Payton Can't Talk to Saints, but How Can the N.F.L. Be Sure? The situation seems like a bizarre cross between a Graham Greene espionage novel and the comic sports stylings of Dan Jenkins. A coach, the unquestioned leader of his beloved organization, is caught in a highly publicized pay-for-performance scandal and, to much consternation and controversy, is barred from all contact with his team for one year. In the book, one imagines, the coach would then circumvent his penalty by surreptitiously sending playbooks packed in pizza boxes or using his car horn to communicate blitz schemes via Morse code. In reality, New Orleans Saints Coach Sean Payton would face dire consequences if caught violating the terms of his one-year suspension from the N.F.L., starting with the possibility that he would not be allowed to return to the league when the suspension ended. That potential for long-term unemployment may be reason enough for most to believe that Payton is, in fact, staying away - and not, say, scratching out plays in powdered sugar during covert meetings disguised as beignet feasts. Still, there are doubters. The Saints visit the Giants on Sunday, and in interviews this week, several Giants players questioned just how silent Payton has been this season. Punter Steve Weatherford expressed a common sentiment when he said, "Of course he will get his message to them somehow." Weatherford added: "I'm not saying anything about Sean Payton as a person or anything, but I think any coach would do that. It's not like he's just going to sit at home and watch the games and not have any thoughts. His message will be heard. A Saints spokesman declined to comment on that thinking, but the issue is intriguing: how can the N.F.L. reasonably monitor compliance with such a broad ban? The language of Payton's suspension says that he is "prohibited from direct or indirect communication of any sort with employees of the 32 clubs, including through third parties; and such prohibited communications shall include, but are not limited to, phone or electronic contact." Harsh as that might sound, it seems all but impossible to enforce. Rick Nelson, a counterterrorism and intelligence expert who works at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said in a telephone interview that "from a technical perspective, there's really very little the N.F.L. can do" to keep Payton from being in touch with his coaches or players if he wants to make contact. Nelson ran down a long list of potential options for discreet communication, including dummy Twitter accounts, disposable cellphones and encrypted e-mails. Nelson said there are programs that can make it seem that an e-mail user has a different address each time. In terms of trying to monitor Payton's activities, Nelson added, the N.F.L."s options are limited. The league is restricted by basic privacy laws - meaning, for example, it cannot be like the Central Intelligence Agency and tap Payton's phones - though it could use private investigators to follow Payton or watch him from public areas. "That's how a lot of insurance fraud is detected," Nelson said. Someone claims they're disabled and the investigator then sees them outside on a ladder painting their house. An N.F.L. spokesman declined to discuss the methods the league uses to monitor suspended personnel, saying only that Payton "is expected to comply with the conditions of the suspension." The league has granted Payton permission to attend a few team-related events - including a Saints home game where quarterback Drew Brees broke Johnny Unitas's record of 47 consecutive games with a touchdown pass, but he is required to report to the league any unapproved contact, even if it is accidental. At the very least, it appears the N.F.L. is more concerned with monitoring Payton's suspension than Major League Baseball was with keeping the longtime Yankees owner George Steinbrenner out of touch with the Yankees when he was suspended after he pleaded guilty to making illegal campaign contributions to Richard M. Nixon.