Earlier in the week, the NFL began looking into how and why coach Ben McAdoo was spotted using a two-way radio in the fourth quarter of the win over the Cowboys. Coaches are prohibited from using such devices during games, even if the coach-to-QB communication is not working.
The Giants used the devices for four or five plays, sources said, and that drive resulted in an interception.
Asked this week about it, McAdoo said simply he had nothing to add, but "we are working with the league on the incident."
Sources with direct knowledge of the situation provided some details on the somewhat odd violation.
First of all, the Giants were not using the same frequency as the Cowboys, so they could not hear any of their play-calls. Not only is it not possible (it isn't programmed that way), the communications system is monitored by a league employee wearing an orange hat and that was not found to be the case.
The walkie-talkie is league-issued, not team-issued, and the team only has access to it on game day. The system is allowed on the sideline, but a coach is not allowed to use it.
A backup quarterback is permitted to use the walkie-talkie, and that's often where it's found on the sidelines. It does not appear that was the case with the Giants and Ryan Nassib, though it's one issue the league is checking.
The reason walkie-talkies are illegal is that the walkie-talkies don't shut off with 15 seconds to go in the play clock like coach-to-QB helmet communication devices. It's not clear if the Giants benefited from the extra 15 seconds during those handful of plays.
It's one of several issues the NFL is trying to figure out.
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