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Mike Reiss
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Mike Reiss
ESPN Staff Writer
- Mike Reiss is ESPN’s NFL reporter covering the New England Patriots. Rice has covered the Patriots since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2009. In 2019, he was named the Massachusetts Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.
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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The NFL recently notified teams that the league has changed what is displayed on the video board during field goal and extra point attempts, a change made in the wake of a viral social media post by a former analytics coach.
The NFL has long required that all video boards and strip boards display either a static image (no flickering images, flashing effects, moving text/images, etc.) or an All-22 view such as a high sideline or high-end zone angle during kickoffs.
What’s changed now is that teams must use the same All-22 angle or static image for both kicking teams, according to a Sept. 7 memo sent to all clubs and obtained by ESPN. This change is intended to ensure fair competition. Teams were warned that violations would result in disciplinary action.
Former analytics coach Ryan Paganetti of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders posted on
There’s been a lot of discussion about the Patriots’ mysterious “pink stripes.” How about the yellow one?
I’ve been scrolling through more than a decade of television broadcasts and discovered an evil and clever ploy by the Patriots.
As opposing kickers line up at Gillette Stadium, the video board… pic.twitter.com/Y5nf0F5vm6
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) September 2, 2026
Paganetti said in a Sept. 1 social media post that he discovered that the video board would display a 22-play view of the reverse kick when the opposing kicker was preparing to kick the ball. The result was a second set of offset goal posts displayed on the video board, creating an optical illusion for the opposing kicker.
Paganetti added that of the 52 kicks attempted by the Patriots in his study, the reverse kick view was never shown on the video board in 22 games. As of the end of this week, Paganetti’s posts on X had been viewed nearly 17 million times.
According to the NFL, the Patriots followed the rules during that time. Other teams with video boards behind the posts are trying all kinds of things that are also within the rules.
But now that the league requires clubs to use the same All-22 angle or static image for both kicking teams, that practice will no longer be allowed.