In order to help players the League may soon allow visiting teams the benefit of a helmet-to-helmet wireless communication system.
In most big ballgames, noise is good, and more noise is better. Cheerleaders, mascots and noisemakers like iNFLatable bat-shaped balloons are there to create a cacophony meant to raise the home team's spirits and deflate the visiting team.
More noise is better, except in the NFL.
Why? Many increasing penalties like offensive holding and false starts, stems from noise. A survey, led by the New York Times, found that more penalties, especially those for false starts, are called in domed stadiums, which are likely to be louder.
In order to help players the League may soon allow visiting teams the benefit of a helmet-to-helmet wireless communication system. Another idea consists in placing microphones in quarterbacks' helmets and speakers in the helmets of other offensive players so that play calls and snap counts can be heard despite the crowd noise.
Quarterbacks now already have earpieces that allow them to hear coaches, But the transmission is cut with 15 seconds left on the play clock.
Noise and NFL have always had a difficult relationship. The League already ruled in that matter by introducing a noise penalty in 1989. It allows the referee, at the quarterback's request, to warn the home team that the crowd was being disruptive. The referee can then grant the home team a timeout, or even call a five-yard penalty.
