NFL players to use tablet computers during games NFL adds tablet computers, secure wireless networks to assist players, coaches and officials during games

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When you see Colin Kaepernick pick up a tablet computer on the sidelines this season, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback won't be tweeting.

Instead, Kaepernick and other NFL players will be using a new digital photo system that could eventually replace the league's decades-old method of studying opponents from the sidelines using printed black-and-white photos.

The Sideline Viewing System, developed as part of a reported $400 million partnership between the NFL and Microsoft, is one of the on-field technologies the league is introducing this year.

The referees are also going wireless so they can talk with each other without huddling, and coaches will sport new Bose headsets.

But the appearance of Microsoft Surface tablets marks the first time players and coaches can legally use such electronic devices on the field during the game. The tablets will come into play for the first time Sunday night, when the New York Giants and Buffalo Bills play in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio.

"We think it's an opportunity to use technology to improve the game on the field," said NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy.

For years, teams have used printed photographs to learn how their opponents lined up before the ball was snapped. The photos are organized in three-ring binders for players to study between offensive or defensive series.

In earlier days, coaches sent Polaroid shots to the field using a long wire strung from the upper deck or press box to the sidelines. That delivery system provided enough time for the self-developing film to produce a picture.

More recently, teams employed fax machines and sideline printers connected by fiber-optic cable, McCarthy said.

But while printed black-and-whites take 20 to 30 seconds to get to the field, the new digital system can transmit color pictures to the tablets in four to five seconds, said Microsoft spokesman Ryan Luckin.

And with the tablets, players can enlarge the photo, compare up to four images on one screen, and use a stylus to draw passing routes or highlight missed blocking assignments. Players and coaches can also bookmark plays to refer to them later in the game.

Secure network

Each team will have 13 Surfaces on the sidelines and 12 in the coaches box. The league owns and operates the tablets, which run on a secure wireless network. The devices will be locked in a temperature-controlled cart between games to prevent any team from manipulating the information.

The NFL embraced instant-replay reviews in 1999, but has been slow to adopt other technology to avoid competitive imbalances.

The league's competition committee placed restrictions on the Surface tablets: They can display only still images, not video, and they won't have Internet access.

"We want to make sure the players are deciding wins and losses, not technology," Luckin said.

And the sideline printers aren't being sacked just yet. They'll remain for coaches who aren't ready to tackle the digital images.

"If I'm a coach and I've won multiple Super Bowl championships with this perfectly usable paper system, it would be a disadvantage to take that away from me if I don't want to use this," Luckin said. "We're keeping the playing field level."

Microsoft is getting some free TV advertising by outfitting the tablets with sky-blue cases clearly labeled "Surface." But Microsoft's main motivation is what the Redmond, Wash., company receives from its partnership with the NFL: a reported $400 million, five-year deal. That includes interactive content to help sell Xbox home video game consoles.

New technology

When the regular season starts, Microsoft's Xbox Live network will offer services that include video feeds of game highlights and fantasy football data. Xbox owners will also gain access to NFL Sunday Ticket, the league's package of out-of-market game telecasts that was previously available only to DirecTV satellite service subscribers.

Apart from Microsoft, the league is adding new technology of its own.

Officiating crews will have their own wireless communications network so they can confer on penalty calls without having to huddle, or one having to run yards downfield to talk to another. International soccer referees have long had similar setups.

And on-field officials will be able to talk directly with instant-replay officials at NFL headquarters in New York, McCarthy said.

The referees and players will also wear chips in their clothing to track their locations on the field.

Radio-frequency identification, or RFID, transmitters in the shoulder pads of players will give the league and fans data on their performance, including how fast they accelerate and how far they run.

The NFL teamed up with Zebra Technologies of Lincolnshire, Ill., to develop the system, which will be installed in Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, O.co Coliseum in Oakland, NRG Stadium in Houston and 14 other stadiums. The 49ers and Detroit Lions tested the system during home games last season.

"Working with Zebra will give fans, teams, coaches and players a deeper look into the game they love," Vishal Shah, NFL vice president of media strategy, said in a news release.

Those innovations are all a long way from the Polaroid-on-a-wire days, McCarthy said.

"We were looking to balance innovation with tradition, and we think we can marry the two here and improve it," he said.