The New England Patriots may have won each of their past two battles, but head coach Bill Belichick still seems ready to go to war. It’s been 15 years since Belichick and the Patriots got in trouble for the highly publicized “Spygate,” but it’s clear the event has never been cut out of the coach’s mind.
After a lengthy investigation, the NFL found the Patriots to be in violation of several rules, alleging they videotaped the New York Jets’ defensive signals in an effort to get an advantage on game day. The Patriots ended up being docked their first-round pick, with coach Belichick receiving a then-record $500K fine.
It was a whole ordeal that led to widespread criticism toward the Patriots, with many in the football community feeling the allegations tarnished New England’s legacy they had built in recent times. Well, we now know how foolish that was after seeing Tom Brady and Belichick continue to dominate the gridiron no matter who they faced.
While the Pats didn’t win another Super Bowl for seven years, they did end up adding three more Championship trophies to their showcase after Sypgate ensued.
But why is any of this relevant now, in Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season? We can thank coach Belichick for that one.
Related: NFL Power Rankings Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles at No. 1, Packers hit rock bottom
Bill Belichick diving into conspiracy theories
While we don’t have the exact story of how the topic got brought up, we do have a money quote from coach Belichick. In it, Belichick appears to strongly hint that both the Indianapolis Colts and the Jets stole the team’s offensive signals ahead of their past two matchups.
“It was almost like (CJ Mosely) heard the play in the huddle, he was so fast.” – Bill Belichick when asked if defenses know what’s coming, saying Shaq Leonard “for sure” did.
New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick on possible stolen signals
Notably, the Patriots won both games. To this, both Colts and Jets fans have to be saying, “And we still lost?”
Related: 2022 NFL offense rankings: Jets and Bears break into the rankings after Week 9