Comments on: NFL exploring putting computer chips in footballs

By: Bious

Bious — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:15:32 +0000

Any way to get the call right should be applied…PERIOD
This idea of not getting the call right = The way it has always been done thus should be continued…..is absolutely idiotic in every way
No, just because it was wrong in the past doesn’t mean it should continue being wrong
GET…IT…RIGHT

By: edgy

edgy — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:46:58 +0000

I think that where it would help best are phantom field goals.

By: Ripp

Ripp — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 05:46:38 +0000

Someone earlier said that most of the problem is knowing if the player was down or not before crossing the goal line and he is right.
Someone else pointed out that there could be chips in the players knees. That is a horrible idea. Players get scalped enough. I highly doubt that they would want to get scalped to place a computer chip in their body. The other thing is that players don’t always land on their knees when being tackled. They can land on their side on fall backwards on their butt where their knee would not make contact with the ground. So that means they would need some kind of sensor from the waist to just below their knee. That would be costly.
It is best that the game just stays the way it is so that fans have a excuse to why their teams lost just like that steelers fan. I think every fan could think of a game where their team got robbed by a bad call. Its over, stop being a baby and get over it!

By: Thatsdoinit

Thatsdoinit — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:33:50 +0000

They tried something like this with the NHL. Remember the FoxTrax hockey puck?
Terrible idea.

By: Dont Taze Me Bro

Dont Taze Me Bro — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:14:09 +0000

The company has been testing it in soccer for 2 years but nobody has scored a goal yet so they don’t know if it works.

By: trixstal

trixstal — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:01:59 +0000

If you do this; The ball should light up if it crosses the plane. Give us some type of visual.
One chip at each end of the ball, and one chip implanted on each of the four panels that protrudes the furthest on the belly of the ball.
Done! Now, no more whining!

By: trixstal

trixstal — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:01:21 +0000

By: smo05d

smo05d — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:17:22 +0000

About time!

By: football genius

football genius — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:07:10 +0000

Get it done now!

By: snyder please sell the skins

snyder please sell the skins — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 22:02:36 +0000

i think its a good idea. of course it wont help in every situation but if it lets you know exactly when the ball crosses you can see if the knee has touched yet (if visable). And i don’t think it would have a siren like hockey, but maybe a light in the background, like basketball shot clocks have in the backboard. if it helps solve one call, say in the playoffs or even the superbowl then everyone will praise the new chip. and honestly, how much can it cost? the nfl has tons of cash to blow.

By: phuckphilly

phuckphilly — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:56:34 +0000

The Pats will hack into it and cheat some how…

By: Little Tommy

Little Tommy — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:34:31 +0000

Great…we can have TV timeouts, instant reply and now a computer verification of where in the hell the football is. Throw in another round of commercials while the zebras consult the computer chip.
Maybe we can get a game to last 4 freakin hours.

By: robert ethen

robert ethen — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:33:48 +0000

NFL think it’s a bit odd that a former SS officer and long time POW would be designing and installing the computer chips, but he seems to know what he’s doing.

By: Jagmankane

Jagmankane — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:24:34 +0000

This is ridiculous. Why even have refs at all? We can put instruments in the pads and unis so if someone gets hits to hard a buzzer sounds. And if the ball is fumbled it can blink or glow. And we can put spikes on the sidelines so if someone really steps out, oh yeah, we’ll know for sure. And while we’re at it, lets install cameras in the helmets.
WHY DONT WE JUST HAVE ROBOTS PLAY FOOTBALL???!!! YEAHH!!!!
Instant replay and shit like THIS BS are ruining American Football.

By: BCGreg

BCGreg — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:05:59 +0000

I know this doesn’t have anything to do with the ball breaking the plane of the endzone, but you would think that in a game where instant replay is used that they’d implement standard camera angles at ALL NFL stadiums.
You’d need 12 standard angle cameras–6 in each endzone. Two facing each other looking down the goal line. Two facing each other looking down the end line. And one looking down each sideline. With theses 12 cameras along with the regular network cameras, the field should be covered. But, the 12 cameras completely cover the endzone along with the one that sits on the cross bar of the goal post.
I hate when they try to look down the sideline from the elevated end zone camera that’s in the middle of the endzone. It’s the wrong angle. The NFL gets caught too often with poor angle replays. Even when you see the goal line camera they use now, it’s NOT on the goal line. It’s on the 1 or 2 yard line. They make enough money to outfit each stadium with enough cameras.

By: TuckRule

TuckRule — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:04:25 +0000

I believe to keep things simple a small patch of duct tape will do the job to keep the chip in place. Simple solution. What’s happening to this sport anyway. It’s only a game just like it was when the great ones played it without replays and the sophistication.

By: Brian Sipe

Brian Sipe — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:03:06 +0000

First chips in pets, now footballs. Humans are right around a corner………..

By: GiantSquid

GiantSquid — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:02:02 +0000

The chips are there so they can find the ball after Farve starts chucking them around

By: Vegasvikingfan

Vegasvikingfan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:58:38 +0000

Now we can retrieve all those balls that the fans take home….

By: timegambit

timegambit — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:43:39 +0000

I say they play on a glass field so we can see what’s going on from below.
Change the cleats to moon-boots for safety and absolutely no jumping up and down.
This will take some adjustment, but I think we would all be happier down the road.

By: SeriousRadio

SeriousRadio — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:41:49 +0000

I didn’t realize that a soccer ball must be all the way past the goal line to count as a goal. Of course, in practice there must be very very few instances where the ball is stopped by the keeper only partially across the goalline, but I assume it has happened on a deflection – partially in but then knocked out. Or like the World Cup goal that hit the cross bar and deflected straight down. It seems easier to just rule that any part of the ball across the goal line counts as a goal.

By: dabbflappy

dabbflappy — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:31:26 +0000

Where do you put the chip on an ellipsoidal ball?
That’s a lot of ground to cover, since any part of the ball over the line counts as a TD.
Pretty much the entire ball would have to be a chip.

By: FanaticalBucsFan

FanaticalBucsFan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:22:02 +0000

Only issue i see is the potential weight and balance offset that would have to be accounted for, if you added somthing inside the football. I think even small microchips would effect the ball in someway.

By: Gray Eagle

Gray Eagle — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:19:45 +0000

I can only think of two sports where cameras and electronic timing from start to finish make a difference: Track and horse racing. Every other one has some degree of judgement factored in – - accurate or not.

By: Favre'sDirtyWranglers

Favre'sDirtyWranglers — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:17:53 +0000

The New World Order before your eyes folks! First footballs next your children! Fight the power

By: FinFan

FinFan — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 20:05:21 +0000

Thats HANUS!!!!!
ooooooo I made a funny (yuck yuck)!
On a serious note I actually like it.

By: DirtDawg55

DirtDawg55 — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:54:52 +0000

Steeler fans would love this. Would finally end the oh so tiring conspiracy discussions. Of course, then we would have to hear abut how the chip was manipulated to allow Steeler scores in close situations.
My only question is when will they put the chip in Favre’s head so he can decide when to retire and or stop throwing interceptions at key moments?

By: Bordner

Bordner — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:53:53 +0000

Wow – even if we had a dedicated camera on that Heineken dude, we wouldn’t be able to see him with so many people piling on him.
The solution here is obvious.
You need a chip in the ball and a chip in everyone’s knees, then a display that shows the exact time that the ball crossed the plane of the goal which can compare that to the exact time that the knee(s) touched the ground – down to the milisecond.
Or is that so obvious that it’s stupid?

By: greenie

greenie — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:53:01 +0000

I would love it. With the technology that is available, even a strike zone could be computerized and there would be NO MISTAKE on a strike or a ball. Bring it!!!

By: Abe Froeman

Abe Froeman — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:49:05 +0000

Grammatical mistakes be damned.