The NFL’s dizzying, spinning field-level camera angle from Giants-Packers is a horrendous idea

Whoever thought this was a good idea should rethink everything.

The rise of Daniel Jones as a long-term serviceable starter and the downfall of the Packers without big-time offensive weapons weren’t the only huge stories in London on Sunday.

With the two squads deadlocked in a 20-20 tie halfway through the fourth quarter, the NFL had the idea to unveil a new camera angle. Now, the league using a new camera angle to mixed reviews isn’t necessarily a fresh concept. The standard broadcast view seems to be something the NFL is more willing to finagle with (and maybe even break?) by the year.

But this spinning, dizzying, and nauseating pre-snap look was unorthodox even by the NFL’s (unnecessary) out-of-the-box thinking:

Uh, after the headache I just got rewatching that clip — while wondering why I can’t see the comforting layout of the offense and defense as usual — we definitely don’t need to see this spinning camera angle more often.

I get the appeal of trying to make casual football fans more knowledgeable and engaged with what they’re watching. But throwing in some frills with an unnecessary spin in a tight and tense game isn’t the way. Let the folks who want more out of a standard broadcast — again, an excessive “more” — find it elsewhere.

Keep the normal, beautiful, pristine angle that focuses on the ball for usual game-watching. Anyone who wants anything else can and should just make the extra effort on their own.