It looks like the NFL is eliminating chains and chain gang, switching to digital. If it works, I'd imagine it will trickle down to college
FOOTBALL Thoughts on the possibility of no chain gang in college ball?
- Thread starter Matt Dossett
- Start date
I'm not enthused about the increased automation in all sports.
Where is the endpoint here - like, is the future microchips in every piece of equipment and every ball and lasers all over the field and every play analyzed by computers to look for every millimeter of this or that. Then, they can stop after every play to show you commercials.
As I get older, I feel like we start to take this stuff way WAY too seriously. I get instant replay to make sure if a guy fumbles or a ball hits the ground or a dude steps on a line, or something that's 100% objective, but ultimately, the refs/umpires/judges are just humans. You're not going to die if your team loses on a judgement call. In 2 years, you won't even remember it.
I was watching a soccer game a few weeks ago, and it was super intense at the end of the game, and one of the teams scored a goal and the players went nuts, and the fans went nuts, and it was crazy fun - it's what sports was all about. They pulled out instant replay, went back 15 seconds to a guy at the other end of the field where some judge with a video camera didn't like the way one guy bumped another guy (neither of which was anywhere near the goal or involved in the play at all) and called a "retroactive" foul and took the goal away....after sitting through 10 minutes of them trying to decide whether or not the goal stood. Instead of heartpounding excitement watching two teams play, you were standing there watching 2 guys stare at a monitor waiting to see if they would give the guy a goal or not. It's gotten so bad in soccer that, after every goal, people just stand around wondering if the Video Ref is going to count it or not.
I like the chain gang. I don't see the efficiency here - refs are still spotting the ball by judgement - who's to say where the ball really lies when it's at the bottom of a scrum? Pull the chain, stick the card in if it's close, and there you go. No need to overcomplicate it. Personally, I'd trust a chain i can see more than a computer working in the background telling the ref what to do..
Unless we're headed to the aforementioned microchipped ball, where they have to stop after every play to make sure exactly this or that - "No no, a little to the left, now one millimeter to the right, just a hair back to the left.....now enjoy a word from our sponsors while we finish spotting the ball"
Where is the endpoint here - like, is the future microchips in every piece of equipment and every ball and lasers all over the field and every play analyzed by computers to look for every millimeter of this or that. Then, they can stop after every play to show you commercials.
As I get older, I feel like we start to take this stuff way WAY too seriously. I get instant replay to make sure if a guy fumbles or a ball hits the ground or a dude steps on a line, or something that's 100% objective, but ultimately, the refs/umpires/judges are just humans. You're not going to die if your team loses on a judgement call. In 2 years, you won't even remember it.
I was watching a soccer game a few weeks ago, and it was super intense at the end of the game, and one of the teams scored a goal and the players went nuts, and the fans went nuts, and it was crazy fun - it's what sports was all about. They pulled out instant replay, went back 15 seconds to a guy at the other end of the field where some judge with a video camera didn't like the way one guy bumped another guy (neither of which was anywhere near the goal or involved in the play at all) and called a "retroactive" foul and took the goal away....after sitting through 10 minutes of them trying to decide whether or not the goal stood. Instead of heartpounding excitement watching two teams play, you were standing there watching 2 guys stare at a monitor waiting to see if they would give the guy a goal or not. It's gotten so bad in soccer that, after every goal, people just stand around wondering if the Video Ref is going to count it or not.
I like the chain gang. I don't see the efficiency here - refs are still spotting the ball by judgement - who's to say where the ball really lies when it's at the bottom of a scrum? Pull the chain, stick the card in if it's close, and there you go. No need to overcomplicate it. Personally, I'd trust a chain i can see more than a computer working in the background telling the ref what to do..
Unless we're headed to the aforementioned microchipped ball, where they have to stop after every play to make sure exactly this or that - "No no, a little to the left, now one millimeter to the right, just a hair back to the left.....now enjoy a word from our sponsors while we finish spotting the ball"
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Not in opposition to changes that effectively shorten the time length of a game. However, I always felt chain gangs were efficient in their timeliness & never caused an unusually long wait to a games flow.
Truth be told I always liked the dramatic factor of a (human) chain gang stretching the chains while the fans awaited the call on an important 4th & inches. That fan anticipation of seeing the chains stretch at a possible game changing moment will be lost to new tech. And once again I never felt the gangs took that much time anyway.
Put me as a thumbs down on the artificial world needlessly encroaching on something better left to fun old school human technology.
Truth be told I always liked the dramatic factor of a (human) chain gang stretching the chains while the fans awaited the call on an important 4th & inches. That fan anticipation of seeing the chains stretch at a possible game changing moment will be lost to new tech. And once again I never felt the gangs took that much time anyway.
Put me as a thumbs down on the artificial world needlessly encroaching on something better left to fun old school human technology.
So I assume they will still have markers? I personally don't see the benefit for downs. So much of the ball placement is a ref's judgement call anyway, especially after a giant mele pile.
Now for TDs, absolutely. I'd be for sensors at the goal line and a chip in the ball as that is a specific line to cross. Then you just find that point in time when the ball crosses and see if the player is down or not.
But for standard downs, I think it is a bit much.
Now for TDs, absolutely. I'd be for sensors at the goal line and a chip in the ball as that is a specific line to cross. Then you just find that point in time when the ball crosses and see if the player is down or not.
But for standard downs, I think it is a bit much.
I agree with you on most topics. This is another one we agree on.
Or from players perspective, the anticipation of seeing the players watching the chain stretch on those key 4th down plays will be gone.
Good idea concerning goal line sensor with Chip in the ball, but still prefer chains for regular downs.
It may not be too far of a stretch to say smart football's are inevitable.
There will have to be some common sense applied to ball placement after a play ends. In other words, if the ball is spotted six inches from where the play actually ended as determined be electrons not really a big deal. Centers move the ball that much when that take it at the line of scrimmage.
But it is a matter of time before balls can electronically submit whether the line to gain or the endzone plane were reached. The bigger issue is going to be what happens when the tech fails or goes offline for whatever reason.
There will have to be some common sense applied to ball placement after a play ends. In other words, if the ball is spotted six inches from where the play actually ended as determined be electrons not really a big deal. Centers move the ball that much when that take it at the line of scrimmage.
But it is a matter of time before balls can electronically submit whether the line to gain or the endzone plane were reached. The bigger issue is going to be what happens when the tech fails or goes offline for whatever reason.
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