NFL Tech We Take for Granted.

In tonight’s Monday Night Football Game between the Redskins and the Giants, Washington QB Jason Campbell got hurt and backup Todd Collins stepped in. During one of his first plays, he received a delay of game call for having to go to the sidelines and get a play from his coordinator because the receiver in his helmet (device which he receives the plays directly to his helmet noted by a green circle) was not working properly. This made me realize how amazing the wireless communication on the field has been – this is only the first time according to ESPN announcers that a delay of game has been called due to a device mishap. Think about it - teams no longer have to rely on hand signals or even send players on the field to relay plays. It can also assist in speeding up no huddle and hearing over a loud crowd; the play is simply called from the coach’s box, to the sidelines, to the QB… all seamlessly.

It should be noted that the play calling is incredibly tough to be intercepted or picked up by scanners. It is encrypted with more than 268 million possible codes – and each team is given their own code.

And to boot, the NFL is happy with the tech. As a matter of fact, the headset has apparently even passed the ‘Ditka test’ where one was thrown on the ground and still functioned fine.