The NFL is planning to phase out chain gang measurements this season.
Reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network On Wednesday, the league will move to Hawkeye Virtual Technology to support its 2025 first down call.
The league plans to use this technique as its main method to determine whether the ball will cross the first line.
The chain gang will still be on the sidelines as backups.
in Graphics shared by Garafolothe league said virtual measurements take an average of 30 seconds, making calls compared to 75 seconds on the chain.
The NFL said that in 2024, an average of 12 weeks of measurements were taken.
Owners do not need to vote on this issue. According to the Washington Post.
The electronic system still requires officials on the field to manually place the ball following play.
The Hawk-Eye Virtual measurement assesses whether the ball has been obtained past the line.
The NFL tested the technology during the preseason, but said in August it would not be used in the 2024 regular season, but left the door open to arrive in 2025.
“The whole effort was to look at it and see what worked and what didn't,” said Walt Anderson, the NFL host rules analyst and club communications liaison, Walt Anderson, the NFL hosting rules analyst and club communications liaison, in August. According to the Washington Post.
This technology will help you measure your lines more accurately, but it may not prevent similar situations from occurring like those that happened to Joshu Allen in this season's AFC title game.
Allen appears to have picked up the first down late in the game with a QB sneak, but breaks the lost invoice, but the ball is found just before the first down.
The bill was lost as the Chiefs held for victory.
“This is the post where I found the ball,” says NFL Senior Vice President's soccer business strategy Kimberly Fields told the Washington Post Wednesday.
“Officers on the ground will still decide where the progress will end.”
