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The New England Patriots will probably never live down “Spygate” and “Deflategate.” Fans will always bring up the two controversies to shade the Patriots and their much-ballyhooed history of trying to game the system.
Well, it appears the Patriots have done it again. Only this time, it does not seem so, um, illegal?
According to Ryan Paganetti, an analytics expert, New England has devised a subtle way to distract a kicker at home. He said he reviewed “dozens of examples” to strengthen his claim.
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“I went through more than a decade of TV broadcasts and uncovered a diabolically clever piece of Patriots gamesmanship,” wrote Paganetti on X.
“When opposing kickers lined up at Gillette Stadium, the video board displayed a reverse view of the kick, placing a second, offset set of yellow uprights directly behind the real ones.”
He added: “In windy conditions, even the orange streamers on the video board appeared to point in the opposite direction from those atop the physical uprights, making the illusion even more disorienting.”
Much has been made of the Patriots’ mysterious “Pink Stripes.” How about yellow ones?
I went through more than a decade of TV broadcasts and uncovered a diabolically clever piece of Patriots gamesmanship.
When opposing kickers lined up at Gillette Stadium, the video board… pic.twitter.com/Y5nf0F5vm6
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) September 2, 2026
Paganetti, who worked for the Philadelphia Eagles, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Las Vegas Raiders, noted that the illusion did not appear in the 52 field goal attempts of the Patriots he reviewed.
While it may seem unfair, he acknowledged that it was a clever tactic.
“It is the perfect encapsulation of the Patriots dynasty. No detail was too small, and no possible edge was left unexplored,” added Paganetti, who helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl in 2018.
Somewhere out there, Bill Belichick is smugly nodding.
Related: Even Pat McAfee has to tip cap to Patriots for Gillette Stadium revelation taking internet by storm