they are the home team this year. Furthermore, CBS also reported that there were talks inside the league about the Niners adjusting their schedule that would make it possible for them to practice at the Raiders facility.

But, in the end, the Niners did not get that leverage and they ended up having to conduct their practice sessions on the UNLV field. Last year, the Chiefs were the away team, and they had to practice at the Arizona State University stadium, while the Philadelphia Eagles practiced at the Arizona Cardinals‘ facility.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan not worried about the soft field

During the Super Bowl opening night on Monday, the 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked about the issue with the UNLV practice field. Shanahan said that they would not alter their schedule because of the field.

Kyle Shanahan
Kyle Shanahan (Via Imago)
It is what it is. We'll be all right. It's the field we got. We're good. We're not going to completely change our schedule and do something crazy. We'll deal with what we got.
Kyle Shanahan told the reporters

Moreover, the Niners players also don’t want to make it a bigger issue. They will continue to practice on the UNLV field for their big game.

Nonetheless, Super Bowl week has officially started. For the next few days, both team’s players will work hard to be able to compete in the highly-anticipated game which is scheduled to take place on February 11.

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