In regard to the Belichick situation, "the developers of this solution need to find out where his frustration is so they could tweak it, so maybe it could be a good tool for him," Wrenn said.

NFL teams this season use Surface Pro 4 models for viewing photos and videos, but Belichick has said he plans to use printed photos of plays on the sidelines instead.

Microsoft and the NFL have not responded to CRN questions about whether additional technical assistance might be available for the Patriot-Steelers game on Sunday, or whether they've determined a likely cause for the issues reported by Belichick.

In a conference call with reporters Tuesday, Belichick had called his move to stop using tablets a "personal decision."

"I just have given it my best shot. I've tried to work through the process. But it just doesn't work for me, and that's because there's no consistency" to using a tablet, Belichick said.

Solution providers have told CRN that it's challenging to pinpoint exactly what is causing the problems for Belichick given the abundance of network and communications equipment in use, in addition to the tablets themselves.

In a statement Tuesday, Microsoft had said, "We respect Coach Belichick's decision, but stand behind the reliability of Surface."

"In the instances where sideline issues are reported in NFL games, we work closely with the NFL to quickly address and resolve," Microsoft said.