3 ms·

It's incredible that they're offering this tape--especially from a computer vision perspective. With enough data, one could conceivably write a program that pre

by law 14y ago

It's incredible that they're offering this tape--especially from a computer vision perspective. With enough data, one could conceivably write a program that predicts a team's next play based on the players' pre-snap formation and the previous plays.

m_myers 14y ago
SportVU [1] already does some interesting work with NBA statistics based on computer vision (see [2]). I wouldn't be surprised to see similar technology in the NFL soon. [1]: http://www.sportvu.com/ http://www.sportvu.com/ [2]: http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/492/492 http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/492/492
thisAintNoGame 14y ago
I actually dont think you could do that because teams need to randomize amongst plays or else defenses would crush them. That is one of the coolest (in my opinion) parts about football is the amount of strategic depth that goes into it. For a quick reference: http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008/06/game-theory-and-runpass-balance.html http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008/06/game-theory-and-runp...
jimmytucson 14y ago
Actually, this kind of thing has been around for a long time. Football Outsiders does game charting and "advanced NFL statistics". People have published papers on using artificial neural networks to predict play calling, success rates, even injuries and stuff like that. But this does give us the ability to enrich the data quite a bit. When you watch the live film you really can't see who blew a coverage where or why the safety didn't get to the running back in time to make a tackle. I think if you just watch the TV angles then you might not be convinced that pump fakes actually do anything to confuse the defense. There's a lot to be gained here by statisticians and casual fans alike but it's hard to see that when only 1/3 of the action is visible at any given time.
- icelancer 14y ago
  Football Outsiders abuses the use of statistics and engages in data snooping (the "study" on running backs comes to mind) to make their points. They're far, far behind organizations and people who have lent credence to sports analytics, like Baseball Prospectus, Tom Tango, Pete Palmer, Bill James, etc.
  - jimmytucson 14y ago
    I agree with you (although your comment sounds almost ranting) but you kinda have to mention them in any conversation about using data to understand football... even if it's not used properly.

by law 14y ago

m_myers 14y ago

SportVU [1] already does some interesting work with NBA statistics based on computer vision (see [2]). I wouldn't be surprised to see similar technology in the NFL soon. [1]: http://www.sportvu.com/ http://www.sportvu.com/ [2]: http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/492/492 http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/492/492

thisAintNoGame 14y ago

I actually dont think you could do that because teams need to randomize amongst plays or else defenses would crush them. That is one of the coolest (in my opinion) parts about football is the amount of strategic depth that goes into it. For a quick reference: http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008/06/game-theory-and-runpass-balance.html http://www.advancednflstats.com/2008/06/game-theory-and-runp...

jimmytucson 14y ago

Actually, this kind of thing has been around for a long time. Football Outsiders does game charting and "advanced NFL statistics". People have published papers on using artificial neural networks to predict play calling, success rates, even injuries and stuff like that. But this does give us the ability to enrich the data quite a bit. When you watch the live film you really can't see who blew a coverage where or why the safety didn't get to the running back in time to make a tackle. I think if you just watch the TV angles then you might not be convinced that pump fakes actually do anything to confuse the defense. There's a lot to be gained here by statisticians and casual fans alike but it's hard to see that when only 1/3 of the action is visible at any given time.

icelancer 14y ago
Football Outsiders abuses the use of statistics and engages in data snooping (the "study" on running backs comes to mind) to make their points. They're far, far behind organizations and people who have lent credence to sports analytics, like Baseball Prospectus, Tom Tango, Pete Palmer, Bill James, etc.
- jimmytucson 14y ago
  I agree with you (although your comment sounds almost ranting) but you kinda have to mention them in any conversation about using data to understand football... even if it's not used properly.