footballipad
It's not just pilots who are finding iPads help them at work. Football players are too.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have given all 90 of their players iPad 2s, loaded with playbooks, and practice and situational videos from any NFL team. The iPads are considerably easier to use, and carry around, than thick books the size of Yellow Pages, and spending hours sitting around a projector watching game film.

Buccaneers head coach Raheem Morris:

With this iPad, I can just flick through, and if that play doesn't apply to me, I just touch it and get out of there and go here, and there's third down. Get out of there, and let's go to the red zone. Okay, there's the nickel. It's a different deal now.

It goes further than simply being more convenient. The younger players grew up using technology much more than their veteran counterparts. Today's football players grew up playing the Madden video game series and are very comfortable with technology like the iPad. Running back Earnest Graham:

It's not that guys don't want to look at plays, but it's the convenience ... Guys are accustomed to already doing things on their iPads anyway.

But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret.

(Image via Justin S./Shutterstock)

Top Rated Comments

blizaine Avatar
187 months ago
I bet RIM is pissed that iPads are being used as Playbooks.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
hobo.hopkins Avatar
187 months ago
But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret.

That's really cool. Sounds like an iPad fits the bill perfectly for their needs.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tlevier Avatar
187 months ago
except for the fact the Find my iPhone can be completely disabled in what? 3, maybe 4 taps of the screen? Not to mention there is absolutely no way to password protect the feature from being disabled. It should have a lock setting just like the actual "pass code" pane in the settings. Not all of us want to pass code protect our phones everytime it locks.

Actually, if the Find my iPad feature is linked to an email account like my iPhone is to mobileME, you can apply a restriction that changes to email accounts are not permitted. To change restrictions, you need a passcode.

4 taps just went out the window.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Navdakilla Avatar
187 months ago
As soon as I saw this article (being a football fan). I thought of what would happen if they lost their ipad (there was a huge spygate scandel recently, related to cheating, and finding out play calls)

Then I read this
"But, the most important feature of the iPad playbooks? If one gets lost, it can be wiped clean via Find My iPad to keep team strategy a secret. "


Perfect idea
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
marksman Avatar
187 months ago
It is awesome. Not to mention they could attach actual game footage to the plays so players could see the film.

Really good idea.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheOrioles33 Avatar
187 months ago
I don't get it.

People are advertising all of these "new" uses for ipads.

Couldn't all of this be done before on a laptop? (airline pilots maps, these playbooks, etc)?

The only difference is the ipad is slightly lighter and smaller. As a man, I would have to carry both around in a messenger type bag anyway, so I don't really see the big deal.

Would you rather hold a bulky laptop the whole game that would probably die before the game ended or a nice light iPad?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 26

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.2

Friday December 5, 2025 9:40 am PST by
Apple is about to release iOS 26.2, the second major point update for iPhones since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least 15 notable changes and improvements worth checking out. We've rounded them up below. Apple is expected to roll out iOS 26.2 to compatible devices sometime between December 8 and December 16. When the update drops, you can check Apple's servers for the ...
Intel Inside iPhone Feature

Apple's Return to Intel Rumored to Extend to iPhone

Friday December 5, 2025 10:08 am PST by
Intel is expected to begin supplying some Mac and iPad chips in a few years, and the latest rumor claims the partnership might extend to the iPhone. In a research note with investment firm GF Securities this week, obtained by MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said he and his colleagues "now expect" Intel to reach a supply deal with Apple for at least some non-pro iPhone chips starting in 2028....
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 18 Pro Leak Adds New Evidence for Under-Display Face ID

Monday December 8, 2025 4:54 am PST by
Apple is actively testing under-screen Face ID for next year's iPhone 18 Pro models using a special "spliced micro-transparent glass" window built into the display, claims a Chinese leaker. According to "Smart Pikachu," a Weibo account that has previously shared accurate supply-chain details on Chinese Android hardware, Apple is testing the special glass as a way to let the TrueDepth...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds Second iOS 26.2 Release Candidate to Developers and Public Beta Testers

Monday December 8, 2025 10:18 am PST by
Apple today seeded the second release candidate version of iOS 26.2 to developers and public beta testers, with the software coming one week after Apple seeded the first RC. The release candidate represents the final version iOS 26.2 that will be provided to the public if no further bugs are found. Registered developers and public beta testers can download the betas from the Settings app on...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Monday December 1, 2025 2:40 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
Johny Srouji

Apple's Chipmaking Chief Johny Srouji Responds to Report About Him Potentially Leaving

Monday December 8, 2025 9:23 am PST by
Apple's chipmaking chief Johny Srouji has reportedly indicated that he plans to continue working for the company for the foreseeable future. "I love my team, and I love my job at Apple, and I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," said Srouji, in a memo obtained by Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Here is Srouji's full memo, as shared by Bloomberg:I know you've been reading all kind of rumors and...
Johny Srouji

Apple Chip Chief Johny Srouji Could Be Next to Go as Exodus Continues

Sunday December 7, 2025 10:41 am PST by
Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies Johny Srouji could be the next leading executive to leave the company amid an alarming exodus of leading employees, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Srouji apparently recently told CEO Tim Cook that he is "seriously considering leaving" in the near future. He intends to join another company if he departs. Srouji leads Apple's chip design ...
google pixel 10

Switching Between iPhone and Android Will Get Easier With New Apple and Google Collaboration

Monday December 8, 2025 11:10 am PST by
Apple and Google are teaming up to make it easier for users to switch between iPhone and Android smartphones, according to 9to5Google. There is a new Android Canary build available today that simplifies data transfer between two smartphones, and Apple is going to implement the functionality in an upcoming iOS 26 beta. Apple already has a Move to iOS app for transferring data from an Android...
Apple Fitness Plus expansion hero

Apple Fitness+ Coming to 28 New Regions With Digital Voice Dubbing

Monday December 8, 2025 6:19 am PST by
Apple today announced that Fitness+ is expanding to 28 new markets on December 15 in the service's largest international rollout since launch, accompanied by new language dubbing and a K-Pop music genre. Apple Fitness+ will become available in Chile, Hong Kong, India, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan, and additional regions on December 15, with Japan scheduled to follow early next year....
top stories 2025 12 04a

Top Stories: iOS 26.2 Coming Soon, Apple Execs Depart, and More

Saturday December 6, 2025 6:00 am PST by
You'd expect things to be starting to wind down for the holidays by now, but that doesn't seem to be the case yet in the world of Apple news, with Apple just about ready to release iOS 26.2 and other operating system updates to the public. There was also a flurry of news this week about Apple executive departures, some expected and some not so expected, while we also learned that Apple and...