NFL considers in-stadium first-down line technology

[CGI_Ram]

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/88704 ... y-stadiums

BALTIMORE -- Fans watching NFL games on television have grown accustomed to the imaginary yellow line that runs across the field in accord with the first-down marker.

That first-down line could become part of the in-game experience at all 32 NFL stadiums.

Alan Amron, with financial backing from former NFL player and broadcaster Pat Summerall, has developed the First Down Laser System. Amron says the system projects a first-down line across the field that can be seen in the stadium and on TV.

Amron, an entrepreneur and concept promoter, first met with the NFL in 2003 and again in 2009. There may be future meetings soon.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says, "We have not been convinced that it would work for us, but we are open to further discussion after the season."

 

[-X-]

An actual laser shooting across the field? That you can see with the naked eye?

Uhm... yeah. I dunno about all that.
What happens if a player hits the turf in line-sight with that laser and looks directly at it?

 

[bluecoconuts]

If they perfect it and get it to work that would be cool. But it would need to be exact, down to the inch.

 

[Username]

Doesn't matter if the refs you have still suck balls at spotting the ball

 

[Angry Ram]

Ruins the game IMO...now players have a free pass of not knowing where the 1st is. Awareness goes down.

 

[Ramhusker]

Yeah, and the home cooking will grow with the spots. Sounds cool, but don't like it.

 

[Selassie I]

It certainly would make a big difference for fans at the game.

Its very hard to tell where the 1st down actually is sometimes at games. Where your seats are located can really make it a challenge.

I think it would be a dramatic improvement for the fans attending the game.

It would benefit players as well,,, sometimes locating the orange hash on the sideline is impossible due to the defender's angle. It helps both O and D really.

Certainly couldn't hurt the zebras either,,, and they can use all the help they can get.

It would also benefit coaches who might consider challenging a spot.

 

[BuiltRamTough]

An actual laser shooting across the field? That you can see with the naked eye?

Uhm... yeah. I dunno about all that.
What happens if a player hits the turf in line-sight with that laser and looks directly at it?

Lol he's then superman

 

[PowayRamFan]

I, personally think the ball carrier should know where the line is.

The fans can just watch the ref signal the first down.

What I've been waiting for (for years and years) is some first down technology. Why can't the NFL take some of that 9 billion dollars and figure out a way get the ridiculous referee spotting out of the equation?

Something like a computer chip inside the ball that trips a sensor when the first down is reached. Doesn't sound too complicated and it would take the human error out of spotting the ball. The line judges get these calls wrong all the time. Watch any game and you'll see the line judge try to run STRAIGHT out to the downed ballcarrier only to fail either by other players getting in the way, or by just not running straight on the determined line.

In a game of inches, this is huge.

Just can't believe, with all the hudreds of contoversial spots over the years, they haven't addressed it.

 

[Angry Ram]

I don't even have a problem with the spots. Refs screwing up things like roughing the passer or holding, or PI is one thing, but if your team can't get a few inches...well I'm sorry but that's pretty sad. This also takes away from defenses. I'm tired of football trying to be made pretty with stats or trying to make players think less. It's dumb. Football is an ugly game.

 

[Psycho_X]

What happens if a player hits the turf in line-sight with that laser and looks directly at it?

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J59sB1me5H4[/youtube]

 

[Ram Quixote]

Ruins the game IMO...now players have a free pass of not knowing where the 1st is. Awareness goes down.

I don't have a problem with making the first down line visible to the fans at the stadium but not on the actual field. I still want to see players fighting for/against the first down, without the visible aid.

The only first down tech I want to see is one that makes every spot a breeze. That'll involve some nanotech on the football and the field. Specialized, synthetic grass? How do you handle things like forward progress, especially when a player breaks free of a tackle and loses ground before being tackled? Lotsa software involved to make that happen.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Ruins the game IMO...now players have a free pass of not knowing where the 1st is. Awareness goes down.

I don't have a problem with making the first down line visible to the fans at the stadium but not on the actual field. I still want to see players fighting for/against the first down, without the visible aid.

The only first down tech I want to see is one that makes every spot a breeze. That'll involve some nanotech on the football and the field. Specialized, synthetic grass? How do you handle things like forward progress, especially when a player breaks free of a tackle and loses ground before being tackled? Lotsa software involved to make that happen.

Some day this will happen. Attaching sensors to the ball is doable today, just needs to be integrated into the playing surfaces.

Doable.

Some day.

 

[LesBaker]

An actual laser shooting across the field? That you can see with the naked eye?

Uhm... yeah. I dunno about all that.
What happens if a player hits the turf in line-sight with that laser and looks directly at it?

He becomes blind. So then they take him out of pads and put him in stripes.

 

[-X-]

An actual laser shooting across the field? That you can see with the naked eye?

Uhm... yeah. I dunno about all that.
What happens if a player hits the turf in line-sight with that laser and looks directly at it?

He becomes blind. So then they take him out of pads and put him in stripes.

Nicely done. :sly: