Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan struggled in the initial half of last season. Against No. 9 Notre Dame, he threw 18 for 36 with 50 percent completion, and at No. 17 Arizona State, he threw just a little bit worse, going 19 for 39, which makes up a 48.7 completion percentage. So, what changed as Hogan started improving on the season, culminating with an 84.2 completion percentage against No. 9 UCLA at the last game of the year?
Well, for starters, Stanford implemented new virtual reality software, which the Dallas Cowboys just announced they would use for the upcoming season. The Cowboys have signed a two-year deal with STRIVR Labs, Inc., in order to use their virtual reality software to train their quarterbacks, in addition to linebackers and safeties.
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The Cowboys have dedicated an entire room in their Valley Ranch training facility to their new STRIVR software. For the last two weeks, they have been using a stationary camera behind the line of scrimmage to record for the software.
STRIVR takes these recordings and creates a 360-degree look into the quarterback position, which can be accessed through a headset. From there, coaches can tell where a player is looking, where a player’s hands are and where their feet are positioned. It is also useful for training backups or new players, giving them a first-hand experience of certain plays that they have not actually run.
“It allows the players to see things that maybe they don’t see live and in person. But this gives them a second chance at live action, while wearing this headset to get a 360-degree, 3D view of everything,” said ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Stanford graduate assistant coach, and former kicker, Derek Belch, founded STRIVR in conjunction with Professor Jeremy Bailenson, who is the founding director of Stanford’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab. Belch explored virtual reality in football for his master’s thesis, and urged Stanford to test and implement his system for the 2014 football season.
The Cowboys are the first in the NFL to use this system and join a list of programs including Auburn, Arkansas and Stanford.
This comes with news that the Cowboys will also implement drones in their practices, so that they can have overhead video of the field and player positioning.