xwalker
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Cool.According to next gen stats they have sensors on the players (and possibly the ball, not sure) and multiple devices around the field to record their exact positions in real time. It's also how they know exactly how fast the players are running, how long it takes for a QB to throw the ball after the snap etc...
From the website: NFL player tracking, also known as Next Gen Stats, is the capture of real time location data, speed and acceleration for every player, every play on every inch of the field. Sensors throughout the stadium track tags placed on players' shoulder pads, charting individual movements within inches.
I design electronics and that includes systems with many and various types of sensors.
Some things like the players speed would be straight forward to implement; however, determining the coverage spacing of an NFL WR and CB would be very difficult to do accurately. At what point do you measure it? How do you handle routes where there was no pass to that WR? Coverage backs off in some situations where the ball is obviously not coming to that WR (i.e. DBs often drop one WR and help with another before the ball arrives). Different routes would have different meanings to spacing. A WR might be open with a small amount of spacing on a 3 yard quick slant but that same spacing on a deep sideline pass would not be enough. If one WR runs mostly slants and another runs mostly deep routes then the averages have less meaning.
A dynamic diagram (video) of routes using sensor data would be interesting but boiling spacing down to a single number is unlikely to have much actual meaning.


