Patriots used a ‘diabolically clever’ trick to fool kickers
· Yahoo Sports
During the peak years of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick’s careers, the New England Patriots had a legitimate dynasty, winning six Super Bowls with Belichick and Brady together.
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Obviously, they had some of the most talented teams in NFL history, but they also did everything they could to give their team the best edge possible, and a recent analysis has shown one clever trick the team used on field goals.
‘Diabolically Clever’
In a post on X this week, longtime NFL analytics and strategy coach Ryan Paganetti shared a “diabolically clever” tactic that the New England Patriots used during opponents’ field goal attempts at Gillette Stadium.
As Paganetti shows in a video, the Patriots used the video board to show a reverse view of the kick to create an optical illusion with a second pair of uprights immediately behind the kicker’s field of vision.
“I went through more than a decade of TV broadcasts and uncovered a diabolically clever piece of Patriots gamesmanship,” Paganetti explains. “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.”
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
“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,” he continued.
And for anyone thinking this is just a convenient coincidence and not an intentional move, Paganetti said that this never happened when the Patriots were kicking.
“I found dozens of examples. In the same games, I reviewed 52 Patriots field goal attempts,” Paganetti said. “The illusion appeared on Patriots kicks exactly zero times.”
“It is the perfect encapsulation of the Patriots dynasty,” Paganetti continued. “No detail was too small, and no possible edge was left unexplored.”
Perfectly Legal
This is a clever move, and the best part is that it is perfectly legal.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, confirmed with the NFL on Monday that the tactic falls squarely within the rules, as he added the text from the relevant policy.
“Video During Kicks — All video and ribbon boards must show either a static image (e.g., no flashing images, blinking effects, moving text/images, etc.) or an All-22 view (e.g., high sideline, high end zone, etc.) during field goal attempts and extra-point attempts. Any flashing, moving, or blinking text/images displayed on video boards or ribbon boards during field goal attempts and extra points are considered a violation of this policy. The prohibition will begin when the kicking team reaches the line of scrimmage and continues through the signal by the Game Officials following the kick,” the rule reads.
It was just another stroke of genius from that era of the Patriots.
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