NFL fails to address the actual problem with latest change, and it's too little too late for the Buffalo Bills
Once again, the NFL is all but admitting that they got it wrong in an AFC Championship Game where the Buffalo Bills came out on the losing side against the Kansas City Chiefs. It's starting to feel a little Groundhog's Day-ish around here.After a controversial game that saw the Bills continuously get spotted short of […]
Once again, the NFL is all but admitting that they got it wrong in an AFC Championship Game where the Buffalo Bills came out on the losing side against the Kansas City Chiefs. It's starting to feel a little Groundhog's Day-ish around here.
After a controversial game that saw the Bills continuously get spotted short of the line to gain, most notable on a 4th down quarterback sneak where Josh Allen appeared to get enough yardage but the officials disagreed, the league is moving away from the prehistoric measurement system of the chain gang.
This honestly feels a bit like a placebo effect that won't actually change much. Previously, there had been conversations about utilizing tracking devices to spot the ball exactly where it reached. In the situation of Allen's 4th down run, that could have been the difference of definitively knowing whether or not the ball reached the line to gain.
With the implementation of Sony's Hawk-Eye technology, which will be used to electronically measure first downs, nothing changes about the referee's process of spotting the ball.
At first glance, it looks like it solves a problem, but when you dig into it further, it simply looks like scapegoating the chain gang, who have never been responsible for where the ball is placed.
The NFL needs to update how the ball is spotted. The technology exists. This "upgrade" doesn't do that.
The Hawk-Eye system is one that sports fans should be familiar with. Tennis uses the technology for challenges, international soccer has used it for goal-line technology for quite some time, and MLB used it for it's Automated Ball-Strike system in spring training this year, which looks like will be on its way to the major leagues at some point soon.
How the league deploys the Hawk-Eye technology and whether or not it will be utilized to correctly spot the ball remain to be seen, but if all it's doing is speeding up whether or not a player picked up a first down based on where the referee spotted the ball, then the league is missing the mark.
Sean Payton explains how Bills duo of Sean McDermott and Josh Allen is a model for Denver to follow with Bo Nix
The blueprint is out there.
Follow along all year for more Buffalo Bills coverage on A to Z Sports. You can find me on Bluesky @jonhelmkamp.bsky.social, and make sure to follow our main page @AtoZSports.bsky.social for all the latest news.
