A former NFL analytics staffer says the Patriots pulled off a subtle bit of visual gamesmanship at Gillette Stadium for more than a decade, using the video board behind the uprights to make opposing kickers see something a little different from reality.
Ryan Paganetti, who spent 10 years in the league and worked for the Eagles, Jaguars and Raiders, said he went back through more than a decade of TV broadcasts and found that when visiting kickers lined up for field goals at Gillette Stadium, the board behind the end zone showed a reversed angle of the kick. That effect, he said, created a second set of yellow uprights that appeared offset behind the actual ones.
Paganetti also said the illusion got even trickier in windy conditions, when the orange streamers shown on the board seemed to move opposite the physical streamers sitting atop the real uprights.
According to Paganetti, he found dozens of examples of the setup being shown on opposing teams’ kicks. He also said he checked 52 Patriots field goal attempts and never saw the same visual trick used on New England’s own tries.
The post set off a lively reaction online. Pat McAfee called it “a great piece of intel” in a post that has drawn more than a million views, while others argued the tactic was perfectly fair and just smart use of the rules. On the other side, plenty saw it as an exploitation of a loophole that crossed the line from savvy to shady.
Paganetti has some credibility behind the claim. A Bedford, Massachusetts native and former Dartmouth running back, he spent six seasons with the Eagles from 2015 to 2021, handling analytics and in-game decisions from the press box for Doug Pederson, including during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl LII win over the Patriots in 2018. He later worked in analytics for Jacksonville and most recently served as head coach research specialist for the Raiders under Pete Carroll.
Gillette’s video board has already been part of the kicking conversation. The Patriots installed a new 370-by-60-foot board in 2023, and Bill Belichick said then that the larger screen was changing wind patterns inside the stadium and affecting kickers.
In Other News...
Chiefs Quietly Closed The Door On A Familiar Quarterback Option
The Chiefs have moved on from a familiar face in their quarterback room, waiving Chris Oladokun with an injury designation after a preseason that never really gave him a path back into the picture. Oladokun, who started Kansas Citys final two games last season when injuries thinned the depth chart, had been part of a group that looked far different this summer after the team reworked the position by adding Justin Fields and drafting Garrett Nussmeier.
Oladokuns release leaves him in a holding pattern unless another team steps in, and if he goes unclaimed he will revert to injured reserve. The change also came with a small but telling detail: Nussmeier has already taken over Oladokuns jersey number, a quiet sign that the Chiefs are fully resetting the pecking order behind center after preseason struggles and the concussion protocol complicated Oladokuns push to stick. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Mahomes Family Situation Could Affect Chiefs Sideline Storyline This Season
Patrick Mahomes Sr. is trying to work his way back onto the road in time to see more of his sons games, filing a motion in Texas court that would let him travel out of state for seven Kansas City Chiefs contests this season. The request comes with a long list of conditions, including urinalysis testing before and after trips, and it still has to clear the court before any plans can be set in stone.
For the Chiefs, it adds another layer to a sideline storyline that already draws attention whenever Patrick Mahomes Jr. takes the field. His father remains on probation with travel restrictions after multiple DWI offenses and violations, so even a simple game-day visit now depends on legal approval. Whether that opens the door to more of those appearances this year is still in the hands of the court. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Face Immediate Pressure After Brutal New Playoff Prediction
CBS Sports writer Douglas Clawson has put an uncomfortable spotlight on the Chiefs by predicting they could miss the playoffs this season, a jarring view of a team that has lived at the top of the AFC for years. The concern centers on Kansas Citys offense not producing at its usual level and a defense that slipped enough last year to make the margin for error feel much thinner than it once did.
Patrick Mahomes is expected back from injury, and the Chiefs have tried to steady things with roster moves like signing running back Kenneth Walker III and bringing back offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Even so, the path looks crowded in a conference loaded with contenders, which means Kansas City may need Mahomes to be fully right and Bieniemy to get the offense humming quickly to avoid an unexpectedly tense fight just to stay in the bracket. [Read more 🡒]