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Patriots Coach Bill Belichick on Microsoft Surface: 'I Just Can't Take It Anymore' (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the firsthand-experience dept.

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is not happy with the Surface tablet provided to him via a deal between Microsoft and the NFL. Not only has he physically thrown the tablets at things, but he has verbally expressed his negative opinions of them. TechCrunch reports: When asked about the Patriots' headsets malfunctioning during last weeks game, Belichick instead took the time to let everyone know he's "done with the tablets." While he didn't go into too much detail on the tablets, Belichick essentially said that Microsoft's surface tablets are too "undependable," and there "isn't enough consistency in their performance." In terms of the rest of the sideline technology like headsets, Belichick is essentially fed up with the fact that everything always malfunctions and is impossible to fix during games. So why is the sideline technology so hard to get right? The tablets (as well as the headphones and all other sideline technology) are owned and maintained by the NFL. That means it gets delivered to teams literally hours before the game and taken away when it ends. This makes it hard for teams to test for issues before a game and to troubleshoot when something goes wrong. Belichick's full rant can be read here, which reads in part: "As you probably noticed, I'm done with the tablets. They're just too undependable for me. I'm going to stick with (paper) pictures, which several of our other coaches do, as well, because there just isn't enough consistency in the performance of the tablets. I just can't take it anymore..."

7 of 187 comments (clear)

  1. This rant left me feeling...deflated by TomR+teh+Pirate · · Score: 5, Funny

    Grow up, Bill.

    1. Re:This rant left me feeling...deflated by amiga3D · · Score: 2, Funny

      Funny thing is that he's the reason why the NFL maintains control of the equipment. The Patriot's have been caught before spying on other teams using that same tech. As for the MS Surface crap that's just part of a very lucrative deal where MS basically pays the NFL to use it so they can advertise how great it is. Bill isn't the only one caught throwing the shitty things around. Several players and coaches have been seen tossing, smashing and stomping on them. Somehow I'm sure MS isn't happy about the negative image they're getting from this. I think it's funny as hell.

  2. can't cheat with a Surface by turkeydance · · Score: 1, Funny

    can't do anything else, either

    1. Re:can't cheat with a Surface by BronsCon · · Score: 3, Funny

      I hear it runs Ultimate Frisbee pretty well. No battery life issues, either.

      --
      APK quotes people (including myself) without context and should not be trusted. Just thought you should know.
    2. Re:can't cheat with a Surface by Tablizer · · Score: 1, Funny

      His footballs and tablets both fall flat.

      --
      Table-ized A.I.
    3. Re:can't cheat with a Surface by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 3, Funny

      It has to be deflating. Particularly when he's under such pressure.

  3. Clippy by Tablizer · · Score: 4, Funny

    "It looks like you are trying to tamper with the ball. Would you like help?"

    --
    Table-ized A.I.