You will not hear the sound of the men working on the chain gang at NFL games this year, unless something goes wrong. Instead, you will see the league’s new Hawkeye tech, which determines precise ball placement on the field.
Fans got their first look at the NFL’s latest foray into the world of high-tech on Thursday night, when the system was used in the Hall of Fame game between the Lions and the Chargers.
“Sony’s Hawk-Eye virtual measurement technology will serve as an efficient alternative to the process of walking chains onto the field and manually measuring whether 10 yards have been met after the official has spotted the ball,” The NFL said. “The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity.”
How will the Hawkeye tech serve as an “efficient alternative?”
The system works by using six 8K cameras to determine the ball’s position on the field.
For those insisting that the Hawkeye tech is a direct response to the controversy from last year’s AFC Championship Game, where Buffalo’s Josh Allen was spotted short of the line-to-gain on a crucial play, which likely won the game for the Chiefs, that’s not true.
The Hawkeye system only measures the exact placement of the first down marker. It has no bearing on where the officials spot the ball. That problem could have easily been solved by following the lead of major soccer leagues, tennis associations, and other professional sports, by putting a sensor in the ball that would tell officials exactly how far the ball was advanced on a given play.
Why the NFL hasn’t embraced that technology remains a mystery.
For their part, fans remain unconvinced as to the Hawkeye system’s effectiveness.
“This is going to decide so many games,” one fan wrote. “This is awful.”
Another opined, “The NFL is so dated. I’ve said for years they should be using laser system for everything. It is not that hard. Even the field goal post should be a laser barrier, if the ball passes through the beam, it’s a FG, no more bad calls. Even this virtual first down will not work. Just use a laser system. If the ball passes through it, it’s a first down. This isn’t new technology we’re use this to build roads and buildings. lol”
“Your refs are gonna have to really work to screw it up now,” wrote another.
The Chargers defeated the Lions 34-7 on Thursday night.
