The NFL will engage its Competition Committee on technology to take virtual line-to-gain measurements next season, but officials will continue to spot the football.
There鈥檚 no current technology being considered that would help determine forward progress, which became a point of contention after Josh Allen was on a sneak on fourth-and-1 early in the fourth quarter of Buffalo鈥檚 32-29 loss to Kansas City in the AFC championship game.
The league tested for virtual line-to-gain measurements in the preseason and in the background during the regular season. The optimal tracking system notifies officiating instantly if a first down was gained after the ball is spotted by hand.
The key word is after. This technology replaces the chain measurement. The NFL has long used two bright orange sticks and a chain 鈥� the chain gang 鈥� to measure for first downs. That method would remain in a backup capacity.
鈥淲hat this technology cannot do is take the place of the human element in determining where forward progress ends,鈥� NFL executive Kimberly Fields told The Associated Press on Friday. 鈥淭here will always be a human official spotting the ball. Once the ball is spotted, then the line-to-gain technology actually does the measurement itself. So I think it鈥檚 probably been a point of confusion around what the technology can and can鈥檛 do. There will always be a human element because of the forward progress conversation.鈥�
Fields said an average of 12 measurements took place each week during the regular season. The new technology would鈥檝e dropped the time spent to measure from 75 seconds to 35 seconds.
NFL balls have been equipped with Zebra microchips since 2017, powering the NFL鈥檚 Next Gen Stats data product. The chips are also affixed to players鈥� pads. They provide various data and metrics that help clubs, media and fans with player evaluation and analysis of team performance. But these chips can鈥檛 determine where a player was tackled, whether a player is down by contact or which team gained possession of a loose ball to the precision necessary for officiating use.
The league also began using boundary line cameras in Week 5 to assist with replay reviews. The cameras were installed in each of the 30 stadiums along the end line, goal line and sideline. Usage was limited to scores, plays with under two minutes remaining and turnovers.
Discussion for expanding its use to coaches鈥� challenges and replay assist is ongoing and would have to be approved by the Competition Committee.
Fields said the league also experimented with providing back judges smart watches to assist with objective information so they can make decisions faster, specifically as it relates to the play clock.
鈥淲e want to make the game efficient and more accurate,鈥� Fields said. 鈥淭he things that we do around technology, if it鈥檚 not going to make the process better, if it鈥檚 not going to assist our officials, then we shouldn鈥檛 be doing it. Everything that we do is going through a rigorous testing process to make sure we are making things easier and more efficient.鈥�
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AP NFL:
Rob Maaddi, The Associated Press
