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Cowboys Stadium's overhanging video scoreboard could provide safety, strategy issues
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By John Clayton
ESPN.com
Dan in Duluth, Minn., sides with Jerry Jones on the Dallas Cowboys' scoreboard controversy.
He notes that Cowboys Stadium's high-definition screen is mounted 90 feet above the field -- five feet above the league specifications for an overhanging structure. Dan supports the idea that the Cowboys mounted the scoreboard with the full understanding that it complied with the approved limits, so it would be unfair of the NFL to ask Cowboys owner Jones to pay considerable money to fix it.
As it turns out, you are right, Dan, but give me a chance to expound on the issue. League commissioner Roger Goodell isn't going to force any change in the scoreboard in 2009. Last week the NFL ruled that the down will be replayed and clock will be reset if a football hits the overhanging video display board. The league can review the issue after the season.
While Jones did more than comply with the league standards, the 85-foot standard really doesn't make any sense. Every visiting punter who has been through there so far has hit the scoreboard, at least in warm-ups.
The overhanging scoreboard produces a safety problem because a replayed down further exposes players to potential injury: Another special-teams play means more high-speed collisions. It's a competitive advantage for the Cowboys because opposing punters who rely on high hang time might not be able to angle their kicks without hitting the scoreboard on certain spots on the field.
In my opinion, the reason the league requirement is 85 feet is that few people considered the potential problems created by punters. Though the Louisiana Superdome has an overhanging scoreboard, it is reportedly mounted much higher than the 90 feet in Jerry's stadium. The current group of punters might be the strongest in league history. Ninety feet is only 30 yards in altitude. It's only natural to think they can get 30 yards into the air on a punt to get the high hang time. It's pretty apparent Jones didn't include a punting consultant when he did environmental impact studies on the scoreboard.
In reality, the height should be somewhere between 100 and 110 feet, but determined after extensive testing by professional kickers.
As the story is told, Texas Stadium -- the Cowboys' old home -- was built with an opening in the middle of the roof so God could look down on his favorite team. The 90-foot gap between the new Cowboys Stadium field and the scoreboard is like a cloud that's blocking logic. If a punter can hit the scoreboard, Jones should move it.
What I'd like to see is a visiting quarterback hit the scoreboard with 30 seconds remaining and no timeouts and see if he can get a dead-ball ruling that is mandated for punts that hit the scoreboard. The quarterback can do this by rolling out of the pocket and firing the ball at the scoreboard. As long as he is outside the pocket and the ball is past the line of scrimmage, there can't be any intentional grounding calls.
In fact, would it not be out of line for a team with no timeouts to just throw to hit the scoreboard after each first down to reset the clock. If the scoreboard costs the Cowboys a chance to win a home game, you'll see how embarrassing the result will be.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4433919
Comment Email Print Share
By John ClaytonESPN.com
Dan in Duluth, Minn., sides with Jerry Jones on the Dallas Cowboys' scoreboard controversy.
He notes that Cowboys Stadium's high-definition screen is mounted 90 feet above the field -- five feet above the league specifications for an overhanging structure. Dan supports the idea that the Cowboys mounted the scoreboard with the full understanding that it complied with the approved limits, so it would be unfair of the NFL to ask Cowboys owner Jones to pay considerable money to fix it.
As it turns out, you are right, Dan, but give me a chance to expound on the issue. League commissioner Roger Goodell isn't going to force any change in the scoreboard in 2009. Last week the NFL ruled that the down will be replayed and clock will be reset if a football hits the overhanging video display board. The league can review the issue after the season.
While Jones did more than comply with the league standards, the 85-foot standard really doesn't make any sense. Every visiting punter who has been through there so far has hit the scoreboard, at least in warm-ups.
The overhanging scoreboard produces a safety problem because a replayed down further exposes players to potential injury: Another special-teams play means more high-speed collisions. It's a competitive advantage for the Cowboys because opposing punters who rely on high hang time might not be able to angle their kicks without hitting the scoreboard on certain spots on the field.
In my opinion, the reason the league requirement is 85 feet is that few people considered the potential problems created by punters. Though the Louisiana Superdome has an overhanging scoreboard, it is reportedly mounted much higher than the 90 feet in Jerry's stadium. The current group of punters might be the strongest in league history. Ninety feet is only 30 yards in altitude. It's only natural to think they can get 30 yards into the air on a punt to get the high hang time. It's pretty apparent Jones didn't include a punting consultant when he did environmental impact studies on the scoreboard.
In reality, the height should be somewhere between 100 and 110 feet, but determined after extensive testing by professional kickers.
As the story is told, Texas Stadium -- the Cowboys' old home -- was built with an opening in the middle of the roof so God could look down on his favorite team. The 90-foot gap between the new Cowboys Stadium field and the scoreboard is like a cloud that's blocking logic. If a punter can hit the scoreboard, Jones should move it.
What I'd like to see is a visiting quarterback hit the scoreboard with 30 seconds remaining and no timeouts and see if he can get a dead-ball ruling that is mandated for punts that hit the scoreboard. The quarterback can do this by rolling out of the pocket and firing the ball at the scoreboard. As long as he is outside the pocket and the ball is past the line of scrimmage, there can't be any intentional grounding calls.
In fact, would it not be out of line for a team with no timeouts to just throw to hit the scoreboard after each first down to reset the clock. If the scoreboard costs the Cowboys a chance to win a home game, you'll see how embarrassing the result will be.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/trainingcamp09/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=4433919
