![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/new-york-jets-meadowlands-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
New York Jets, Meadowlands, Getty Images<\/p>\n\u201cThey can put a man on the moon, but they can\u2019t grow grass indoors.\u201d Leave it to John Madden to put things so succinctly. <\/p>\n
Those old enough to remember the early 1990s NFC battles between Jimmy Johnson\u2019s Dallas Cowboys and the high-flying San Francisco 49ers recall the stark contrast in the scenes. When played in Dallas, it was tough to judge how hard a game was played by glancing at a player\u2019s jersey. <\/p>\n
That was hardly the case when the game shifted to the West Coast.<\/p>\n
Those Niners-Cowboys battles at Candlestick Park weren\u2019t just gridiron wars that decided the next Super Bowl champion, but they were also picturesque football time capsules. Even now, when watching the games back or by viewing a photo, the muddier the uniform, the better. <\/p>\n
Quick, think fast: Please cite the last time one of your favorite New York Jets players finished a game with his white uniform so sloppy that mama had to use the strong detergent? <\/p>\n
It hardly happens these days. <\/p>\n
Instead, the most unique field-worn items are small rubber balls that fly up from the ground or ping-pong inside a player\u2019s helmet. Yeah, that\u2019s right, we\u2019re referencing field turf, of course. <\/p>\n
The New York Jets\u2019 home, MetLife Stadium, uses field turf. Yet, the Jets haven\u2019t always played on the fake stuff when hosting other NFL teams, and that\u2019s precisely how this football love story unfolds. <\/p>\n
The unexpected grass era: 2000-2002<\/p>\n
Unless you were one of those weirdos, the unexpected grass era of 2000-2002 at The Meadowlands was something of a pleasant surprise for Jets fans. After all, after decades of negative noise, the infamous AstroTurf the Jets had played on for 16 years was anything but pretty. <\/p>\n
Jets fans who turned on the TV on Sunday were greeted with a oddly-bright-green-colored field with a red circle at midfield. It\u2019s tough to guess how many times a son asked his dad, \u201cWhy is the state of New Jersey out there on the football field?\u201d<\/p>\n
New York Jets, Meadowlands, Getty Images<\/p>\n
During the Bill Parcells era, Giants Stadium shifted from the red midfield logo to a more modern version, yet the turf remained intact. That was until an unexpected shift happened in 2000. <\/p>\n
Interestingly, despite some conservatism from the Tuna \u2014 who perhaps became accustomed to the bright-green stuff as headman of the Giants \u2014 the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority pushed the stadium to move to grass. Of the two residing football clubs, the Giants were, by far, more eager to make it happen.<\/p>\n
From that point forward, the likes of Curtis Martin<\/a>, Wayne Chrebet<\/a>, and the pulling center himself, Kevin Mawae, would play on natural grass. Sure, the \u201ctray system,\u201d as it would ultimately be labeled, turned out to be a disaster, but fans everywhere would rejoice. <\/p>\n The Jets would once again play on the stuff the football gods intended them to touch. Finally, the New York Jets would return to their roots, the very same traditional backdrop in front of which the New York Sack Exchange was born.<\/p>\n Meadowlands grass success<\/p>\n Better yet, Jets on-grass success followed. Sure, the disaster that was Bill Belichick bolting for New England stung (two years later), but while Parcells remained in the front office, Al Groh coached the team to a 9-7 record in 2000, while capturing never-say-die victories.<\/p>\n Chrebet\u2019s Green Lantern game against Keyshawn Johnson and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers happened on the road (grass), but the Monday Night Miracle<\/a> surely didn\u2019t. A year later, Herm Edwards\u2019s rookie head coaching season produced 10 wins and a playoff berth.<\/p>\n In 2002, Herm\u2019s \u201cyou play to win the game\u201d speech catapulted a lowly 2-5 team into AFC East champs with a young quarterback leading the way. A feel-good thrashing of the Green Bay Packers in Week 17 clinched it, and a dominating 41-0 playoff win over Peyton Manning\u2019s Indianapolis Colts cemented it. <\/p>\n It was that Colts victory that remains the benchmark. Not only was it the Jets\u2019 last home-field triumph on natural grass, but, to this day, it remains the franchise\u2019s last home playoff game. <\/p>\n All told, the Jets finished with a 28-20 regular season record, two playoff appearances with a 1-2 postseason record, and a divisional title in those three seasons played on grass.<\/p>\n Incredible. Perhaps messy Jets uniforms \u2014 grass stains and mud \u2014 on those uniforms is all Woody Johnson needs these days. <\/p>\n At the end of the day, the Meadowlands transitioned to the revolutionary FieldTurf beginning with the 2003 season. Unfortunately, the tray system was too much of a hassle, similar to using natural grass in this area of the Northeast.<\/p>\n It was AstroTurf for the Jets for 16 years before the grass movement of 2000. That big red circular logo proudly displayed the geographical state of New Jersey for both the Jets and the Giants, who still called themselves \u201cNew York.\u201d<\/p>\n While the Giants left New York for the Meadowlands in 1976, the Jets hadn\u2019t done so until 1984. Before that, it was a grass haven for all Jets players and their New York-located fans.<\/p>\n The Jets\u2019 roots: 1960-1983<\/p>\n![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ny-jets-colts-2002-playoffs-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, 2002 Playoffs, Getty Images<\/p>\n
![\"New](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ny-jets-raiders-1968-afl-championship-1024x576.jpg\"\/)
New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, 1968 AFL Championship Game, Getty Images<\/p>\n