THE EYE IN THE SKY DOESN'T LIE

Seldom noticed by fans but highly regarded by teams are the cameras that sit high atop practice and games on a daily basis. Football is like a car engine with so many moving parts that it's hard to keep up with everything going on if you're a Head Coach like Marvin Lewis or coordinator like Hue Jackson or Paul Guenther.

So how do you evaluate, review and even assess schemes, packages and their effectiveness? Technology certainly is your friend and your eyes give you the close-ups you need but when you need to see all the moving parts at once there is nothing better than the Eye in the Sky. This addition to football and others necessary activities has become a fixture for a lot of valuable reasons. And maybe one day the drone(s) may retire the crane but certainly not the camera. The amount of information it yields is priceless and even on game day the camera that sits high atop the field is sending coverage information that allows team to possibly adjust or initiate plans to succeed.

When novice football fans ask for tickets they certainly tell on themselves by asking to be as close to the field as possible. Real football fans, those that know the game want to be elevated in order to see as many moving parts as possible. If the team is in a cover 2 zone, you can see whose out of position, or if a safety rushes to play run and it's play action you can see a speedy receiver already with an advantage before the quarterback throws the ball. On offense did a lineman get his hands on the defensive player or a fullback pick up an on coming blitz? Depending on how close you are or how fast your eyes can move you may miss it but not the Eye In The Sky. When it comes time to break down film, review the game or put in packages, coaches have to see as much as possible and that is the value of that single camera and camera man high up on the crane. To capture what the eye on the ground might miss and as the pro players and coaches will tell you: "The Eye in the Sky Doesn't Lie" and that's good for those who make great plays and not so good for those who don't. For those trying to make the team, prove themselves or hang around another year it could be your friend or foe. But one things for sure it will always be there for the proof; the whole proof and nothing but the proof. That's the way I see it sitting in The Box Seat. I'm Wayne Box Miller.