In a thrilling turn of events, Terry Fontenot, the Atlanta Falcons’ general manager, found himself on an unexpected journey during an OTA workout day in Cooperstown, N.Y. in June. While taking a break from the hustle and bustle of the football field, Fontenot spent the day watching his son, Kaiden, participate in the Cooperstown All-Star Village baseball tournament. Little did he know that a surprise awaited him in his hotel room that evening.
As Fontenot settled in to review film of the Falcons’ practice session that he had missed, he stumbled upon footage from cameras attached to the helmets of quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. for practice sessions this offseason. Fontenot described the experience, saying, “I’m watching practice, and you’ve got the different views, the sideline, the end zone, then a higher end zone view and another view right down the line of scrimmage. So I’m clicking through the views, and all of a sudden I hear something. I’m like, ‘What’s going on?’ Then all of a sudden I’m in the huddle.”
Cousins jokingly compared the situation to the KGB, expressing his initial shock at having the cameras in the huddle. “The huddle used to be my time, but now you guys are in there and the huddle is bugged,” Cousins said. “I tell my teammates, ‘You guys are not getting let off the hook.’ If you say, ‘What’s the play here?’ the whole building knows. It’s probably more like a spy technique than anything else, but feedback is feedback, and it’s one more tool.”
Penix, a rookie, shared his perspective on the benefits of being able to listen in on Cousins, a seasoned veteran, calling plays and managing the huddle. However, he admitted that he cringed at the sound of his own voice. In contrast, offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron raised concerns about the camera angle, noting that it may not always capture the most flattering view. “Sometimes on the GoPro, you can’t really see what I’m reading,” Bergeron said. “Nine times out of 10, I am looking off a defender. So, my GoPro might be facing this way, but really I’m reading over there.”
The Falcons coaching staff has found the footage to be a valuable tool in assessing the quarterbacks’ decision-making process on the field. First-year offensive coordinator Zac Robinson emphasized the importance of sound in analyzing the quarterbacks’ performance, stating, “The most valuable aspect is the sound.”
With each click of the camera and each call in the huddle, the Falcons are leveraging technology in new and innovative ways to gain a competitive edge on the field. As Fontenot’s unexpected hotel room discovery demonstrated, the intersection of sports and technology continues to shape the way teams approach training and gameplay in the modern era of professional football.
