NFL makes rule change after stunning Patriots reveal from Bill Belichick era
What Bill Belichick once had up his sleeve is now no more as the NFL has put its foot down on videoboard trickery during games.
The NFL recently told teams the league is changing what is allowed when it comes to what can be shown on videoboards during field goal and extra-point attempts. Per a memo obtained by ESPN that was sent to all teams on Sept. 7, all teams are required to use the same All-22 angle (a high-sideline or high-end zone angle) or static image on the board for both kicking teams.
A violation of the reworked rule would result in punishment, per the report.
The modification comes on the heels of a viral social media post by former analytics coach Ryan Paganetti, who exposed Belichick’s field-goal trick that gave the Patriots an edge throughout his 23 years of coaching in New England.
Paganetti, who previously worked for the Eagles, Jaguars and Raiders, studied a decade’s worth of Patriots broadcasts and shared his recent discovery on X earlier this month. As of Sunday, the post has 17.2 million views.
The eight-time Super Bowl coach allegedly put a reverse view of the kick on the scoreboard at Gillette Stadium, showing a second, yet offset pair of yellow uprights before opponents’ field goal and extra point attempts.
It left the the kicker seeing four different yellow bars before an attempt.
Paganetti shared various screenshots on X of kickers lining up as the Jumbotron showed a pair of yellow uprights. During that time, the NFL required all videoboards to display a static image. No flashing images or video nor moving images were allowed during kicks.
Belichick and the Patriots were operating within the rules during that time, the NFL said per ESPN.
The Patriots kickers faced no issues, Paganetti said of the 52 New England kicks he studied.
“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,” Paganetti posted on X. “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. I found dozens of examples.”
“It is the perfect encapsulation of the Patriots dynasty,” he added. “No detail was too small, and no possible edge was left unexplored.”
Under the new ruling, NFL teams will have to more creative ways to find an edge through the videoboards.
