The Cowboys Stadium video board seems to be a problem

[IrishTex]

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d149/LewP/boys-video-board.jpg

It seems that as fancy as the new Cowboys Stadium is, there is going to be lots of controversy with the new video board and punters punting the ball and hitting the board.

In the third quarter, Titans backup punter A.J. Trapasso drilled the giant board with a towering punt. He almost hit it again when, by rule, he had to re-kick the ball. Trapasso said the video board has to move, but Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said the punter tried to hit it on purpose.

So now, there is controversy already about it.

Trapasso admitted to aiming for the board during pre-game warmups, when he nailed it three times, but maintained that he tried to avoid it during the game.

"We were peppering that thing during warmups," Trapasso said. "Mind you, they're good kicks that are going up there and hitting it. It's nothing that is going to happen every time, but it's got to be addressed. I don't know how much further up it can go, but it's in the way."

"You don't need to [move it]," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "I mean this very much because most of your punts go to the sidelines, and you've got to be trying to hit it to bump it. You really do."

Phillips didn't seem happy that somebody hit the video board.

"I don't think that ball would have gone 30 yards," Phillips said of Trapasso's punt.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher is the co-chairman of the NFL competition committee and believes the video board is too low, despite what the measurements say. It's possible, if the video board doesn't move, that Fisher will ask the league to look into it. If things remain the same, Fisher most likely will bring it up again at a rules' committee meetings in the offseason.

"It is an issue," Fisher said. "It will be an issue. I shouldn't have to throw a flag out there because [the referees] didn't see the ball hit the scoreboard. It's not necessarily their responsibility. Once the fair catch signal is given, then there's no eyes on the ball anymore. They don't see it, so something has to get worked out."

So as much glitter and glitz as Jerry trys to spin on this billion dollar stadium, I think there is a real problem with the video board controversy. I can see a big deal about it in the future.

[Rabid Cougar]

So do you pay all that money for tickets to watch the game on the video board and oh yea there is the game down below going on like a news crawler?

What's the focal point of the event? The game or the video board?

[PhiI C]

Poor planning.

[IrishTex]

Originally posted by Rabid Cougar
So do you pay all that money for tickets to watch the game on the video board and oh yea there is the game down below going on like a news crawler?

What's the focal point of the event? The game or the video board?

I can just give you my opinion on this...but when I was at the George Strait concert, it was very much easier watching the video board than trying to see ant-like figures on a stage.

I will be working at the stadium at the next game against the 49ers, and I imagine I will be looking more at the field to see plays develope, but we'll see. Stay tuned.

[BuckeyeNut]

Like the coach said the punter had to be aiming for it. His punt wold not have gone 30 yards. sure they can ove it up more you know someone allways has to cry about something.

[IrishTex]

Originally posted by Black Flag
Like the coach said the punter had to be aiming for it. His punt wold not have gone 30 yards. sure they can ove it up more you know someone allways has to cry about something.

I agree Black Flag...my opinion is if someone were more concerned about punting the ball for distance as opposed to trying to hit the video board, there wouldn't be an issue. I think that there are just some jealous people that have to try and muck it up for others.

:D

[grahampaw]

I was 14 rolls from the field and watched 90% of the game on the video board.Im glad my ticket was free because the sound from the speakers was undetectable as to what they were saying,the seats are way tighter then the old stadium,and there was so many people with those party passes that even between quaters you had to fight the crowd to get a beer or go to the john.Getting in and out was easy so that was a plus.Overall ,been there done that my bigscreen will do me fine the rest of the season.

[Trashman]

I read on another board that the video board is actually 5 feet higher than the minimum required by the league. I think it was an easy target for the second team punter trying to make the team.:rolleyes:

[mwynn05]

14 rolls huh...lol

[LE Dad]

Originally posted by mwynn05
14 rolls huh...lol I don't wanna see anything that has 14 rolls except Sunday dinner.:evillol: :evilgrin:

:tongue:

[grahampaw]

my bad im still drunk

[IrishTex]

Well here we go.....
I knew people around the country were going to start making fun of the stadium



From Deadspin.com (http://deadspin.com/5343235/cowboys-massive-new-stadium-not-big-enough-to-play-football-in)

Cowboys' Massive New Stadium Not Big Enough To Play Football In

Jerry Jones (and Texas taxpayers) spent $1.2 billion constructing an opulent state-of-the-art multi-use arena that's prefect for concerts, soccer matches, trade shows, Promise Keepers rallies, and even football games—provided that you don't allow either team to punt.

Forty million of those dollars went to the installation of a massive 160-foot long, 90-foot high HD video board that dominates the airspace above the field. And in a surprise twist that no one could have seen coming, it took only one game to learn that an average NFL punter can easily smack the thing on a routine kick. Titans backup A.J. Trapasso hit it in the third quarter of their preseason game last night. Starter Craig Hentrich said he hit it half a dozen times in warmups and estimated that half the league's kickers wouldn't be able to punt normally in that building.

Jones isn't buying that, however. He says the board has "entertainment value" and has no plans to move it higher. (There probably isn't room, anyway.) Plus, Jones is convinced that the only danger is a devious punter with no regard for the laws of football who would intentionally try to hit the thing.

"If you look at how you punt the football, unless you're trying to hit the scoreboard, you punt the ball to get downfield. You certainly want to get some hangtime, but you punt the ball to get downfield, and you sure don't punt the ball down the middle. You punt it off to the side."

"How high is high if somebody just wants to sit there and kick straight up?"

Yeah, why would a punter ever want to kick a ball ... up? That's not the Cowboy way, I tell ya.

Titans kicker exposes problem in Cowboys Stadium [ESPN]
Jerry Jones: The scoreboard isn't budging [Dallas Morning News]
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

[Emerson1]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-cowboysstadium-nfl&prov=ap&type=lgns

Won't have to change it. Also the replay assistant can buzz the referee to challenge it at any point in the game so that coaches challenges aren't wasted.

[Trashman]

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) -- Jerry Jones can keep his video boards right where they are, at least for this season.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Friday clarified rules on punts that ricochet off the high-definition monitors hanging over most of the field at the new Cowboys Stadium. Perhaps the key part of his announcement is that the guidelines cover only this season, an indication the league may force Jones to raise the boards before the 2010 season, which ends with the Super Bowl in his building.

The league clearly wouldn't want even the remote possibility of a championship decided by a ball hitting a TV screen within a punter's reach.

"We will continue to address the particular circumstances in Dallas, giving full consideration to the competitive, safety and fan experience issues involved," Goodell said in a statement. "The Cowboys have been fully cooperative as we have addressed this subject, and we will continue to work closely with the club on a longer term resolution."

Long-term changes can be made only at the annual rules meeting. However, Goodell noted that Rule 3, Section 1 of the league rule book allows for changes new policy to be enacted for the current season only.

Jones was not immediately available for comment.

The video boards are the signature item of the $1.15 billion stadium because of their clarity and size: 60 yards long, stretching from 20-yard line to 20-yard line. The problem is they are 90 feet above the field.

While that is 5 feet above the league's standard, the ease Tennessee punters had kicking balls into the boards before -- and once during -- last Saturday night's debut game indicates that standard might need revision.

It happens that Titans coach Jeff Fisher is head of the NFL's competition committee, which is the group that worked with the league office to figure out how to handle balls conking off the boards.

Fisher's complaint went beyond the height. He realized officials didn't even see the ball hitting the boards because they were all watching the action on the field; he threw his challenge flag to make sure they realized what had happened. The ruling was a do-over, but time was not put back on the clock.

The new rules -- which apply to all stadiums even though it's only an issue at this one -- address those concerns.

Downs will still be replayed "if a ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam, or any other object," but now the game clock will be reset to the time when the first play was snapped. Any penalties during the wiped-out play won't count, except for personal fouls.

Also, if officials on the field don't see the ball hitting the board, the replay assistant can now initiate a booth review at any time. If the replay assistant doesn't ask for a review, coaches can challenge under normal challenge rules.

Jones has been a staunch defender of the height of his boards for various reasons, including how much time and money it could cost to hike them. (They cost about $40 million to install.)

The boards are going higher to fit the stage for a U2 concert in October, but the screens will have to be disconnected. To lift the boards and keep them operable will require engineering and architectural adjustments.

Besides, Jones is adamant that he set this height for a reason: He doesn't think they are in the way when punters kick toward the sideline like they're supposed to do. Jones and Cowboys punter Mat McBriar say this has become a big issue because Titans punters intentionally kicked high and down the middle to try hitting the boards.

McBriar has yet to hit the boards and he insists "no one has told me not to hit it." He definitely has the leg to reach it -- he topped 100 feet during a trial two years ago when Jones was deciding the height -- but always aims his kicks away from the center of the field.

"It looks lower than it is just because of the size of it," McBriar said.

Former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson was in the stadium Thursday and said he didn't see any reason to raise the boards.

"If there's anything wrong, it's that people are going to watch the video board and not the game," he said. "It is so dominating, but I think it's so cool. I think it's great."