NFL Season Is Here, Plus Sideline Tablets Too

The NFL is slowly embracing technology on the field. This Sunday, during the Hall of Fame game, the introduction of tablets were made. The use of tablets is supposed to ease the process in which coaches and players view plays.

Normally, there’s an automated camera that snap photos of plays throughout the duration of the game. That snapshot would then be transmitted to a printer on the sideline. The printed sheet would then be given to a quarterback, for example, for him to view what may have went wrong during that last play.

Now, the implementation of tablets will allow photographed plays to be sent to the teams much faster and with more clarity.

The tablets won’t exactly be running the most cutting-edge apps. The devices will replicate the old system of transmitting still photos to the field – but faster, clearer and in color.

No surfing the Web. No selfies or tweets. And more important from a football standpoint: no watching replays of the last snap. (Source: AP)

During Sunday’s game, however, there were a few glitches.  In time, Microsoft is expected to fix the issues. As for the security aspect, each tablet will be monitored heavily and only issued to those who need it.

The specialized tablets come in a protective case with an attached grip to make holding it easier. There will be 13 on each sideline and another 12 in the coaches’ box. Other than that, the only people on the sideline allowed to carry digital devices are the medical staff.

Players and coaches can zoom in on each photo and write on it, either with their finger or an attached stylus.

To read the opinions of the coaches on how they feel about this new technology, click here.

Photo Credit: DigitalTrends.com