Software gives Dallas Cowboys film-study shortcuts
The Dallas Morning News
Aug. 13--OXNARD, Calif. -- There was a time in his career when Wade Phillips had something in common with movie director and producer Ivan Reitman, a training camp visitor last week.
To break down games, Phillips would have to cut up the 16mm film, tape the pieces to a wall and splice it back together with a glue gun.
"The hot splicer was the greatest invention ever," Phillips joked.
Things have changed greatly, and this year the Cowboys are using DVSport, a digital video software.
With a couple of clicks of his mouse, Phillips can have every third down defensive play against four wide receivers that features the quarterback in the shotgun.
"If I want to pull up all the running plays we've had in training camp, I can do it like that," offensive line coach Hudson Houck, a 26-year NFL veteran said, snapping his fingers.
Long gone are the days of the clack-clack from a projector with coaches having to fast-forward or rewind to play No. 40 of a practice or game. Now they can type in play 40 and have it in an instant.
"You're trying to make things as fast and as efficient as possible," said Joe Shoemaker, an account manager for DVSport, who has been with the Cowboys during training camp.
Not only does the DVSport system, which six other NFL teams and countless colleges use, allow the coaches a quicker look at the most recent practice -- every portion except the final team period will be on their laptop after the session ends -- but they can diagram plays, write notes on the screen and then print them out for the players. The coaches have even made suggestions to Shoemaker that he has customized to fit their needs better.
"It's like John Madden," tight ends coach John Garrett said. "We can circle guys, draw arrows, put where everybody is going."
Robert Blackwell is entering his 19th year as director of coaching video with the Cowboys. During practice, he will remain inside the video room and import memory cards into the system, which matches up with the scripts he receives from the coaches before practice.
"Before, we'd drop tapes after every drill," Blackwell said. "Now we drop a card one time, so there's not much back and forth to the field."
