Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs is getting frustrated with technical glitches in the NFL's transmitter system used to call plays into the quarterback.
Gibbs said the transmitter was malfunctioning virtually the entire game last week in Green Bay, forcing the coaches to call in the plays using hand signals. Gibbs called it a "monstrous problem" because the time between plays is shorter than it used to be, and he had to burn timeouts he would have preferred to save for the final minutes of a close game.
"Not only that," Gibbs said, "I'm running around on the sidelines not thinking about the next series. I'm thinking 'How can we fix that headset problem?' Being a coach and a P.E. major, I know nothing about electronics."
Furthermore, Gibbs feels it isn't fair that one team can continue to use its transmitter even when the other team's is broken.
"I think the rule ought to be, if you can't talk to your quarterback, the other team shouldn't be able to talk to theirs," Gibbs said. "There's a tremendous advantage there."
The Redskins also have an inexperienced QB in Jason Campbell, while the Packers have Brett Favre.
Gibbs said he sent letters to the league office twice last year after malfunctions during road games, requesting the rule be changed.
"I think they've made up their mind that they're not going to do it, which I think is a big mistake," Gibbs said.
Gibbs doesn't appear to be in favor of the transmitter concept in the first place. Asked if he's concerned another team could intercept the transmissions, he laughed.
"That's a very interesting question," he answered. "Where I am today in the NFL, and where the NFL is, I've said we need a real, real good electronics coach. I have no clue. I couldn't tell you what's possible and what's not."
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AFC SOUTH NFL'S BEST? Look through the NFL standings and only one division has every team at .500 or better. It might be time to consider the AFC South one of the league's toughest divisions.
Houston quarterback Matt Schaub, who moved to the division only this year, thinks so.
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