Dein erstes Forum » ated that on Sunday, saying: I feel this

Robots are invading NFL training camps.Actually, they are the love children of robots and tackling dummies, and they are not technological fads.The Pittsburgh Steelers, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens have placed orders for a batch of Mobile Virtual Players for their camps later this month, according to MVP president John Currier. Each robot, costing about $8,000, weighs between 160 and 180 pounds, runs a 5-second 40-yard dash and cuts in the open field.In May, the Steelers showcased their experiment with the MVPs on their website, while the rival Ravens tested theirs in secret. The Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears also have inquired about using them in the future.What started as an experiment at Dartmouth College football practices to promote safe tackling is now a full-fledged business that is penetrating the highest levels of football.The NFLs flirtation with technology can be fickle. Remember the drone experiment? Exactly.This seems different, though. At the least, teams see functionality and the chance to rest players.They have a future, said one NFL assistant coach whose team has tested the robots. A few kinks to be worked out, but you can find ways to make them work for you.To separate gimmick from game-changer, lets dive into some questions about the robots and their viability at the NFL level. For guidance, we consulted the people from the MVP company and a few NFL observers who have tested the product.So what is it exactly?The MVP is a tackling dummy made of foam rubber thats controlled by a remote, which teams can operate. The engine, built into the base of the dummy, is protected by a cushion. It runs on two small skateboard-like wheels. The dummies birthplace is the Dartmouth campus in Hanover, New Hampshire. Dartmouth coach Buddy Teevens and former player Elliot Kastner were the catalysts for developing the technology. Now the dummies are manufactured at Rogers Athletic in Farwell, Michigan, and transported by truck to your NFL doorstep, usually two or three at a time.How did teams find out about this?Steelers coach Mike Tomlin stumbled across a YouTube video of the dummies and inquired about them to staffer Dan Rooney, who played quarterback for the Big Green. The Ravens declined comment on the MVPs, but word of mouth was spreading. Teevens first heard from now-49ers coach Chip Kelly about potentially using the robots over a year ago.Whats the appeal?The dummy is relatively easy to use and requires less manpower to run a practice. Most spring rosters are 90 players, and everyone can get more reps if the dummies are doing the dirty work, such as simulating scout-team formations. Picture a set screen play, with the defensive players taking their angles and the dummy streaking down the sideline. The dummy is perfect for such a noncontact setting, Steelers linebacker Arthur Moats said. It has good speed on it, so youre not running your players to death, Moats said. Youre not going to want to run that fast all practice. It saves players legs.But isnt the point of a tackling dummy for ... tackling?Yes. In fact, the Dartmouth staff implemented the use of the dummies mostly to eliminate helmet contact. Falcons media relations director Brian Cearns said his coach, Dan Quinn, is interested in using the robots for the same reason. The MVPs are forgiving but take a little force to move because of the weight, Teevens said.Where does concussion prevention come into play?Well, this area is harder to evaluate, because NFL teams dont hit much in practices anymore, and the dummies dont have sensors to track where on the body players routinely hit. Dartmouth is exploring the addition of accelerometers that would measure the magnitude of hits, Teevens said. But even with the base model, the concept of hitting a soft moving target could help mitigate potential damage. Medical science is becoming aware that [the brain disease] CTE is related to a history of many subconcussive hits and not just the bell-ringers that make the highlight reel, Currier said. Its that reduction -- hopefully near elimination -- of the repetitive, subconcussive hits in practice that may be the greatest contribution of MVP.Whats the downside?Once he got over the paranoia of rolling an ankle when tackling engine-powered machinery, Moats had one concern upon first glance -- the dummy cant truly simulate player movements and reactions of a shifty player. It looks different, feels different and isnt all that natural, Moats said. You know, a dummy is standing straight up -- a running back or receiver wont be standing that way, Moats said. So its not really a football play. They can advance the technology to simulate the real play, perhaps. So as far as straight line, its really good. Side to side is the issue.But problems can be fixed, right?Yep. The product can improve its authenticity on the field. It also has some goofy arms that can be attached to the sides with Velcro. After gathering feedback from the Steelers and Ravens, MVP transported its dummies to the Rogers lab for tweaks. MVP wants the dummies to maintain high-level speed while simulating open-field cuts. We want it to be evasive, Currier said. Thats part of its value. We want it to shift directly sideways for elusive purposes.What about quarterback play?If a coach is creative and wants to buy, say, 11 robots, perhaps he can disguise blitzes at the line of scrimmage to confuse a young quarterback in offseason work. That would require deft remote work from the sidelines, but thats sort of the point -- Tomlin says the experimental options are endless. You just really put it on the field and watch the guys and they show you the applications, he said. They say, Hey, get it to do this.Five years from now, will most teams be using these?We wont know that answer until after this years training camps, but heres what we do know: Teams are meticulous about player usage. Many teams track every step of practice. Now the dummies can do some of the running for you. Clearance Asics Shoes Ireland . -- Ryan Getzlaf grabbed the three pucks wrapped in tape and held them up to his chest in the Anaheim Ducks dressing room for a celebration nine seasons in the making. Asics Shoes Ireland Online . The Olympic champion curler and TSN curling analyst immediately went online to look at the Halls long list of honoured members. Thats when the enormity of the honour sunk in. http://www.asicssaleireland.com/ . -- Teemu Selanne scored the first goal of his 22nd NHL season, and the Anaheim Ducks extended the best start in franchise history with their fifth straight victory, 3-2 over the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night. Discount Asics Ireland . -- Ty Montgomery had 290 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, and fifth-ranked Stanford held on to beat No. Asics Shoes Ireland On Sale ., and Rudi Swiegers of Kipling, Sask., took sixth spot on Saturday in pairs at the NHK Trophy ISU Grand Prix figure skating competition. ARCALIS, Andorra -- The Tour de France did more than challenge the peloton with its punishing menu of Pyreneans climbs on Sunday. The extreme conditions that suddenly switched from searing heat and humidity to rain and hail and a huge drop in temperature showcased what resilience is required to race in the world biggest and hardest bike race.Whether British race leader and defending champion Chris Froome (Sky) wins a third Tour title or not, the 184.5-kilometer ninth stage from Vielha Val DAran in Spain to Andorra Arcalis will be remembered for a long time -- especially for how the riders up front in separate battles for the stage win and overall classification still fought so fiercely despite the harsh conditions.Froome, who defended the yellow leaders jersey he took on Saturday with his Stage 8 win to Bagnères-de-Luchon, summed up what the experience he and his rivals experienced as the conditions suddenly shifted as they rode up the last of five mountains to the finish.That was a tough stage and the weather made it even tougher, Froome said after. One second there, we were pouring water over our heads and ice socks down the back, and then the next minute we literally had ice falling from the sky with the hail stones and the temperatures dropped right down to 10 degrees. So it was from one extreme to another.The day was still a success for Froome, with his overall lead again reflecting his teams brilliant work to control the stage before the finale, as much as his ability to account for a number of attacks on the last climb to Arcalis when the conditions were at their worst.The stage was won by Dutchman Tom Dumoulin (Giant-Alpacin) with a daring solo attack that saw him cross the finish line in virtual darkness 38 seconds clear of Portugals Rui Costa (Lampre-Merida) and Polands Rafael Majka (Tinkoff), who finished at the same time as Costa, then a string of other riders who were remnants from an earlier 20-rider breakaway.Froome was 11th at 6:35 and finished with Briton Adam Yates (Orica-BikeExchange) in 10th and Colombian Nairo Quintana (Movistar) in 12th at the same time.Then, two seconds back, were three more riders who had been with Froome, Yates and Quintana up until the last 50 metres of the stage: Australian Richie Porte (BMC) in13th, Irelands Dan Martin (Etixx-QuickStep) in 14th, and Spaniard Jesus Herrada (Movistar).As expected, the Queen Stage of the three in the Pyrenees impacted overall places.Froome still leads overall by 16 seconds on second-place Yates, while Martin has moved up from fourth overall to third at 19 seconds, Quintana from sixth to fourth at 23 seconds and Frenchman Romain Bardet (Ag2r-La Mondiale) from ninth to sixth at 44 seconds after a day that saw him finish 17th at 6:56 but benefit from time losses by several higher-placed riders.The worst to fare was Alberto Contador (Tinkoff), the 2007 and 2009 Tour champion who abandoned with 100 kilometers to go despite showing signs that he might have recovered from his injuries in crashes on stages one and two by getting into an early break.Australian Richie Porte (BMC), who began the stage in 18th place overall at 2:08, is now 14th overall; however, he was at 2:10 after the stage in which he and Martin were the prrincipal attackers in the yellow jersey group on the final climb.ddddddddddddBut left to lament were Spaniard Alejandro Valverde (Movistar), who finished 23rd at 7:17 after getting in to a break with Valverde and fell from fifth overall at 19 seconds to 10th at 1:01; Italian Fabio Aru (Astana), who was 27th at 7:35 and dropped from seventh at 23 seconds to 13th at 1:23, and American Tejay van Garderen (BMC), who was 21st on the stage at the same time as Valverde, fell from eighth overall at 23 seconds to 11th and also at 1:01.It was long and super-hot and then it got super-cold at the finish, Van Garderen said. It was just a hard day off the back of a hard day, so I think Richie [Porte] and I did pretty well. Richie was obviously a lot better than me, but we just look forward. Its been nine hard days of racing, so fatigue definitely starts going into play, but its still the first week.The first real mountain day of the Tour I always tend to struggle [in] more than the other ones. So I think it can only get better from here. Any one of the stages could be an opportunity to gain back time, the mountains, the time trials, so Ill just take it as it comes.Froome had in fact hoped to gain time on the final climb Sunday, but when the rally of attacks came from the likes of Porte, Martin and Yates, he found himself needing to reel them in and be satisfied to just finish with his rivals and preserve the lead he has.However, he expected an attack from Quintana, his runner-up in 2013 and last year, and said he was surprised that the Colombian failed to react, other than follow him.I was waiting for his attack all the way to the last kilometre, he said. In the last kilometre I thought, He hasnt attacked, that he was saving it for one big move. Id like to think he was on his limit. It was a tough day. He stuck to my wheel like glue by the look of it.Froome will by no means leave the Pyrenees feeling a third Tour win is a fait accompli. Like all in the peloton, he will welcome the first rest day of the Tour on Monday.However, awaiting is Thursdays Stage 12 finish at the summit of Mont Ventoux, which is followed by the 37.5km Stage 13 time trial the next day, and some brutal days in the Alps.Before the Tours start, Froome rated this Tour campaign as his hardest. He reiterated that on Sunday, saying: I feel this will be the biggest battle of my career. I figure that is what it is turning out to be. By no means did I expect it would be easy and I would ride away from everyone. The level is higher. I am going to have to fight for every second.Froome is expecting he will also need his team to continue riding as it did on Sunday.It was a great day for us, happy to still be in yellow after such a tough two days like that. My teammates did such a good job ... They just took control of the race, even when we were under a lot of pressure at the start with Valverde and Contador going in that break, he added. We waited for our guys to come back after the first climb and then we went after them. The guys have ridden so, so well. I owe it to the that I am still in the yellow this evening. ' ' '