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The NFL is breaking free of its chains

All Hawk-Eyez on me: As the NFL regular season kicks off tonight, viewers may notice something different. America’s most-popular sports league is introducing Sony’s Hawk-Eye technology as its main method for measuring first downs this season—meaning no more chain gangs.

• The tech, already deployed across all 30 NFL stadiums and the international venues hosting NFL games, consists of six 8K cameras for optical tracking of the position of the ball. It’s operated from the NFL’s Art McNally GameDay Central Officiating Center (AMGC) in New York, and integrated with the league’s existing replay system.
• Hawk-Eye won’t be spotting the ball—officials will still do that—but it does replace the need for the chain crew to come onto the field with the markers to determine if a fresh set of downs is needed.

The NFL hopes the introduction of Hawk-Eye will cut down on some stoppage time, so that its partners can squeeze in more Patrick Mahomes State Farm commercials (probably). During testing, virtual measurements took about 30 seconds on average, compared to 75 seconds with a chain crew.

But the system doesn’t always work as intended

Latency issues this past preseason resulted in some Hawk-Eye measurements taking just as long as, if not longer than, the chains would have.

The tech, used by 23 of the top 25 global sports leagues, has also aggravated some players and fans of other sports where it’s already been adopted. Hawk-Eye is the same electronic call-making system underpinning the MLB’s robo-umps, as well as the Premier League’s controversial Video Assistant Referee (VAR). It also replaced human line-callers at Wimbledon this year—and missed three calls after being accidentally turned off for nearly seven minutes.

The NFL still thinks it has some promise: A more-comprehensive version of Hawk-Eye that spots the ball after each play instead of refs is currently being tested, but experts say operational issues and technological limitations mean it’s at least a few years away from being deployed.

Zoom out: The NFL’s sideline-partnership with Sony goes beyond just the tech that shares a name with a bow-and-arrow-proficient superhero. Coaches this season will be wearing next-gen Sony headsets with a range of enhanced features, including a greater ability to handle their temper tantrums. The headsets were also tested in a wide variety of environments—including home freezers and showers—to avoid a repeat of the Microsoft Surface tablet’s rocky NFL start in 2013, when coaches and players publicly trashed the devices for not working.

🏆 THE WEEKLY LOCK

Must-read advice for fantasy football players

Between the pylons

Thursday-night action starts with the Cowboys vs. Eagles (as you already know). And with Micah Parsons headed to Lambeau, it’s probably wise to rush to the computer to ensure you stuff as many Eagles into your starting lineup as possible.

No-huddle

💪🏼 Stud of the week: RB Saquon Barkley: The Cowboys literally have no one to stop him

🚮 Dud of the week: RB Tony Pollard: Look for Denver to load the box and see what Rookie Cam Ward can do

🛏️ Sleeper: WR Emeka Egbuka: The 1st round rookie is stepping into Chris Godwin’s role, and the vibes out of camp have been impeccable

📈 On the wire: RB Ollie Gordon: The running back room in Miami is a mess after Achane, and if he goes down Ollie could be a league winner

Good luck in Week 1. Go forth and prosper🫡.

🔥 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH EXTRA POINTS

Why EA's college basketball game might be in jeopardy

EA's return to college football was a massive success, making their planned basketball game seem like a slam dunk in the making. But industry rival 2k (Take Two Games) could derail everything.

Matt Brown's insider reporting at Extra Points reveals the behind-the-scenes maneuvering that could keep EA off the hardcourt indefinitely—plus the latest developments shaping college athletics.