Today's guest post written by The Jim Gaudet, an IT guy currently living in Costa Rica. You can also follow him on twitter.
Is the NFL really that poor? This is ridiculous. How much money do you think it would cost the NFL to install goal line cameras? I am willing to bet it is less that Eli Manning’s 6 year/$95 M contract.
Mike Pereira (VP of NFL Officiating) was on NFL Official Review and had this to say;
The NFL will not be installing their own cameras and it would not be right to ask the networks to install cameras because they have a job to do which is to present the game the best they possibly can to the millions of people watching
You can watch the video clip.
What a copout. How is installing their own cameras on the goal lines going to affect the networks ability to broadcast the games? So what’s the reason? He never tells us why they will not install the goal line cameras.
This Is Not A New Argument
On Yahoo Answers someone claims money to be the reason the NFL doesn’t have goal line cameras. The NFL has enough money to pay for the cameras if they wanted them. I see no need for someone to actually run them. They can be mounted and in a set position and only used for challenges.
In 2005 Belichick called for goal line replay cameras after a game against the Carolina Panthers where Stephen Davis fumbled before reaching the goal line, but was credited with a touchdown. I have to agree with Bill when he says: "The only way you're going to get a good, true evaluation of that play is to put a camera parallel to the goal line."
In 2008 Kink Kaufman complains about the absence of goal line cameras. Kaufman thinks that the NFL should make the easy fixes to the replay system. He goes on to say that most people are ready to blame it on the referees, but “Usually, it's not that the refs are bad. It's that they're operating in a bad system.”
I think we need to get the NFL to notice how much the fans want Goal Line Cameras and they will have to answer at some time. The list goes on and on. So I think we just need to get a poll out there and see what the fans think. Maybe the NFL is listening.
Should The NFL Install Goal Line Cameras
- Yes (85%, 60 Votes)
- No (15%, 11 Votes)
Total Voters: 71
Thanks to Scott Abelman for the close up of the Washington Redskins End Zone.
Agreed 100%. I also think the NFL should have an overhead replay camera that follows the play from above the field. They used to have these cameras a few years back but it seems lately the networks have gotten rid of them. I though they were great as they let you see plays really develop. These cameras would be very useful for checking out of bounds situations or to see how far upfield the ball was taken.
Just last week there was an iffy goal line play where the side camera didn’t quite show what was going on, but an overhead camera would have given a clearer view of whether the plane was broken.
Also agree that it’s not the refs’ fault. Sure, they make mistakes but imagine how tough it must be to officiate an NFL game. Anyone expecting them to be perfect is simply not being realistic. Hence why we need to help the refs get the call right!
That sounds like a Madden View camera. Nice…
While watching the Navy-Notre Dame game NBC had a camera view that was down the goal line, it wasn’t a ground level but we were shown a shot clear down the goal line.
So it is possible for networks to establish cameras looking down the goal line without too much extra effort.
Sometimes the networks get lucky. When the play is close to the goal line already, they have a better chance of getting a clear view. It’s when they do pan in time on a longer play, I think