The Ravens have gone 007 style with their playbooks this season.  They’re not printed on paper, feature embedded video and an incorrect password self destructs the data.

Seriously.

So maybe I dramatized their use of iPads over traditional three ring binder playbooks, but I think it’s pretty cool that the Ravens have opted to use modern technology to help them during the week.

Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron began using an iPad last year and he encouraged the Ravens director of information technology , Nick Fusee, to write a playbook application for the entire team’s use this year.  Now instead of thousands of pieces of paper being printed, the team has 120 iPads that they disperse with all of their information.

Joshua Brustein of the New York Times discussed some of the highlights of the Ravens new technology in a column published on Monday.

The electronic tablets for both teams include a file containing the playbook, which the application automatically updates as coaches adjust strategies throughout the season. It also notifies players about things like changes to practice and training schedules and individual nutritional guidelines.

The playbook and video functions are separate. But the Ravens and the Bucs say they plan to integrate them, so that a player can look at a diagram of a play and immediately watch a video of it in action. The tablets can also be used to do things like monitor how much time each player spends studying.

If you’re an iPad owner don’t expect to download the Ravens playbook app on the iOS store. Security is taken very seriously. Each iPad has a password and the playbook application requires a separate login. Failure to login three times locks the app and erases all the data. Additionally, the Ravens can remotely wipe the content of the iPad should it be lost or stolen.

It’s great to see the Ravens utilizing technology to help them grow as a team. They’re truly on the bleeding edge of this movement that will surely change the way teams prepare from week to week.