Zebra Enters Its 7th Year With The NFL

With its radio frequency identification chips, Zebra is leading a revolution of the game

Kaitlin O'Toole | Jun 3, 2020

Zebra will be entering its 7th season as the official player tracking technology partner of the NFL. With its radio frequency identification chips – more widely known as RFID chips – embedded in the shoulder pads and footballs, Zebra is leading a data-driven revolution of the game.

That data is translated to the Next Gen Stats site on NFL.com and used in-game broadcasts and displayed on stadium scoreboards. It’s also available to coaches and scouts looking for new ways to gain a competitive advantage. Kaitlin O'Toole talks with Packer Central, Bill Huber on the benefits the technology is providing for the Green Bay team.

Read the full transcript below:

Kaitlin O'Toole: Zebra will be entering its seventh season as the official player tracking technology of the NFL. With its RFID chips embedded in the shoulder pads and footballs, Zebra is leading a data-driven revolution of the game. Joining me now from Packers' Central is Bill Huber. Bill, Zebra is collecting a lot of data from players during games and even practices, possibly giving some teams competitive advantages. How is this technology helping the Packers?

Bill Huber: It's interesting, it’s really top secret. I go back to years past under former coach Mike McCarthy, he used to call it G.P.S. it's not G.P.S. it's RFID. So, it's a totally different thing. But the Packers are one of about ten or twelve teams that use Zebra at their practices. So it's not just a game study. You go to the next-gen stats sites on NFL.com, it's not just that, but Zebra is doing it at practices as well. So it's little things, how quickly can a quarterback close the ball on a receiver? If the linebacker takes a false step forward, how long's it taken to retrieve? It's a lot of little things like that; a lot of possible coaching points.

Zebra Hopes To Lead The Future With Their RFID Chips, implanted in players' equipment. / Courtesy of Zebra Technologies

Kaitlin O'Toole: So let's talk about the future. You know, every week in the NFL, we see calls. It's possibly a wrong first down or a touchdown. Could this technology take the call out of the hands of officials?

Bill Huber: Yeah, I don't think so. You know, the stuff is really amazing, but it's accurate within six inches. When it comes to spotting a football, six inches is not going to do. At this point, the official Zebras are still the best way to go. I think maybe in time maybe technology will catch up. But for now, like it or not, people, the referees will be making those calls.

Kaitlin O'Toole: All right. Well, it's interesting to see how the tech is moving into the football space. Bill, thanks so much for your insight on this. Appreciate it.

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Published Jun 3, 2020

KAITLIN O'TOOLE