New on SI: Zebra Enters Its 7th Year With The NFL

Zebra Enters Its 7th Year With The NFL And Still Leads To Revolutionize The Game With Its RFID Chips

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. 

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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