New York Jets QB Sam Darnold is taking advantage of new technology to help him and all quarterbacks gain data on every pass they throw.
New York Jets first-round pick Sam Darnold was back in his old neighborhood prior to the NFL draft working with mentor Jordan Palmer, a former NFL quarterback, on a new tech program that will hopefully help all quarterbacks in the near future.
Darnold and Palmer are serving as advisory staff members for Wilson, which makes the official balls used by the NFL. The program is called the Wilson X Connected Football, which uses footballs that have computer chips embedded in them. The idea is to use the data obtained in the film room and maybe during games as the information becomes available.
Sam Darnold used "smart" footballs to address his elongated throwing motion. Now, the #Jets quarterback and QB guru Jordan Palmer are working with Wilson to develop the next-generation technology. More from @DWAZ73: https://t.co/0v8nP9rKO7 pic.twitter.com/j91sgQYv0Z
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) May 9, 2018
According to the Associated Press’ Dennis Waszak Jr., Darnold said:
“I think it’s really cool to come out here with Wilson and give them my feedback on what it really takes to be a quarterback and what I’m looking for in this data,” Darnold said in a video provided by Wilson, “and help kind of build the prototype that is going to push this game to the next level.”
The Wilson football gathers results from four data points: spin (RPMs), spiral efficiency, velocity and time of release.
The “smart football” enables teams to download the information it has recorded during practice and enable the teams to analyze the data in real time. Quarterbacks then can look at what they are doing as they throw the ball to different areas or receivers on the field.
“You can record up to 18 balls at one given time and you go through practice like normal and you’ll be able to download all of this data that goes to a spreadsheet,” Wilson Labs engineer Dan Hare explained. “From there, they can choose to import it into their video systems or review it with an analytics group or on their own,” as Waszak Jr. reported.
Darnold and Palmer along with Wilson hope to have this new technology available to colleges and pro-NFL teams later this year.
Imagine the potential television stats that will become available to the fans. The league and its numbers continue to evolve, from wind speeds on the field to distance a ball can be thrown now to how far the QB can throw the ball depending on different grips he uses. What will they think of next?
