Giants Daily Blitz Blog

Daily Blitz: NFL headsets go digital

Many a football fan has imagined putting on a quarterback’s helmet and hearing the playcalls  being relayed from the sideline to the field. The only thing, those signals haven’t always been as clear (and high-tech) as you might think.

However, that’s about to change.

The NFL is upgrading the old analog system of headsets to a digital network, which was tested during the preseason and Pro Bowl last year.

Now it will be rolled out in every NFL stadium permanently this season.

“I’ve had conversations that weren’t even in the stadium in my headset,” Giants backup quarterback David Carr said about the old headsets.

While each team is allowed one live helmet — designated by a green dot — the NFL expanded the use of the device for the defense in 2008. Linebackers Chase Blackburn and Mark Herzlich tested the improved system for the first time last week.

“There wasn’t any of the static in there that you got sometimes,” Blackburn said. “With the other system, the coach had to hold down a button for a second or so, and some coaches would start talking just when he held the button down and you would miss half of what he said.”

For a complete look at the improvements being made, read this article from The Associated Press.

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