Will the NFL’s introduction of Sony’s Hawkeye tracking system make a difference with line-to-gain calls?

It may be that NFL fans will soon see a much more streamlined game when it comes to determining the line to gain during games. The question of course remains as to whether this is the squeaky wheel that the league needed to fix.

NFL to test Hawk-Eye tracking system

According to reports on Wednesday, the NFL has agreed to a partnership with Sony that will make the latter the official technology partner of the league. To that end, we will soon be seeing new headsets for coaches on the sidelines from 2025 onward. Yet, the real eye-opener in the league’s announcement is the changes that could be made to the so called “chain gang” i.e., the officials who are tasked with figuring out the line to gain.

As per reports, Sony’s Hawk-Eye tracking services are being developed to bring “state-of-art line-to-gain optical tracking technology to review and make critical ruling on plays, helping to achieve the highest level of integrity for the game.” Further to that, NFL executive Gary Brantley also informed the media that the league would begin testing the new Hawk-Eye system during some of the preseason games.

“We’re in the installation phase for all of our stadiums, really getting them calibrated and up to date,” said Brantley, via ESPN. “We’re just really getting to a place where this system is as accurate as possible and really calibrating across our multiple stadiums. ...We have multiple stadiums with multiple dimensions inside of those stadiums with different age. So, we’re really just going through the installation of putting in the infrastructure and making sure these cameras are installed.”

Fans will of course know that the NFL currently relies on the use of two orange sticks that are connected to a chain to measure first downs, hence the previously mentioned term, “chain gang.” Now, as much as some may see the method as outdated, it has largely been an effective means of making the call throughout the history of the sport. This is to say that should Hawk-Eye become the new ‘MO’, it’s highly likely that the age old chain and stick would still be leaned upon as a backup.

This brings us to the obvious question of why would the league consider such a move if there isn’t glaring need to do so? The simple answer would be speed or rather lack there of. With the new technology in place it’s reasonable to believe that the time taken to make calls would be significantly reduced, while also ensuring greater accuracy, something that Sony president and chief operations officer Neal Manowitz spoke directly to. “We’re reducing a significant amount of time, 40 seconds for each time of use that basically is making the game that much more impactful,” Manowitz said. “And then also the system is accurate down to less than half an inch, which is incredibly, incredibly accurate. Hopefully the fans appreciate the objective view, or at least half the fans each play will be appreciating it.” There’s been no official word on what games will see the Hawk-Eye system being tested but do keep an eye out as it’s likely to be interesting.