Patriots coach Bill Belichick has long been a proponent of fixed cameras. The NFL has resisted using them, due ostensibly to the expense.
So ESPN and CBS will be using them instead, with cameras installed in pylons. The chances of the NFL expanding pylon cameras to all games likely will diminish once the NFL sees the fruits of the networks’ labor.
An industry source predicts that the shots from the pylon cameras will be “worthless” in most cases, pegging the chances of a pylon camera providing a conclusive view of a play at one in 100,000.