NFL games will look slightly different this season, and fans got their first glimpse at the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday.
The NFL announced in April it will begin using Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology as the primary way to measure the line to gain, rather than the chain system that has been in place for decades. Much like its usage in baseball and tennis, the technology uses six 8K cameras to judge the ball’s position on the field.
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Here is video of its first usage, prompted by the officials in the preseason Hall of Fame Game between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Chargers. The call was not close:
The NFL hailed the new technology as a more efficient method than the chains:
“Sony’s Hawk-Eye virtual measurement technology will serve as an efficient alternative to the process of walking chains onto the field and manually measuring whether 10 yards have been met after the official has spotted the ball. The chain crew will remain on the field in a secondary capacity.”
While the league initially announced it would keep a traditional chain crew in reserve for games, referee Shawn Smith told reporters on Thursday there would be no chains between down markers for the Hall of Fame Game.
The replacement of chains with cameras is unlikely to improve the accuracy of these calls, as the spotting of the ball by officials has always been the bigger issue when trying to figure out if a runner got enough distance for a first down. The chains were actually pretty good at telling officials how long 10 yards is.
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Rather, the virtual measurements are intended to save time, with decisions reached in seconds rather than making everyone wait for the officials to drag the chain out to midfield. We’ll see how much fans notice as the regular season begins, with the opener scheduled for Sept. 4.