OT: Kittle PI in the Super Bowl

[CP87]

Here's a 2019 article with the Zebra CEO saying the accuracy is only good down to 6 inches. That's not enough.

Also, if the ball is covered up or blocked by bodies it isn't going to register, especially not as accurately as would be needed to spot the ball.

Thanks, I had not looked up specifics of the system. From using similar systems (over a much smaller space), I assumed the accuracy was better. You know what happens when you assume.

The ball being blocked by bodies should not matter (I am making assumptions again, this is not addressed in the article you linked), the radio signals should be able to pass through any intervening body.

If they really are +/- 6", how do you think that compares to manual spots? Do you think most of those are within +/- 6" of actual? Not sure, it would be interesting to see how well the ref-spot and the zebra data correlate.

I am always amazed at how well refs spot the ball. Hundreds of times I have immediately derided a spot in real-time, only to see it in slow-mo and see that they got it pretty much exactly. But those head-scratchers do happen where they are off by a yard or better, and it would be great if there was an easy way to eliminate those.

 

[Northside Hawk]

and you'd be right as it isn't true, he went to Cornell.

Cornell

Oops! On me!

I was in the correct conference however.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Career TDs. Career receiving yards. Fantasy football championships won. Career earnings. Career receptions. Super Bowl rings. /thread

But Kittle blocks as well. Right up there with any offensive lineman in the league, let alone a tight end.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Bad calls? Yes.

And I don't disagree with the effect on the game overall.

But Shanahan had the game locked away in his purse and gave it up because of either being stupid, or cocky. One of the two. If he runs the ball they bleed the end of the game out, but he just got dumb.

It isn't by coincidence that Shanahan is the main guy behind losing the two highest win probability post season games in history.

Better check the archives. He may have been a novice on the Houston Oilers staff in 1993 when they let a 35-3 second half postseason lead slip away to the Kelly-less Bills.

 

[Fryowa]

Better check the archives. He may have been a novice on the Houston Oilers staff in 1993 when they let a 35-3 second half postseason lead slip away to the Kelly-less Bills.

"It isn't by coincidence that Shanahan is the main guy behind losing the two highest win probability post season games since win probablility became a thing."

He's still really, really bad in big games

 

[Northside Hawk]

"It isn't by coincidence that Shanahan is the main guy behind losing the two highest win probability post season games since win probablility became a thing."

He's still really, really bad in big games

Yes win probability wouldn't have been around then. And Shanahan was probably a teenager.

I remember the 1993 playoff game however. One thing those K-Gun, run and shoot type offenses could do was come back from large defecits.

 

[uihawk82]

The problem with football would be that even the best GPS available right now is down to about a foot, and even then it's such a low resolution that it'd jump all over the place within a huge range.

One could probably have a transmitter in each end of the ball and triangulate it with receivers in the stadium, but what happens when the ball is covered up, or blocked by bodies, pads, etc?

The way the tennis and baseball tracking systems work is with cameras, but tennis shots and baseball pitches are always visible. Half the time in a football game we have 15 different 720p, super high frame rate camera angles but still can't see the ball very well.

I think a good compromise would again be replay officials signaling down to the field for a re-spot rather than relying on coaches challenging, etc.

Yeah I like your last paragraph best. Many replays of the spot of the ball do result in the spot being moved. I know officiating is hard because I reffed girls softball and even league basketball which is difficult but too many times I see linesmen and side judges way out of position with really bad spots.

And years ago but not that long ago the umpire was allowed down by the goal line to signal TD rather than now when it is only the linesmen to rush in from the sideline to see if the ball has crossed the goalline in that mass of people.

 

[Fryowa]

And years ago but not that long ago the umpire was allowed down by the goal line to signal TD rather than now when it is only the linesmen to rush in from the sideline to see if the ball has crossed the goalline in that mass of people.

I have no clue why they even have an official there to signal TDs. They carte blanche call every single play touchdown just to be safe since every scoring play is reviewed. It’s dumb to even have them there really.

 

[ForeverHawk]

You are showing your ignorance. He is a FB/TE/HB. Kittle lined up at FB last night as well.

Use a better argument as to why Kelce is better than Kittle then TDs scored in a superbowl.

Well, I love me some George Kittle and if he stays healthy he should be an all time great NFL TE. But he is not better than Kelce right now and I bet he would admit that. Both were highly complimentary of each other as a lead up to the super bowl. As were the likes of Tony Gonzales and Gronk. They are looked at as the two best TE’s in the league. Kelce did have more yards and receptions than Kittle this year and Kelce did just become the first TE in NFL history to have 4 years in a row of 1000 or more receiving yards. Kittle very well could tie that in two years, but will Kelce extend the record to six at that point? Kittle may very well be a better TE compared to Kelce down the road, but he is not there yet.