
Matt Breida was clocked as the fastest ball-carrier in the NFL during the 2018 regular season, according to NFL Next Gen stats. The 49ers running back blazed at 22.09 mph on a 33-yard carry against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 25.
NBC Sports Bay Area recently was invited to find out how that data was generated.
In the back of an unassuming one-story building in San Jose, about 10 minutes away from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, you'll see a Zebra decal on a glass door, along with a sign that reads “deliveries only.” What happens inside, though, isn't exactly what you’d expect.
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There's the usual room of cubicles that you'd see in any office setting, but in the back of the building is a command center with several television screens mounted on a wall, along with two rows of desks. Each desk has multiple monitors on it, making it look like a mini version of NASA.
This is where each NFL game is monitored in real time by data points, as well as by the television broadcast you see at home. Next Gen also has a team of analysts in attendance at every live game, entering play-by-play data.
Zebra Technologies provides all of the data for the NFL Next Gen stats that you see during game-day broadcasts and postgame shows. When you see a halo around a player and/or a digital trail of their path, it's generated from the equipment that Zebra Technologies developed and its team of analysts delivered.
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They've also started providing data of the personnel on the field for every play. Player names and positions appear above the ticker at the bottom of the screen during the broadcast. They're able to do this by individually tracking each player.
On game days, each player wears shoulder pads that have two battery-operated tags embedded into the epaulets. Offensive linemen have a third tag in the middle of their back for better tracking while in a three-point stance. Each football and pylon, and every set of sticks and chains also has a built-in tracking device.
These tags facilitate the ability to monitor movements, velocity and down and distance. Because playing fields are re-painted and not in the exact same position each time, the pylons set the framing for each game's data.
All 32 NFL teams use this system during game days, and one-third of them use the same technology during practice. It not only can provide data on the accuracy of a player’s route running but also their speed. For instance, if a player’s speed significantly drops off in the fourth quarter, the team knows that the player might have sustained an injury ... or needs to improve his conditioning.
The same goes for a quarterback’s endurance. Because of the tags placed inside the football -- they weigh 3 grams, so they don't affect the ball's movement -- the NFL Next Gen team can track the speed and accuracy of a throw, which can indicate a rise or drop in a quarterback’s performance. They also can track “tight window” throws, or how close defensive backs are to where the ball is thrown.
Another interesting use of NFL Next Gen stats comes in recording yards after catch for receivers. 49ers tight end George Kittle led the league with 881 yards after catch. NFL Next Gen charts allow you to see all of his routes, where he caught the ball and how far he ran afterward.
[RELATED: Kittle named AP All-Pro second team]
2018 marked the fifth season that this technology has been used in some form with the NFL. It will be used for the second time in the upcoming Senior Bowl, where the 49ers will coach the South team. This can provide team scouts with valuable information they can’t get from standard NFL combine events such as the 40-yard dash and the bench press.
As technology continues to evolve, keep an eye out for everything Zebra Technologies is doing. It might become the NFL's version of "Moneyball."