The latest trend in computing could be going the way of the CB radio, for some NFL teams.
At a time when more and more franchises are putting their playbooks on iPads, one of the first teams to adopt the technology has distanced itself from it, according to JoeBucsFan.com.
Running back Earnest Graham explained that the device doesn’t necessarily fit well with a young team.
“I think the concept of the iPads was excellent but at times a bit too much for players and coaches alike,” Graham told JoeBucsFan.com. “The problem was that at times guys would forget to charge them overnight or to update them when they came into the building because everything needed to download before meetings. That would cause problems. Also the fact that it’s an unnecessary distraction with being able to access the Internet, games, and so on.
“I thought the idea was great but it was definitely more negatives than positives with a young team. I enjoyed being able to access the opposing teams’ cut-ups and video of that day’s practice, but in my opinion most guys did not use them. If you keep it simple and do your installations using your [paper] playbooks, you don’t have to guess whether a guy is on Facebook or not. Based on that experience I would never use them if I went into coaching.”
Another problem, as the folks at JoeBucsFan.com point out, is that when a player has access to game film on his iPad, there’s no way to know he actually is studying it. When players show up at the facility to study film, it’s obvious that they’re studying film.
And so, for the Bucs, the tablet gone the way of the dodo bird. Or, perhaps more accurately, the way of former coach Raheem Morris, who was at the cutting edge in 2011 when he persuaded ownership to buy enough of them for the entire team. Rookie linebacker Najee Goode told JoeBucsFan.com last week that he has seen only an old-fashioned paper playbook during his time in Tampa.
Though other teams may have the maturity and accountability in the locker room to ensure that the iPads will be used as intended and not abused in any way, the Bucs apparently didn’t. And now new coach Greg Schiano apparently has decided to utilize what quickly is becoming an old-school approach.