THE NEXT STEP Motorola became the Official Wireless Communications Sponsor in 1999, designing headsets to withstand the physical abuse while delivering clear communication. The 12-oz. state-of-the-art headset has redefined strength and toughness, combined with comfort for every team in the league. Today's headset is easily transformed into single or dual cup versions, as well as left or right ear configurations. The headset microphone is connected by a patented TPE Santoprene, which allows for easy positioning of the microphone (gooseneck movement), for each unique, individual coach's head. The Santoprene material also allows the Boom (the most abused, grabbed at, pulled and yanked at component of the headset) to withstand the three-hour plus intense abuse by the NFL coaching staff. The new Motorola headsets were put through the "Ditka test" to see whether or not they could withstand being slammed to the ground, while keeping parts from flying off or failing to function. Although the new lightweight Motorola headsets allowed the coach to build more arm speed as they spiked it to the turf, this new state-of-the-art headset passed the abuse test unscathed. The Motorola headset, working with the Telex system, takes the NFL to the next level. In early 1999, the NFL instituted instant replay. An earlier attempt had failed because the referee on the field stopped the action and turned the decision over to officials in the booth. As the referee waited for word in his earpiece, the stadium would replay it on the big screen. The referee stood alone in the middle of the field revealing the findings of the referees in the booth. In many cases, the officials took too much time to make a decision, which infuriated the crowd and the coaches. These delays would often times stall a big drive that could decide the outcome of the game. In 1999, the league once again returned to the past when they reinstated instant replay. But this time, Motorola technology was provided using a new communications configuration, resulting in a more productive system. Each coach is now armed with the Motorola HT750 Radio, which has been modified to have paging encoding capabilities that communicates with the referee's Motorola LS350 pager notifying him of a challenge. The pager instantly vibrates and reads "home" or "visitor" informing the referee which team wants to review the play. "Pagers used to be strictly business or personal," commented Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Head Coach Tony Dungy. "But we as coaches are now starting to see the benefits of the technology." Once the play clock is stopped, the referee goes to a draped monitor on the sidelines where he reviews the plays in a variety of angles. Unlike their first adventure in replay, the referee is the one making the decision on the field. So while team owners continue to build stadiums designed to increase home field advantage, Motorola continues to provide the league with products that level the playing field. Coaches NFL coaching has never been more intense or more exciting. An essential part of the wireless communications system that Motorola supports is designed to facilitate coaches to do their jobs. Make calls. Share information. Snap decisions. Demand instant replays. The coaches on the field and in the box must be able to instantly communicate to perform their essential roles. Quarterbacks The quarterbacks on the field need to receive critical information regarding calls and last minute plays from the coaching staff. Speed and clarity are essential! All quarterbacks in the NFL have wireless receivers built into their helmets to be able to receive messages. Referees For challenges under the new Instant Replay procedure, each referee will wear a Motorola pager that will vibrate when one of the head coaches challenges a call. The referee will walk to the sideline and indicate what video he wants to review to the Instant Replay team. The Instant Replay team in the skybox will cue up the tape for the field referee to review the play and make the final call. NFL Organization/ Support Staff Organizing the games each week is a challenging task for the NFL support staff. Over 1,000 cellular phones, pagers and two-way radios will be used by the NFL Organization for the Super Bowl coordination alone! Telex and Motorola provide Coaches Communications Systems to the NFL.