The NFL is one of the better professional sports leagues at adapting. They change rules as needed, they implement technological advancements, and we will see a new technological advancement as early as this week at the NFL Combine.
Derek Belch, a 30-year-old businessman has created a virtual reality system through his company, STRIVR Labs. It will be used to test how quarterbacks read defenses, and according to Yahoo, he has agreements with the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and the New Orleans Saints.
The product puts the user in the eyes of the quarterback, just as if they were behind the offensive line. It gives the user the feeling that they are directly on the field. It would give the user firsthand reps while not being on the field.
“It would help my protection calls,” said Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan, via Yahoo. “It would help me process it more quickly. I would see our scout team in the exact same coverage and blitz and it would allow you to pick apart the defense.”
Another attraction of the technology is that it would better allow coaches to understand the players view and perspective. Belch told Yahoo he has had quarterbacks tell him, “I can’t stand it when a coach says, ‘How can you not see that?!’ They don’t know what I’m looking at.”
So how would this come handy at the combine? Well, it would provide teams an opportunity to test a quarterback’s mind, and how they can handle a system. It could possibly be a big step in helping teams hit on their quarterback draft picks more frequently, if used correctly.
The Cleveland Browns, who are expected to take a quarterback in this year’s draft, would certainly like a crack at the virtual reality sooner rather than later.
[Yahoo]
