When the NFL allowed coaches to use tablets on the sideline, it was viewed by many as a technological step forward that would make it easier on coaches to look up their plays, review aerial photos of formations, and generally keep tabs on things. But Patriots coach Bill Belichick says it hasn’t worked that way.
Belichick, who was caught on camera this season throwing his tablet in disgust, said today that he will no longer use tablets on the sideline.
“As you probably noticed, I’m done with the tablets,” Belichick said. “They’re just too undependable for me. I’m going to stick with pictures, which several of our other coaches do, as well, because there just isn’t enough consistency in the performance of the tablets. I just can’t take it anymore.”
Belichick went on a five-minute rant about the tablets, saying they don’t work properly when he needs them to.
“For me, personally, it’s a personal decision, I’m done with the tablets,” he said. “I’ll use the paper pictures from here on, because I just have given it my best shot. I’ve tried to work through the process. But it just doesn’t work for me, and that’s because there’s no consistency to it.”
Microsoft reportedly paid the NFL $400 million to become the league’s official tablet provider, but Belichick doesn’t care about that. He doesn’t like the tablets, and he’s done with them.