Tampa Bay Bucs Using iPads for Game Film and Playbooks

MacRumors · Aug 25, 2011

It's not just pilots who are finding iPads help them at work. Football players are too.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have given all 90 of their players iPad 2s, loaded with playbooks, and practice and situational videos from any NFL team. The iPads are considerably easier to use, and carry around, than thick books the size of Yellow Pages, and spending hours sitting around a projector watching game film.

Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris:

With this iPad, I can just flick through, and if that play doesn't apply to me, I just touch it and get out of there and go here, and there's third down. Get out of there, and let's go to the red zone. Okay, there's the nickel. It's a different deal now.

It goes further than simply being more convenient. The younger players grew up using technology much more than their veteran counterparts. Today's football players grew up playing the Madden video game series and are very comfortable with technology like the iPad. Running back Earnest Graham:

It's not that guys don't want to look at plays, but it's the convenience ... Guys are accustomed to already doing things on their iPads anyway.

But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret.

(<em>Image via Justin S./Shutterstock)

Article Link: Tampa Bay Bucs Using iPads for Game Film and Playbooks

marksman · Aug 25, 2011

It is awesome. Not to mention they could attach actual game footage to the plays so players could see the film.

Really good idea.

hobo.hopkins · Aug 25, 2011

MacRumors said:
But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret.

That's really cool. Sounds like an iPad fits the bill perfectly for their needs.

jrtc27 · Aug 25, 2011

But yet when the word "playbook" is used in the context of an iPad nobody thinks it's a terrible name?

blizaine · Aug 25, 2011

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5302b Safari/7534.48.3)

I bet RIM is pissed that iPads are being used as Playbooks.

Navdakilla · Aug 25, 2011

As soon as I saw this article (being a football fan). I thought of what would happen if they lost their ipad (there was a huge spygate scandel recently, related to cheating, and finding out play calls)

Then I read this
"But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret. "

Perfect idea

accessoriesguy · Aug 25, 2011

Navdakilla said:
Then I read this
"But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret. "

This would actually make it a lot easier to keep things secret, only the coaches and players would have access to the play data. That's already opening up opportunities in a field of other industries!

alectheking · Aug 25, 2011

except for the fact the Find my iPhone can be completely disabled in what? 3, maybe 4 taps of the screen? Not to mention there is absolutely no way to password protect the feature from being disabled. It should have a lock setting just like the actual "pass code" pane in the settings. Not all of us want to pass code protect our phones everytime it locks.

nylonsteel · Aug 25, 2011

re original article
it was bound to happen

SBlue1 · Aug 25, 2011

whats that software for creating the plays?

*LTD* · Aug 25, 2011

Some "toy", huh?

iPads are finding new roles every day, from the medical community, to airline industry, to sports industry, etc.

This was bound to happen, but a lot of the naysayers have all the imagination of buried rock.

BJMRamage · Aug 25, 2011

Oh wow! Awesome.
It really makes sense though. Players are probably more visual than a learner from reading and page turning. Kids growing up now grasp the video game/computer screen so easily compared to words/images on paper. And making it interactive for the players too. Awesome.

Laughing at the idea of a Playbook on an iPad, not a playbook.

SavMBP15 · Aug 25, 2011

iPlaypad

mrtune · Aug 25, 2011

alectheking said:
except for the fact the Find my iPhone can be completely disabled in what? 3, maybe 4 taps of the screen? Not to mention there is absolutely no way to password protect the feature from being disabled. It should have a lock setting just like the actual "pass code" pane in the settings. Not all of us want to pass code protect our phones everytime it locks.

Well at least it offers some sort of protection.

If you had the old school binder full of plays and lost that what then? You have no options.

I think is a great idea. I bet more teams will follow suit in the coming years.

ls1dreams · Aug 25, 2011

ummmmm

I don't get it.

People are advertising all of these "new" uses for ipads.

Couldn't all of this be done before on a laptop? (airline pilots maps, these playbooks, etc)?

The only difference is the ipad is slightly lighter and smaller. As a man, I would have to carry both around in a messenger type bag anyway, so I don't really see the big deal.

SBlue1 · Aug 25, 2011

ls1dreams said:
I don't get it.

People are advertising all of these "new" uses for ipads.

Couldn't all of this be done before on a laptop? (airline pilots maps, these playbooks, etc)?

The only difference is the ipad is slightly lighter and smaller. As a man, I would have to carry both around in a messenger type bag anyway, so I don't really see the big deal.

its just instantly on whenever you need it. no need to boot for a minute or two. big difference to a laptop.

mscriv · Aug 25, 2011

Sweet! Josh Freeman, the Bucs QB, is my fantasy QB in one of my leagues this year. I hope this tech advantage results in increased production and more fantasy points.

tlevier · Aug 25, 2011

alectheking said:
except for the fact the Find my iPhone can be completely disabled in what? 3, maybe 4 taps of the screen? Not to mention there is absolutely no way to password protect the feature from being disabled. It should have a lock setting just like the actual "pass code" pane in the settings. Not all of us want to pass code protect our phones everytime it locks.

Actually, if the Find my iPad feature is linked to an email account like my iPhone is to mobileME, you can apply a restriction that changes to email accounts are not permitted. To change restrictions, you need a passcode.

4 taps just went out the window.

TheOrioles33 · Aug 25, 2011

*LTD* said:
Some "toy", huh?

iPads are finding new roles every day, from the medical community, to airline industry, to sports industry, etc.

This was bound to happen, but a lot of the naysayers have all the imagination of buried rock.

I agree 100%. I'm so SICK of hearing people say the iPad is an overprice toy. Narrow minded idiots.

----------

tlevier said:
Actually, if the Find my iPad feature is linked to an email account like my iPhone is to mobileME, you can apply a restriction that changes to email accounts are not permitted. To change restrictions, you need a passcode.

4 taps just went out the window.

I'm each one will be required to have a lock code.

Apple OC · Aug 25, 2011

The Bucs need all the help they can get ... Go Cowboys

TheOrioles33 · Aug 25, 2011

ls1dreams said:
I don't get it.

People are advertising all of these "new" uses for ipads.

Couldn't all of this be done before on a laptop? (airline pilots maps, these playbooks, etc)?

The only difference is the ipad is slightly lighter and smaller. As a man, I would have to carry both around in a messenger type bag anyway, so I don't really see the big deal.

Would you rather hold a bulky laptop the whole game that would probably die before the game ended or a nice light iPad?

tlevier · Aug 25, 2011

TheOrioles33 said:
I agree 100%. I'm so SICK of hearing people say the iPad is an overprice toy. Narrow minded idiots.

I think you misheard them. I think people say that it's "overpriced as a toy". If you can find a productive use for it, the price is fantastic.

ugahairydawgs · Aug 25, 2011

Navdakilla said:
As soon as I saw this article (being a football fan). I thought of what would happen if they lost their ipad (there was a huge spygate scandel recently, related to cheating, and finding out play calls)

Then I read this
"But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret. "

Perfect idea

Unless the thief just removes the Find my iPad app.

BC2009 · Aug 25, 2011

alectheking said:
except for the fact the Find my iPhone can be completely disabled in what? 3, maybe 4 taps of the screen? Not to mention there is absolutely no way to password protect the feature from being disabled. It should have a lock setting just like the actual "pass code" pane in the settings. Not all of us want to pass code protect our phones everytime it locks.

mrtune said:
Well at least it offers some sort of protection.

If you had the old school binder full of plays and lost that what then? You have no options.

I think is a great idea. I bet more teams will follow suit in the coming years.

tlevier said:
Actually, if the Find my iPad feature is linked to an email account like my iPhone is to mobileME, you can apply a restriction that changes to email accounts are not permitted. To change restrictions, you need a passcode.

4 taps just went out the window.

1) Tap Settings
2) Tap General
3) Tap Restrictions
4) Tap "Enable Restrictions"
5) Enter Passcode
6) Confirm Passcode
7) Tap Accounts
8) Tap "Don't Allow Changes"

Those 8 steps will prevent anybody from disabling your "Find my iPad" without shutting down the device completely and then trying to extract the data by some other means. Requires a bit more expertise than thumbing through paper.

EDIT: As KnightWRX points out, putting the device in "Airplane Mode" will disable the "Find my iPhone" / "Find my iPad" feature. That stinks.

tlevier · Aug 25, 2011

Completely Secure

ugahairydawgs said:
Unless the thief just removes the Find my iPad app.

The find my iPad app only let's you find your iPad (which is not in your hands). The tracking feature is built into the email client, which can be locked down by restrictions. Even if what you suggested were true, you could set a restriction to dis-allow deleting apps. Changing restrictions requires a passcode. You can also set a passcode to unlock the iPad. That makes it a completely information secure device.

Tampa Bay Bucs Using iPads for Game Film and Playbooks

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