An effort to put radios in the helmets of defensive players fell two votes short of passage a year ago.  If those two additional votes had been obtained, we might never have heard the word “Spygate.” 

Because if as of Week One of the 2007 season every team had a defensive player on the field with a radio receiver in his helmet, there would have been no need for teams to make signals to defensive players, and thus there would have been no reason for the New England Patriots to videotape the efforts of the New York Jets to do so.

And if there had never been a “Spygate,” there likely wouldn’t have been a “Spygate II,” because the media wouldn’t have had the occasion to chase former Patriots video employees, like Matt Walsh, for more dirt about the Patriots and allegations of cheating.

Though any tweaking of the rule likely wouldn’t have been necessary to secure the two additional votes this time around, the Competition Committee has addressed concerns regarding the logistics of the rule.  Under the last proposal, only one player could have the radio in his helmet.  Under the current proposal, two defensive players can have the radio, although only one of the radio-wired helmets can be on the field at a time.

To implement the rule, teams might pick two players who never are on the field at the same time, such as a linebacker who exits in passing situations and the third corner who takes his place.  Alternatively, the teams will need to have two helmets for one or both of the players who are radio-eligible, and they’ll need to keep track of which guy is wearing the wired hat at any given time.

It might make even more sense to put the radio in the helmets of one key player on defense who is on the field for every play, and in the helmet of his backup.  This would protect against the problems that could arise when the starter with the radio helmet gets hurt.

Regardless of how a team handles it, there will definitely be a huge problem if the both of the players with the radio receivers in their helmets get injured.  Thus, teams will need to be ready to go back to hand signals in the event that the two players get hurt. 

Sure, it’s unlikely.  But every team will need to be prepared for the worst-case scenario.

Meanwhile, the zebras likely will be aided by the proliferation of the dreadful glowing green dot, which showed up last year as a way to ensure that only one player on offense had the radio in his helmet.  As a result, Seahawks backup quarterback Seneca Wallace had a separate helmet that he used when entering the game as a wideout.

It’s a lot easier, however, to track the presence of the green dot on offense, because the quarterback lines up in only one spot.  On defense, it could be a bit for challenging, and we’ve got a feeling that some teams might not want to adopt this rule because they simply don’t want to worry about the inevitable headaches that the rule will create when applied.