Virtual reality training for QBs is the NFL's new wave (and it's pretty cool)

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers invested in a virtual reality system to help train their players including rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, it made a lot of sense.

This generation was raised on interactive games. They learned in a different way than just sitting around and reading a textbook, then reciting it. Then they went home and played "Madden." So virtual reality is the logical next step in the teaching methods for NFL quarterbacks.

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Besides, it looks pretty cool. EON Sports VR showed the SIDEKIQ simulation software to Yahoo Sports, and you can see the benefits it can have for players. The software allows players to see the Xs and Os of the play drawn out, then the play is simulated for them as they'd see it. The Dallas Cowboys have also embraced virtual reality training. 

"It takes Xs and Os from a playbook editor, and it breathes life into them," EON Sports VR CEO Brendan Reilly told Yahoo Sports.

Is it the same as practicing on the field or seeing it in a game? No. But it seems like a great way to enhance the process. Practice time under the new NFL collective-bargaining is more limited than it had been in the past, but perhaps virtual reality training can bridge that gap. There's also no wear and tear on a player's body using the simulator. Although the system seems to help quarterbacks most, Reilly said it can be used for any vantage point on the field.

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There's no better way for a quarterback to learn an NFL system than through repetition, and maybe virtual reality can speed up the process. That would be invaluable for teams breaking in a new quarterback, like the Buccaneers are.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab