NFL Technology on the Line - jmik58's Blog

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NFL Technology on the Line Stuck

Posted on June 26, 2012 at 10:20 AM.

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The NFL has been the technological innovator of the professional sports world. Officials have instant replay to help correct tough calls. Football players and coaches use video to prepare for opponents and improve their own skills. Analysts break down replays to bring a new dimension of understanding to spectators. And fans are spoiled with instant replay and video on demand that allow us to scrutinize every millisecond of action.

The beauty of the NFL's system is that it has largely grown out of proactive forethought. Instead of living in a reactionary world -- and sometimes still dragging their feet for change ala the MLB -- the NFL has tried to stay one step ahead of problems.

While sports such as baseball subscribe to the good ol' country club days, the NFL has grown in popularity worldwide thanks, in part, to the clarity and efficiency by which the games are played and judged. Football definitely deserves the fans it has cultivated.

The NFL has established a precedent of proactive change and it's time for the next big step. It's time for football to implement goal line technology.

Just last week, the phonetic brother from across the pond, futbol (or soccer), found itself in a bit of a controversy. Ukraine was seemingly robbed of a goal against England in a 2012 Euro Cup contest when replay showed a ball clearly crossed the goal line but was ruled the opposite. While the situation may not resonate with American sports fans, the potential for a similar uh-oh in the NFL is a real possibility.

The truth though, is that it shouldn't be.

Touchdowns in football are acts that are black-and-white in nature. It either is or it isn't. The objective style of a touchdown ruling makes it all the more imperative to be able to come up with a better way of determining what is and isn't a score, especially when an invisible plane is part of the equation.

As far back as 2006, the idea of fiber optic football fields was a real possibility. Imagine being able to flip a switch and the lines on the field change from that of a football field to a soccer pitch. Flip another switch and a sponsor logo appears near mid-field. If fiber optics can be implanted into artificial blades of grass, why not sensors?

If my dog can have a microchip implanted at the base of his neck, why not a football? And speaking of the mut, I can buy a collar-turned-electrocution-necklace for him when he crosses an imaginary line; but a fifty year old running six yards behind a world-class speedster is the most accurate measure of whether a football crosses a conceptual line.

And maybe it's not even necessary. Perhaps we could just use the cameras and instant replay we already have to review such scoring situations. That would be great, if -- if -- the NFL would figure out they need cameras actually on the goal line.

How many times have you witnessed a review of a play with the camera angle coming in from about 15 degrees back from the end zone? Too many times to count. And then we sit there as analysts and commentators stumble over the correct call while viewing an angle that doesn't show the true plane of the goal line.

The NFL has walked a fine late lately off the field. It's time for them to take back the five-inch white stripe that separates winners from losers inside the lines.

How important is the addition of goal line technology in the NFL?

Justin Mikels is a staff writer for Operation Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @long_snapper.

Comments

# 1 AiDub @ Jun 26

I honestly think using some sort of chip in the football that gives you pinpoint location of the ball at a certain time would help tremendously in those goal line situations where you just can't tell because of all the bodies. 2 gray area scenarios would be instantly improved.

1) Those instances where you can see where the elbow or knee hits but the ball is obscured by bodies and/or appendages. If the refs can pinpoint exactly when the knee or elbow hits and compare that time with the chip readout of where the ball is located at that time, they can ACCURATELY determine if it legitimately crossed the plain for a touchdown.

2) In a goal line situation where the running back or quarterback tries to run straight through the line only to be stopped at or above the line, the sensor can determine exactly how far forward the ball went and if it actually crossed the plain.

I'm all for this sort of tech especially if it speeds up the games and gives the most accurate calls that should be made.