Getty Image / Scott Grau
The 32 NFL franchises combined are worth well over $100 billion. If that number was a country, it would be around the 60th largest GDP of all countries in the world.
But, despite having unlimited financial and technological resources, the NFL still relies on a metal chain and humans holding them to measure first downs.
Every time the chains come out onto the field to decide a big way, the whole thing is pretty comical, really. There’s no way that the current system is as exact as could be.
That goes for spotting the ball, too. I understand that there are multiple variables. It’s not just where the ball is, but it’s where the ball is when the player is legally ruled down. Still, there has to be a better way than a side judge running twenty yards into the play to guess where the ball should be spotted. It’s basically the most important part of the game, and we have a system that is far from exact.
All that aside, the NFL is finally starting to experiment with technology around the first down chains and spotting the ball.
That’s according to Jonathan Jones of NFL on CBS
This could be big: The NFL tested optical tracking on line-to-gain rulings at MetLife Stadium, Hard Rock Stadium and at the Super Bowl this year. If there’s support from NFL team owners, we could see the chain gang become a backup as early as 2024.
That would be a huge and welcome change to making the game just a little bit more exact. How feasible is it to get in before the next NFL season? I’m not sure. But, making the chain gang basically obsolete should be welcomes by all fans.