Adam Schefter reports on the NFL considering a proposal that would get rid of the chain gang and implement modern technology for line spots. ," carrying their signature orange-and-black equipment to see if the Cowboys had indeed made the line to gain. It was so close that the announcers, players and even the officials themselves seemed unsure.and attempted to wedge it between the ball and the marker.
But those potential changes don't necessarily mean the end of the chain gang, just the end of the chain gang as we know it. The chains will remain on the sidelines in any scenario that the NFL moves toward, according to multiple league sources, but would be a backup for measurements and a visual indicator of where the line to gain and line of scrimmage are for coaches, players and fans in the stadium.
John Antillon has been in charge of the Rams' chain crew since it returned in 2016 to L.A., where he is responsible for staffing and logistics for the group. Antillon, a Division III referee for 30 years and former assistant chief of the California Highway Patrol, reports to the Rams equipment manager.
"We all don't do it for the money," Antillon said."We do it for just the opportunity to be on the field in that environment, and really consider it a privilege to be there." Doctors diagnosed Piazza, 39, with a dislocated knee, a fibula fracture, a torn ACL and meniscus damage. He is walking after a second surgery in January, but he has nerve damage to the foot and a condition called"drop foot," which keeps him from being able to lift it.
In the second quarter of the season-opening UFL game between the Arlington Renegades and the Birmingham Stallions on March 30, running back Lennie Brown caught a pass and ran down one sideline before being forced out of bounds near the first-down line. Officials spotted the ball too close to the first down line to determine if it was first down. So they stopped play, and a TruLine Technology graphic showed that the ball spot was five inches short of the line to gain.
Take Zebra Technologies, for example. The company is the official"real time location solutions provider" of the NFL and its data has allowed for significant leaps in advanced analytics through NFL's Next Gen Stats. That data is made possible by a chip inside the football and a radio frequency identification system that requires anywhere from 20 to 30 receivers inside the stadium.