December 2004 Archives
Since most of the technology I own has been on the fritz lately (computer crash, car died, clock wrong, TV sound-system miss-wired, etc.), I figured this week would be a good time to talk about the technology of the NFL. Since I'm ready to replace everything I own (well, 'ready' except for the whole 'having the money to pay for it' part), I might as well aspire to have the best, right? And the NFL has a lot of the best stuff out there.
Let's start with the TV. When you're watching NFL games at home, the size of the TV matters only a little. Sure, I know we all like to have that big screen, but anything game-affecting that we miss will be blown up and replayed ad nauseam for us. Complete with annoying commentary about the obvious that is either a) wrong, b) wordy yet uninformed, or c) both.
When you're part of a football team, breaking down game film, things are different. You need to be able to see all the little details, from as many angles as possible, and as clearly as possible. If you're a DB or a secondary coach, you want to be able to see how a wide receiver always twitches his hands before a play where he expects to be blocking for a run. You want to be able to see that at the same time as the linebackers coach beside you is watching the fullback's eyes to see if he 'cheats' on pass protection. To do all that, for hours on end, without going blind, you need a big TV. You need a big TV with a crisp, clear picture. Which is why the Raven's practice facility comes equipped with a 42-inch plasma TV in every single office. Admittedly, this is a new, 31 million-dollar facility, and not every team is quite so well equipped, but they're working on it.
So, what gets seen on those screens? Game film. Lots and lots of game film. Thousands of hours of game film. Except, it's not exactly film any more. Some of the (well-heeled) fanatics among us have NFL Sunday Ticket and TiVo. Those that do feel proud. Some of them actually take advantage of the equipment, and digitally record every game, so they can at least catch the highlights. Fewer (and the still more fanatic) of them actually watch every game. The most die-hard of them re-watch games, paying attention to little details. Any member of any NFL coaching staff would consider them base amateurs (or sports columnists).
Most NFL teams now use something called 'Coach's Station,' produced by a company called Pinnacle. Coach's Station is the TiVo fanatic's dream. It lets a coaching staff to access, edit, and link over 1,000 hours of game film – then email it to everyone on the team in one click. Waiting for the video (or *gasp* film) to get spliced together in the film room is a thing of the past. Video from every game in the past two years is 'instantly' uploaded to laptops, so coaches can work in their office, on the plane, or in the hotel on the road. Now, if the program could only do the game planning for them, assistant coaches would actually get some sleep during the season. To find out more about this lovely product, visit Pinnacle's website.
Normally, I don't think of exercise as being a high-tech activity. Memories of sweat-smelling rubber mats and rusted iron weights from my high-school power-lifting class come to mind, accompanied by flashbacks of pushups in the muck of a Korean monsoon for Army PT. High-school football 'conditioning workouts' involved crab-walking 60 yards, followed by wind sprints 'till we dropped.
Such is not the case in today's NFL. Well, perhaps the wind sprints, but they are only the beginning. One of the most valuable and possibly most hated members of the modern NFL coaching staff is the Strength and Conditioning Coach. For the Titans, that man is Jim Watterson. Coach Watterson is responsible for designing the off-season conditioning program for the players, as well as in-season workouts. He devises ways to bring the best out of every player's body – usually by pushing them to their limits in ways they didn't know possible.
I've had a personal trainer before - well, the gym I belong to has one, and I've gotten advice from him before, so I'm counting that. But that doesn't hold a candle to what a strength and conditioning coach does for players. In an article on the Titans website, Watterson is quoted as saying "The evolution has brought this profession into true science," Watterson said. "We are really finding out about the physiological response of the body, not just how do we lift more weight."
In other words, this guy, who has patents pending on several rehab and strength-building devices he's invented, uses science to figure out just exactly where a player's body is likely to break down, and why. Then he comes up with a plan to strengthen those areas. He helps players gain weight, lose weight, add muscle mass, gain quickness - in short, he builds a better athlete. It doesn't hurt that he's got a new, multi-million-dollar training facility to do it in, either.
Well, I'd love to write more about all the neat gizmos and gadgets the NFL makes available to its teams, but it's time for me to push-start my Tercel, so I can drive home and watch the Monday Night Football game again on my 20" TV. Of course, that assumes I managed to program the VCR correctly.