# NFL statisticians **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** football-nfl\ **Created:** [November 14, 2023, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098 "2023-11-14T03:10:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/1 "2023-11-14T03:10:58Z")
Watching the Monday night Buffalo-Denver game. As the second half starts a statistic is displayed. This is only the second NFL game to have a score of 15-8 at halftime. I’m not surprised that the statistic is available but how did someone think to look it up? ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/2 "2023-11-14T03:13:26Z")
My guess is that they figured both 15 and 8 are unusual scores for a team to have. (If this score were to hold, it would be a scorigami.) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/3 "2023-11-14T03:16:21Z")
Probably not a league statistician looking it up for use in the broadcast, but a statistician for the TV network. I’m fairly certain that they have access to a database with all sorts of obscure facts, like the halftime score of every NFL game ever, and it’s fairly easy to look up; as @ekedolphin notes, it’s an unusual score, and so, it was worth looking up to see if it’d ever occurred before. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/4 "2023-11-14T12:51:27Z")
With AI now, the announcers can probably look-up stuff like this real time, rather than having a statistician do it behind the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/5 "2023-11-15T00:20:56Z")
Have you listened to these fossils? There’s no chance a septuagenarian is looking up any stats on the fly. And we wouldn’t want to listen to the dead air while they typed. Pretty much everything the announcers say that’s not in response to a play comes directly from the production trailer. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/6 "2023-11-15T00:39:14Z")
I am not convinced, cricket commentry teams have someone who’s sole job is to look up and report on stats, so you might ge tthe main commentator saying (converting the Bills game) “15 -8 is an unusual score has it ever occurred before?” and then continue with the commentry, a couple of minute later the stat guy would come on mike and give the answer probably with some extra filler. I expect NFL commentry teams, at least for prime time games, to have a statistician speaking statistisical records into the headphones of the commentator for them to repeat. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/7 "2023-11-15T01:11:59Z")
You’ll hear that kind of informal banter in an MLB baseball game too. This is simply the nature of the games. NFL is highly regimented and between the replays, refereeing, sideline antics and personnel changes the announcers don’t generally have room to wonder out loud and they definitely don’t have time to look stuff up. That’s the producers job. I don’t know how a Cricket broadcast works but an NFL broadcast features dozens of people behind the scenes. You can remain unconvinced, but I’m not really speculating here. This is how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/8 "2023-11-15T08:25:33Z")
Sorry I misunderstood you when you said “trailer”. I have never heard the term used in UK sport and have always assumed the production team are in part of the stadium. When you said “production trailer” I thought you meant a sheet prepared before the game giving stats that the commentator can quickly look up during the game, for example this is likely to contain thigs like the number of TDs each player has scored during the season and overall so if they scored the commentator can immediately say this is their 6th TD of the season. My “statistician speaking in to the commentators headphones” is exactly the same as your “from the production trailer” . ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/9 "2023-11-15T08:41:45Z")
> [@Jegpeg](#): > > Sorry I misunderstood you when you said “trailer”. I have never heard the term used in UK sport and have always assumed the production team are in part of the stadium. Here is a video released by NBC at an NFL game (at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs), showing the production trailer they use (or in this case, multiple trailers). [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ypphz2vtDSk/maxresdefault.jpg "Behind-the-scenes: NBC production truck") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypphz2vtDSk) I assume they bring their own trailers because they have everything set up ahead of time exactly the way they want it, and they already know ahead of time that things are configured properly. Here’s a page talking about the utility of production trailers. > **[Production Trailers: An Essential Element](https://www.ontimeelite.com/blog/production-trailers-an-essential-element/)** > > As producers everywhere can attest, in film, television, and video production, the production trailer plays an integral role both in personnel and in equipment management. Production trailers are used as \[…\] I know this is getting a bit outside of the topic, but as a fan of the NFL I find these behind-the-scenes details interesting. And it contributes to the overall picture of what it might be like when the on-air talent are being fed statistics during a game. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/10 "2023-11-15T08:43:05Z")
Production trailer is probably a bit of an anachronism. I imagine there are some newer stadiums that do have permanent facilities for the TV crew. Most people will still call that the “trailer” even if it’s no longer a temporary structure on wheels. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/11 "2023-11-15T08:50:09Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Production trailer is probably a bit of an anachronism. I imagine there are some newer stadiums that do have permanent facilities for the TV crew. The video I posted was 6 years old, so not too old. I would guess they’re still in use to a degree today. It just makes sense. If anything, with how sophisticated wireless communication and computers are becoming, a portable setup would be even easier and more attractive for modern broadcasts. …Though that could even be folks off-site, not necessarily sitting in a fenced-off area outside the stadium… ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/12 "2023-11-15T08:58:48Z")
Perhaps, I’m not certain. I’m trying to visualize where they’d park the trailers at Soldier Field and can’t really picture it. Maybe it’s just one of those things that I’m just so used to that I don’t even notice it. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/13 "2023-11-15T13:32:04Z")
It could very well be parked underneath Soldier Field. They’re still in widespread use. NBC isn’t likely all that eager to share hardware with CBC who isn’t likely to share with Amazon, with ABC, etc. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/14 "2023-11-15T13:35:27Z")
There is the pro football reference that has information on every game ever played in the NFL (as well as other pro leagues) that can be searched nine ways to Tuesday. I think that it takes a subscription to unlock the entirety of the content, but I’m sure that every organization covering the NFL has that level of access. > **[Pro Football Stats, History, Scores, Standings, Playoffs, Schedule &...](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/)** > > Complete source for pro football history including complete player, team, and league stats, awards, records, leaders, rookies and scores. ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/15 "2023-11-16T03:33:39Z")
There is no “under” Soldier Field. They didn’t excavate when they renovated. It seems silly if the 5 networks are seriously humping around their own cameras, wiring, screens, and various production equipment all over the country and tearing down and resetting it up every week. I know that’s how they used to do it, any maybe they still do, but there’d be a big cost savings if the stadiums had some permanent shared resources. But I guess the league and teams aren’t really that motivated to spend capital if the networks are already doing it. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nfl-statisticians/993098/16 "2023-11-16T06:59:53Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > It seems silly if the 5 networks are seriously humping around their own cameras, wiring, screens, and various production equipment all over the country and tearing down and resetting it up every week. I know that’s how they used to do it, any maybe they still do, but there’d be a big cost savings if the stadiums had some permanent shared resources. This article, from late last year, describes the process of Amazon gearing up to broadcast Thursday Night Football, which they began in 2022, including this bit: > [@](#): > > This time last year, Palmer and colleagues, along with experts at Game Creek Video, were in the middle of a monthslong sprint to build six new broadcast-quality production trucks necessary to bring the games to fans. So, yeah, it does sound like each network still has its own fleet of production trucks – note that, unlike CBS and Fox, Amazon only produces one game a week, and yet, they needed six trucks just for covering a single game per week. > **[Amazon’s Tricked-Out Trucks Put the Tech in TNF’s Debut Year](https://www.sportico.com/business/media/2022/amazon-thursday-night-football-tech-streaming-tnf-1234699750/)** > > Nearly 300 crew members will produce their last game of the season for Amazon’s Prime Video as the Cowboys take on the Titans at Nissan Stadium on Thursday.  “There’s a huge sense of pride abo…