NBCNews:

The NFL experience is getting pretty high-tech — for everyone, that is, except players on the sidelines.

Russell Wilson might pick up a tablet on the sidelines in Super Bowl XLIX, but he won’t be able to use it to check his email, play “Angry Birds” or take a selfie. It’s a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 handicapped to perform one function and one function only: display photographs.

Specifically, photographs of previous drives. It’s a function that before this season was fulfilled by binders full of black-and-white photographs. (Microsoft reportedly paid $400 million for the privilege).

The NFL has really tightened the screws on allowing any other technology on the sidelines. Part of this is the money Microsoft paid, certainly. But part of this is to maintain a level playing field, to avoid giving a more tech savvy team an unfair advantage.

NFL coaches have an abundance of stats to pore through before big games. Having those same stats during the game, however, is a completely different animal.

Today, if a coach has the ball on fourth-and-two on his own 49 yard line with three minutes left in the game while trailing by a touchdown, he has to trust his gut and his staff’s research to make the right decision.

Good read. [Hat tip to Brother Stu]