The implementation of iPad playbooks and video apps is “a trend in the NFL that has started to make the paper playbook a thing of the past,” according to Stephen Whyno of the WASHINGTON TIMES. Redskins TE Chris Cooley said, “What do you think the average age of our team is, 25? They all know how to use iPads.” He added, “It’s way more efficient than having a huge playbook to carry around, it’s way easier to get from play to play. You can search, you can find plays. We can put all our film on the iPad. Guys can watch film wherever they’re at. It’s the new game of football.” Whyno noted at least “29 NFL teams use iPads in some way.” Each player was issued one of the devices “with a case featuring his jersey number, a playbook app and the Hudl video app installed.” DragonFly Athletics Business Dir Chad Brown, whose company supplies playbook apps to several teams said, “The cloud and the iPad working together, we provide access to any coach, to any administrator, to any player, to their internal coaching content anywhere in the world.” Subscription costs per team are “based on factors such as cloud storage space and the number of users.” Another company, Hudl, “does that for 10 NFL teams, including the Redskins, working with a video editing company called XOS Thunder.” Hudl VP/Business Development Matt Mueller said, “(Teams) are really looking for the same things: How do we get away from DVDs or just extra effort from a video staff, and how do we make ourselves more efficient and give our players more access to film in an easier way.” Whyno noted one downside is “the distraction potential.” But the Redskins and other teams “solved that problem by issuing devices with just the playbook and video apps installed.” DragonFly and other companies also worked with teams “to build in multiple layers of protection” against hacking or leaks (WASHINGTON TIMES, 8/16).
