The NFL recently announced that the all-22 coaches’ film will be made available to fans through the league’s Game Rewind package on NFL.com this season.
The all-22 film is something hardcore football enthusiasts and blogger-types like me have been clamoring for for a long time. It gives us access to the same footage that coaches use to evaluate games and players on a week-by-week basis. Theoretically, it should improve football analysis by leaps and bounds.
But will it? The more I thought about it, the more I questioned whether I should be so enthusiastic.
My main worry is that too many people will think they’ve suddenly become football experts because of this new access to coaches’ film. There are plenty of idiots calling themselves football experts already. Might the all-22 film cause even more idiots to come out of the woodwork? Or might the current idiots become even more idiotic and insufferable because of this access?
The answer is probably ‘yes’ to both of those questions.
But in the end, who cares?
Coaches’ film or no coaches’ film, there will always be idiots. Once the all-22 is available, we need to handle the idiots the same we handle them now: Try to tune them out and focus on the analysts and experts that we respect and think do a good job.
The beauty of the barrage of modern-day NFL coverage is the ability to pick and choose who you read/watch/listen to. If you don’t like analyst A, then you can try blogger B. If you can’t stand listening to TV talking head C, then maybe podcast D is more up your alley.
Yes, the all-22 film might mean more idiots, but smart NFL fans will have no problem finding smart coverage.
Packers Links and Other Stuff
- Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote about Jim Bob Morris, a Packers DB who was a replacement player when regular NFL players went on strike in 1987. It’s a great read and I highly recommend it. I also wrote about Jim Bob, and several other Packers replacement players, in last year’s Maple Street Press Packers Annual. You can view that story here. I talked to Jim Bob for over an hour for the story and the guy had some amazing stories. Well, they all had some amazing stories, but Jim Bob probably had the most colorful. It’s good to see he’s still doing well.
- Packers players and coaches stood up for A.J. Hawk in this story from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel’s Tyler Dunne. I also wrote about Hawk and his possible battle for a starting slot with D.J. Smith in training camp. I’m not saying that Hawk should be cut or benched, I just want to see the best football player on the field. If that turns out to be Hawk, great. Hawk usually gets credit for leadership, intelligence and other intangibles. That stuff is nice, but Smith seems smart and more than capable of leading if needed. Hawk shouldn’t automatically get a head start because of his perceived edge in the intangible category.
- Anthony Hargrove is questioning the NFL’s evidence in the Saints bounty scandal. This bounty story is approaching NFL lockout-levels of annoyance. I just don’t care if one rich athlete paid another rich athlete to drill a third rich athlete and possibly injure him. Maybe that makes me a bad person, and I totally understand why the NFL needs to take action to prevent this kind of stuff, but I just don’t care to follow it on a minute-by-minute basis.
- John Rehor at Eat More Cheese asked fans to vote on the worst Packer of all time. This is an awesome way to kill time in the offseason. My vote went to Ahmad Carroll, but good ‘ol Ahmad came in tied for second. Check out the post and see who took home the top prize.
- Acme Packing Co. has a profile of rookie QB B.J. Coleman. I hope B.J. makes the team only because that means the Packers would be one step closer to fielding an entire team of guys with initials for first names.
- Colleen over at Pocket Doppler doesn’t like LeBron James, and she explains why in a reasonable and classy way. Drew Magary of Deadspin and Gawker also doesn’t like LeBron James and he explains why in an unreasonable, hateful and completely classless way. Both Colleen and Drew are right and both posts are very entertaining.
- I bought an iPad this week. So far I’ve figured out how to load my 80s pro wrestling footage onto it and play death metal music on Pandora. I give it three weeks before my wife throws the iPad out the window as we’re speeding down the highway or divorces me. If anybody has any suggestions for good apps that could save my marriage, or at least save my iPad, please leave them in the comments section.
Adam Czech is a a freelance sports reporter living in the Twin Cities and a proud supporter of American corn farmers. When not working, Adam is usually writing about, thinking about or worrying about the Packers. Follow Adam on Twitter. Twitter .
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Worst Packer? Must be an oxymoron. I’d go for a coach if I had to vote. That’d be, Ray “Scooter” Mc Clean. Oh, that was so painful to watch/hear.
The All-22 will indeed bring rise to more football geniuses and annoy many a true football scheme smart person in blog world.But,this isn’t Sunday Ticket and the option to watch every game which keeps fans glued to the TV.
Personally,I’d give it the 1st year with a high buy in and then a dramatic drop off next year,when most fans who think analizing games from this vantage point isn’t as valuable for the time needed to apply to it.
Even Sunday ticket where you can watch 8 games at once,I’d be sure that the number of those don’t, but jump around because of a certain games boring play and for many,analizing will be even more boring.
The down side is for the true football analizer of schemes etc,if the number of buyers drops too much,the NFL will not deem it profitable and end All-22 after a short viewing from the end-zone.
So here’s hoping all the dopes don’t drop out.
The service is already popular, all the NFL is doing is adding more value to the package.
There would be no decline from adding the ability to view coaches tape, it will only serve to bring in those who were on the fence about paying for the premium service, but now feel that coaches’ tape puts it over the top and worth purchasing.
This is a no-brainer for the NFL- they already have the tape, it’s not like they are committing massive resources to provide the footage, it’s already in the can. All they are doing is making it available with an already solidified service. I don’t see them scaling it back once implemented.
This will increase the sales of Rewind and have a nice jump from the fence sitters with the All-22 add on which comes at a price beyond the simple Rewind deal.No doubt the Rewind subscritions will rise but the All-22 IMO,will not sell as high afterwards.Rewatching a game is different than spending the time needed to analize each play less each game.
The new subscribers to Rewind may stay after this audition year of All-22 but the renewal of rewind from them will be less with the All-22.IMO
P.S.
Do we not have to repurchase the Rewind after the SB for the off-season?This is when I think the All-22 will sell at a high rate after the 1st year.
Wondering that myself……
Dude, OOTP is awesome. Been playing since the second version on the PC. I play so much on the PC, I didn’t think I’d bother with the iPad version, but I broke down and got it last week. Made this weekend with the in-laws go by much faster 🙂