“Pete Walsh, head of technology for the Cowboys, said his team and at least a ‘couple’ of others are currently considering abandoning their playbooks in favor of iPads, a move they feel could save them as much as 5,000 pages of paper printouts per game,” Terdiman reports.
“In a lot of ways, this is exactly what tablets are meant for: easy access to data via wireless networks, high-quality photos, and portability,” Terdiman reports. “And from a coach’s, or player’s perspective, imagine being able to quickly sort through a large set of plays, look at them in a stylish graphical presentation, see animations of them in action, and much more. Or download a photo of the last play seconds later.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: A no-brainer, but the ability to download a photo – or even a video – of the last play within seconds might force some instant replay rules to be changed as it’s not very risky for a coach to toss out the red flag if he can first review the play on his iPad.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Dow C.” for the heads up.]
Hopefully iPad 2 will be more viewable in the sun.
Security of the playbook immediately comes to mind.
Two things, they can remote wipe the data, and they can track their players! Or at least their iPads.
Playbooks get the $#!% beaten out of them. I’m not sure an iPad is the best use of technology in this instance.
This is actually a great idea. The rules won’t have to change, this will level the playing field for everyone. Visiting teams have already complained to the NFL that the home team replays run much faster than they do for the visiting team, this would eliminate the bias of the home stadium video operator.
iPad PlayBooks. RIM fanboys, if there are any left, will be going nuts.
@Tetrachloride
If a player loses the iPad playbook they have remote wipe. Years ago I found Archie Mannings Vikings playbook at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport. A staff member was more than happy to promptly pick it up.
The concern over the iPads security and Android being an option for security reasons is laughable.
Likely where teams will go towards – small point with your take-teams don’t have video in game, and can’t. Just Photos of formations, no great equalizer for replay, plus the coaches have someone in a booth with TVs for replay
Well that’s just great. Pretentious MAC lemmings are infiltrating the mighty NFL. All this will do is turn America’s manly tough-guy game into something only little sissy soccer players would enjoy. Are they going to convert halftime to tea time too? Is nothing sacred?
Everyone knows power users use Windows. Wrestling with the registry and battling viruses and malware makes you strong. Nothing builds fortitude and endurance like a 90 minute PowerPoint presentation after lunch. NFL coaches and staff should be roaming the sidelines with Windows slates. I-Pads are for the weak, like grass fairy soccer players.
Save the Trees
I am a hockey coach and have a couple of really cool apps for drawing up plays but I will still never bring my ipad on the bench, I would have smashed it 20 times already. I guess if the team was buying them I wouldn’t care but when I have to replace it I would rather smash my whiteboard.
The iPads could have Punk covers.
The coaches in the booth have to rely on the tv feed for the replay and not all stadiums provide them with the network feed.
And with Apple’s “Genius” feature, plays will be recommended based on what you’ve already got cued up in your playlists : )
Pink, so sorry
The IPad in the NFL would be a huge leap forward over the static nature of the Playbook used today. Plays could be run on the IPad, Opposing teams could be analyzed on the spot with a particular defense or offensive play. If I was a player at any level I think this would be a leap forward in learning the game and players individual responsibilities. possibilities are limitless.
I know they sure won’t be using the BlackBerry PlayBook!
Hahahahahah!
New tougher cases would protect the iPads on the sidelines. And how about outfitting the QB’s with iPod touches or better yet iPhones. Securely text or email plays into the huddle.
Come to think of it, I bet Belicheck does this already. : )
Okay two words:
Rain, snow.
Zune Tang!!!!! Oh how I’ve missed you.
Good to see you zunie
What’s so new about remote wiping?
We used to remotely wipe our playbook.
No, wait….
…That was a Sears catalog…
…and a Playboy.
Save the Oysters
I’m with “One word”:
Unless Apple is going to make the iPad’s weatherproof, it’s not a good idea. There are plenty of stadiums that aren’t domes, and unless football is going to go the wimp route like baseball (Oh no! It’s raining! Stop the game!), the iPads will have to be able to handle being rained and snowed on. Also, the touch interface would need to be modified somehow to allow use when coaches are wearing gloves.
@shiva, My wife has iPhone touchscreen enabled gloves.
England’s rugby team have been using mac book pros for years for similar duties and zune tang note they are the hardest of them all my friend.
Will it be “Madden NFL 11”, “NFL 2011 HDS”, or “Coachpad”, “PlaybookFootball” or some other football app?…
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Wonder if RIM is upset that the NFL didn’t swap their playbook for RIM’s Playbook?
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@shiva
There are already weather proof enclosures for the IPad, the NFL can use the same system hospitals use to keep IPads sterile.
Why do people keep mentioning remote wipe as a security feature? Remote wipe needs a connection to public internet to work. Odds are someone won’t just leave an iPad playbook just lying around either and if you somehow got access to one, you’re crafty enough to turn the thing off first and not connect to any public internet until you can access it.
And why even store playbook data on the device at all? A better use case would be an app that only securely connects to the team’s server and would only work on the field.
It’s a good idea but you the iPad would need to be tougher, water/gatorade proof, work with gloves on (not just special gloves) and work in direct sunlight.
MDN, can we persuade you to archive Zune Tang’s “Take”? Some of them are even funnier than yours. Today’s is priceless!
Mind you, has anyone ever seen Zunie and MDN in the same room? Hmm …
A standard ream of 500 sheets of printing paper retails for $5. If NFL gets theirs at, say, $3, they can recoup the money for each iPad in about 15 games (one single season). That means, without even considering any other benefit or improvement, saving money on printing will pay back for the investment.
Or Zune Tangless will be your new name when that sissy Soccer star gives you a quick kick in the Soccer Balls!
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For chrissakes,, playbooks aren’t used on the field! They’re used in meeting rooms and for studying.
The other uses suggested might require “toughening”, but that’s not what’s being proposed.
Unlikely to completely take over “analog” methods. iPads would freeze during some Packer games on Lambeau field, and football games don’t get cancelled due to rain.
Football team will continue to rely on methods that work in any conceivable game-day condition. If iPads are used, they will be used in ways that are supplemental, not essential.
I’m not worried. My Bengals will stick with scrawling out plays in the dirt using twigs and rocks.
@MDN,
How would the coach looking at the play himself be much different than one of his assistants in the booth looking at it and then radioing down the decision to challenge or not?
@silverhawk,
That’s awesome! Did you look at it?
WTFing hel???
The print 5000 pages is shit every game? Well the obviously got a problem… WTF???