Pylon Cam Takes Over The World Of Football

By Jeff Todd

DENVER (CBS4)- As the number one seed, the Denver Broncos win over the Pittsburgh Steelers made it easy on the CBS Sports crew because they didn't need to pack up much gear.

"Today is a set day for us. This is when we get all of our cameras out of the boxes, when a lot of our crew is still arriving," said Ken Aagaard Executive Vice President for CBS Sports Operations.

A sports production isn't easy, hundreds of people are on hand and modified semis are parked under Sports Authority Field at Mile High to make sure the broadcast is flawless. About 70 cameras will capture every angle of the game.

"We're doubling down and we're putting pylons in the back of end zone, so instead of having eight cameras and pylons, we're going to have 16 so we'll have every angle covered," Aagaard said.

Pylon cams are becoming more prevalent this year. Four cameras are crammed into the 18-inch foam pylon. A small USB port comes out the bottom and plugs into a buried cable to make it safe for players.

"As we all know some of these shots will determine the outcome of the game."

The AFC Championship is the second most important game CBS will broadcast this year.

"We look at every event his year as trying to get ready for the super bowl because that's a very important show but I got to tell you the AFC championship game is a big show for CBS sports," said Aagaard.

The New England Patriots-Denver Broncos AFC Championship Game is at 1:05 p.m. Sunday on CBS4.

Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.