Never mind keeping an eye on the ball.

 

Five NFL teams are hoping that having players keep their ear on it will help them keep possession.

 

According to the Associated Press, the teams are using a new training device which emits a loud beep when it is being held at the five key pressure points, an audible reminder for runners to keep it in the proper position.

 

”If I had that ball in high school, I don’t think I would’ve had a fumble,” Washington running back Matt Jones said. ”It’s teaching me how to squeeze the ball at the point of contact. Everything has changed about me holding the ball.”

 

The Cowboys, Colts, Ravens and Buccaneers are also using the prop, developed by Division II Northwood University assistant coach Tom Creguer. The Chargers are going to join the group in training camp.

 

The “High and Tight” footballs cost $150 each, and Creguer marketed them to teams at the Scouting Combine.

 

”It basically reinforces the proper hold by teaching the athlete to put their forearm to the panel, their panel to the chest and to compress the ball evenly with equal distribution of pressure, therefore creating basically a vice around the football, creating that muscle memory of what it feels like to have the ball secured to their body at all times,” Creguer said.

 

Creguer said his team reduced its fumbles by 63 percent in a season of using them, and if any NFL teams have the same kind of results, you’ll likely hear even more beeping around NFL camps soon.

 

NFL teams hoping beeping footballs help them cut down on fumbles | ProFootballTalk

What's next?

What's next?

 

Sensors in helmets...

Sensors in helmets...

 

Well that something I figured was already into play due to the concussion issue...

But what I meant was next they will come up with a machine that delivers air fill the balls for games...

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I was trying to be scientific with my saying.....

Helmets have had sensors for a couple of years now. They will alert the trainer/ staff of high impact. They are very expensive this they are mostly used in college. Don't think I have seen them in pros?

We used something similar, but somewhat cheaper.

 

It was called, "THE SECOND MAN."

 

We'd do a running back drill where the RB would be handed a ball, one defender was to angle tackle him on the side away from the arm with the ball, and THE SECOND MAN would rush in and attempt to strip, punch down, or punch up on the ball.:lol2: If the RB didn't apply the right pressure, a coach would notice and would "beep" (actually, he'd "tweet" -- it would be his whistle). Ours had the added benefit that if the "beep" (or "tweet") went off, the RB would have the added benefit of 20 up-downs (that seemed to be a better deterrent than ringing ears).

 

Sorry to be smart, but when I saw that each of these balls are $150 and are for a very specialized use, I just wondered who could possibly afford such a thing in a HS program (then I'm reminded some programs are VERY "well-endowed").

 

...but cynicism aside, I really like the concept to try and teach this important skill. (We went to 'high-and-tight' ball carrying when we lost a game in overtime when down only 3, our best RB gained 8 yards on 1st down but fumbled at the very end of the run -- film review showed he had the ball tightly held...but at his SIDE where a defender's helmet was perfectly placed. I read somewhere soon after how Tiki Barber of the Giants essentially saved his career by using a high-and-tight technique and his fumbles reduced dramatically).

 

Speaking of technology I think if I had money to spend on one "gizmo" to answer a need in football, I think I'd go for this motorized tackling dummy:

The Houston Texans are attempting to create an edge off the field with the addition of a sports science department, which General Manager Rick Smith started this offseason. But if you want to know exactly what a sports science department does, Smith won’t tell you.

 

“It is new and it’s emerging,” Smith told ESPN. “And the fact that we have spent a considerable amount of time, effort, energy and resources on it, yeah, some of it is proprietary. . . . I’m not interested necessarily in letting everybody know all the stuff that we’re doing. So beyond that I’m not going to get into real detail about what we’re doing.”

 

Texans players wear a tracker around their chests while they practice, allowing the team to track data, although the team declines to say which data is tracked. The Texans are also taking a more scientific approach to monitoring players’ nutrition and sleep patterns.

 

Many coaches and teams across the NFL are leaning more on sports science departments to provide them with information. Some players, however, are skeptical.

“I think it helps for sure, but I’m from the country,” Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins said. “Just go out there and play football.”

 

Texans pouring resources into sports science department | ProFootballTalk

Sounds like what the recently-let-go UK "performance management" guru--Eric Korem--was trying to do. I think it started off with a bang but some on-field (and in-training-room?) results (lack thereof) made it go out with a whimper.

 

As for being secretive, I can totally see an NFL organization keeping any kind of results to themselves worrying that any edge they get might trickle to other teams. Very paranoid bunch.