interesting:
Notebook: Barnett likely to wear defense's radio helmet
By Rob Demovsky
[email protected]
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Green Bay Packers were one of the seven teams to vote against allowing a defensive player to use a radio receiver in his helmet, a measure that was passed today at the NFL annual meetings.
Beginning this season, each team will be able to communicate with one defensive player, who will have a speaker in his helmet.
Like the coach-to-quarterback system that has been in place since 1994, it will be a one-way communication device from a coach on the sideline to a player on the field. The device will be shut off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever happens first.
It passed by a vote of 25-7. Like any NFL rule change, a minimum of 24 votes was needed to approve it.
It was the third straight year the rule was up for a vote, and Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the team voted against it each time.
“I think the intent is excellent,” McCarthy said shortly after the vote. “I think the practicality of it is something that’s in question, just the mechanics of it. I’m just curious to see the practicality of when it turns on, when it turns off, the actual use of it. No different than the quarterback-to-the-coach system, you’re going to have bumps and bruises for the implementation of it. I’ve been opposed to it since day one. I wasn’t in agreement with it at all.”
Now that it is in place, McCarthy and his coaches will have to decide which defensive player will wear the specialized helmet. A team may designate two defensive players each week that may use it, but they may not be on the field at the same time with the receiver in their helmets. All wired helmets will be marked and identified.
Though McCarthy said he hasn’t decided which defensive player would wear the device, it likely will be either middle linebacker Nick Barnett or one of the starting safeties, because those players almost never come off the field when the Packers change defenses.
“Nick makes sense, because he plays in all your base and all your subs,” McCarthy said. “The second person we have yet to decide.”
McCarthy wondered what would happen if the designated defensive player also plays on special teams.
“Is it turned on? Is it turned off?” McCarthy said. “Is there a second helmet? Is there a third helmet? Those were some of the issues that were brought up.”
Some believe that the New England Patriots’ so-called Spygate scandal could have been avoided had this rule been enacted earlier. The Patriots were caught videotaping defensive signals sent in by opponents’ coaches.
“That situation definitely helped it get passed, in my opinion,” McCarthy said.
The other teams to vote against it were Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington. It’s probably no coincidence all seven detractors have head coaches whose backgrounds are coaching offense.
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This is a pretty big deal if you ask me. I wonder how this will change things.
Notebook: Barnett likely to wear defense's radio helmet
By Rob Demovsky
[email protected]
PALM BEACH, Fla. — The Green Bay Packers were one of the seven teams to vote against allowing a defensive player to use a radio receiver in his helmet, a measure that was passed today at the NFL annual meetings.
Beginning this season, each team will be able to communicate with one defensive player, who will have a speaker in his helmet.
Like the coach-to-quarterback system that has been in place since 1994, it will be a one-way communication device from a coach on the sideline to a player on the field. The device will be shut off with 15 seconds left on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever happens first.
It passed by a vote of 25-7. Like any NFL rule change, a minimum of 24 votes was needed to approve it.
It was the third straight year the rule was up for a vote, and Packers coach Mike McCarthy said the team voted against it each time.
“I think the intent is excellent,” McCarthy said shortly after the vote. “I think the practicality of it is something that’s in question, just the mechanics of it. I’m just curious to see the practicality of when it turns on, when it turns off, the actual use of it. No different than the quarterback-to-the-coach system, you’re going to have bumps and bruises for the implementation of it. I’ve been opposed to it since day one. I wasn’t in agreement with it at all.”
Now that it is in place, McCarthy and his coaches will have to decide which defensive player will wear the specialized helmet. A team may designate two defensive players each week that may use it, but they may not be on the field at the same time with the receiver in their helmets. All wired helmets will be marked and identified.
Though McCarthy said he hasn’t decided which defensive player would wear the device, it likely will be either middle linebacker Nick Barnett or one of the starting safeties, because those players almost never come off the field when the Packers change defenses.
“Nick makes sense, because he plays in all your base and all your subs,” McCarthy said. “The second person we have yet to decide.”
McCarthy wondered what would happen if the designated defensive player also plays on special teams.
“Is it turned on? Is it turned off?” McCarthy said. “Is there a second helmet? Is there a third helmet? Those were some of the issues that were brought up.”
Some believe that the New England Patriots’ so-called Spygate scandal could have been avoided had this rule been enacted earlier. The Patriots were caught videotaping defensive signals sent in by opponents’ coaches.
“That situation definitely helped it get passed, in my opinion,” McCarthy said.
The other teams to vote against it were Oakland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Washington. It’s probably no coincidence all seven detractors have head coaches whose backgrounds are coaching offense.
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This is a pretty big deal if you ask me. I wonder how this will change things.
