Potentially Significant Development Game Prep Evolution

[Captain gameboy]

Sounds like a very efficient, effective training option.

And maybe a new career for Trent Edwards.

"Coaches from 10 NFL teams — and the GM from an 11th in Denver Broncos legend John Elway — visited room 1040. What they experienced inside the suite, they would later say, was unlike anything they'd ever seen. Their hosts were three men, each around 30 years old: an ex-NFL quarterback; a kicker-turned-MBA/college coach; and a former FBI agent who specialized in counter-terrorism. In the middle of the room were two laptops set together so their screens operated as one. On it was, perhaps, the future of football coaching.

"I was blown away," Dilfer says. "I thought, 'This is gonna change how QBs prepare.' I've seen just about everything that's out there and there's nothing like this. I think if Drew Brees or Tom Brady sees this, they're gonna demand it.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/stanford-cardinal-nfl-virtual-reality-qb-training-031115

[DraftBoy]

Sounds like a very efficient, effective training option.

And maybe a new career for Trent Edwards.

"Coaches from 10 NFL teams — and the GM from an 11th in Denver Broncos legend John Elway — visited room 1040. What they experienced inside the suite, they would later say, was unlike anything they'd ever seen. Their hosts were three men, each around 30 years old: an ex-NFL quarterback; a kicker-turned-MBA/college coach; and a former FBI agent who specialized in counter-terrorism. In the middle of the room were two laptops set together so their screens operated as one. On it was, perhaps, the future of football coaching.

"I was blown away," Dilfer says. "I thought, 'This is gonna change how QBs prepare.' I've seen just about everything that's out there and there's nothing like this. I think if Drew Brees or Tom Brady sees this, they're gonna demand it.

http://www.foxsports.com/college-football/story/stanford-cardinal-nfl-virtual-reality-qb-training-031115

I heard about this idea a year or two ago when still doing some draft work. I hadn't realized Stanford had completed the project and was using it. The technology will take the term "film study" to a whole new level. Very cool.

[Captain gameboy]

I hope Roman has Stanford connections and we can be involved in this.
Seems to me to be well worthy of a few full time employees.

[Don't Panic]

If this is anything near what I saw a couple weeks ago then it is absolutely amazing. It is literally like you're in an HD real world and everywhere you turn you see something new. Makes perfect sense as a QB prep tool... and many other things.

[Meathead]

bout time

i thought about this way back when i was a sftw engineer. we were just beginning to work on motion sensing and rfid tracking (i wasnt, some of my coworkers were) so i realized we we had the technology to do this and how it could give 'reps' to qbs on reading defenses like some kind of magic campbells condensed qb soup

i knew it would take a big investment in time and expertise, both technical and tactical, that i didnt have. not to mention a lot of dough. so i never pursued it but it was obviously only a matter of time. in fact, ive often wondered wtf was taking nfl teams so long. bunch of old farts probably never would have bought into it until they saw it

[WagonCircler]

I've been wondering for years when they'd come up with this.

I've always had a suspicion that New England has had it for years and kept it secret.

[cookie G]

Even in VR, Trent Edwards still won't throw over 10 yards.

[Meathead]

can you imagine how much faster a qb could learn reading defenses and setting up plays if they could do this any time they want? you can sit in your freaking bed and do reps. a rookie qb would have that thing fused to his face and just walk around all day throwing vr footballs. id say it should cut the learning curve (elapsed time) at least in half.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

I think it will have the biggest effect on backups. The lack of practice reps has got to hinder them substantially.

[YardRat]

I hope Ryan was in that room, Brandon and Whaley are figuring out who/how many to hire/how to implement, and Pegula is waiting with pen and checkbook in hand.

Whaley obviously is into the techie stuff, so the Bills shou;ld be in on this from the beginning.

[BillsImpossible]

So this is why EJ has been so quiet. Mental reps in VR, over and over again all off season long.

Mental repetitions are one thing, but what about the muscle memory that is developed with actual real time practice?

I think mental repetitions can actually help build muscle memory without lifting a finger.

I remember hearing about how Michael Jordan would always go to bed and envision himself making plays before and during sleep. NFL players do this a lot too, they think about a play and they play it out mentally in their brains, over and over again.

It's basically the same thing, but now players don't have to dream or think for themselves because a computer does it for them.

Very interesting article, thanks for posting.