NFL testing new tech to replace referee action

The NFL preseason is a time for teams and players to try out new looks, and the NFL will be doing its own experimentation, testing a new automated first-down measurement system.

The league will use Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology in some preseason games. The tech is not expected to be ready for this season, but the testing could help answer questions and troubleshoot issues to prepare the system for next year.

“We’re in the installation phase for all of our stadiums, really getting them calibrated and up to date,” NFL senior vice president and chief information officer Gary Brantley told the AP . “We’re just really getting to a place where this system is as accurate as possible and really calibrating across our multiple stadiums. … We have multiple stadiums with multiple dimensions inside of those stadiums with different age. So, we’re really just going through the installation of putting in the infrastructure and making sure these cameras are installed.”

Sony’s new technology utilizes cameras to track officials, players and the ball. Officials would still place the ball by hand, but the system would notify officials when the first-down line has been crossed.

Such a move has seemed inevitable for years, much like MLB’s eventual adoption of an automated strike zone. Officials are expected to maintain the traditional chain-and-sticks measurement as a backup.

If such a technology seems a slight reach at the moment, a similar system is already being used by the UFL, and has been previously explored by the NFL.

[ USAToday.com ]

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