Bill Belichick and the Patriots made sure opposing kickers were seeing double.<\/p>\n
The legendary coach allegedly used the scoreboard at Gillette Stadium to showcase the yellow uprights before opponents\u2019 field goal attempts and thus leave the kicker seeing four different yellow bars before an attempt, as revealed by the \u201cPaganetti and Underhill\u201d podcast.<\/p>\n
\ufeffWatch an average 6 games per week and every game of the NFL Postseason, LIVE with ESPN on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Ryan Paganetti, who has worked in the analytics departments for the Eagles, Jaguars and Raiders, posted multiple screenshots to X of kickers lining up while the Jumbotron showed a pair of yellow lines.<\/p>\n He said he analysed more than decade of TV broadcasts and provided screenshots of the Patriots playing mind games with the kickers, including Billy Cundiff\u2019s infamous missed 32-yard attempt in the 2012 AFC Championship game that sealed the Patriots\u2019 win over the Ravens and a trip to the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen 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,\u201d Paganetti tweeted Tuesday night alongside four photos showcasing the extra lines. \u201cIn 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. I found dozens of examples.\u201d<\/p>\n Belichick is known for using \u2014 both legally and illegally \u2014 every little bit of information he can to enhance his team\u2019s chances to win and this certainly fits the bill.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard enough to kick at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., especially when its cold, and it\u2019s all the harder if you\u2019re seeing four lines.<\/p>\n Paganetti said on the podcast he reviewed kicks from roughly 2012-20, and detailed that it was easier to execute on one side of the field since the Jumbotron was directly behind the bars.<\/p>\n \u201cThey legitimately did it every single chance that they could,\u201d he said on the podcast. \u201cThey consistently did this over and over again. \u2026 It legitimately looked like there were four uprights across.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you quickly looked at it as a kicker, it would almost certainly cause some level of hesitation because it looked so weird.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, New England\u2019s kickers faced no such issues.<\/p>\n Paganetti said that he reviewed 52 field goals attempted by the Patriots during the same games and the extra bars never appeared when New England lined up with the kick.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the perfect encapsulation of the Patriots dynasty,\u201d Paganetti posted to X. \u201cNo detail was too small, and no possible edge was left unexplored.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE<\/p>\n \ufeff\u2018Terrifying\u2019 $20m Super Bowl move as NFL great makes stunning return… just in time for Australia<\/a><\/p>\n \ufeffAussie NFL veteran cut after losing battle to rookie… as three-time Super Bowl champ axed<\/a><\/p>\n