In the first game of the regular season, there were complaints from the Steelers about the communication systems coaches use to talk to each other and players with radios in their helmets during games
There were other complaints from other teams during the regular season and the issues cropped up again when the Seahawks visited the Vikings in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. The league has said that they, not home teams, are responsible for making sure that the communications between press box, sideline and field are operating correctly.
They’ll be trying something at next weekend’s Pro Bowl in hopes of cutting down on issues in the 2016 season. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the league will be testing a new coach-to-coach communication system during the game. If the test goes smoothly, the new system could be in place for all games next season.
As long as teams make sure that all of their batteries are properly charged before kickoff, there’s no reason why the league’s in-game communication system should be such a frequent source of trouble. Hopefully next week’s test is a step toward a smoother process in the future.
