Gruden said he plans to do things the "old-fashioned way" but will have others handle player-tracking dataGetty Images
The NFL Competition Committee recently "agreed to start sharing player-tracking data between all 32 teams," and while data from the past two seasons will "reportedly be made available in April," teams this coming season will get reports on a weekly basis, according to Nora Princiotti of the BOSTON GLOBE. While the question for most teams is "what they’ll do with it," in a few cases, the question is "if they even want it" at all. The new rules change "could significantly advance how teams evaluate opponents," and it was a recurring topic at the NFL combine in Indianapolis. Using tracking chips in shoulder pads, the data "can quickly show the path and speed of every player’s movement on the field." Falcons coach Dan Quinn said, "I’m anxious to find out what a player’s speed is in the first quarter and the fourth quarter. Those are the small things that may not show up on the stat sheet that I’m looking at.” But Raiders coach Jon Gruden said, "I’m not going to rely on GPSs and all the modern technology. I will certainly have some people that are professional that can help me from that regard. But I still think doing things the old-fashioned way is a good way." Princiotti notes Gruden was a "little tongue-in-cheek," but his words "either struck a chord or hit a nerve with other coaches, executives, and team staff members." Princiotti: "Overall, though, the trend is teams embracing data, not shunning it" (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/4).
