According to a bombshell report from ESPN's "Outside the Lines," the Spygate scandal — in which the Patriots were caught videotaping opponents' defensive signals — is perhaps the primary reason the NFL tried to nail them for Deflategate.
The report details Spygate as we've never heard it, painting a picture of systematic cheating that went way further and looks way worse for the Patriots than people previously realized.
First, the Patriots had a detailed, efficient system for finding out opponents' plays. ESPN's Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham describe a scene in Patriots coach Bill Belichick's office before a season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
"[A backup quarterback named John] Friesz was told that the Patriots had a tape of the Bucs' signals. He was instructed to memorize them, and during the game, to watch Bucs defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin and tell [offensive coordinator Charlie] Weis the defensive play, which Weis would relay over the radio headset system to quarterback Drew Bledsoe."
Van Natta and Wickersham report that although the Patriots lost that game, they realized a "schematic" edge over other teams. They "streamlined the system," finding a more efficient way to note the plays and relay the information, cutting out the quarterbacks, with only a few people, including Belichick.
Soon, advanced scouts would be sent to the games of upcoming Patriots' opponents to film the play signals. The scouts would go undercover as media members, with media credentials listed under "Patriots TV" or "Kraft Productions" and were prepared with excuses of what to say they were filming if security asked.
According to Van Natta and Wickersham, "Each video sequence would usually include three shots: the down and distance, the signal, and, as an in-house joke, a tight shot of a cheerleader's top or skirt."
The tapes would then go to a Belichick confidant named Ernie Adams, an "amateur historian of pro football," who would have the tapes edited and match the notes of the play calls and signals to the action on the field.
The Patriots started a library of videotapes from teams all across the league. A former Patriots assistant coach told ESPN "It got out of control."
According to the report, the system grew to the point that the Patriots would add players cut from upcoming opponents to look at Adams' tapes and judge their effectiveness.
But wait, there's more!
The effectiveness of the spying is reportedly debated among former Patriots staffers, some of whom say Adams wasn't good at his job.
Other methods of cheating reportedly include:
Sending low-level Patriots employees to sneak into the visiting locker room during pregame warm-ups and steal the play sheet. As Van Natta and Wickersham note, "The practice became so notorious that some coaches put out fake play sheets for the Patriots to swipe."
Sending employees through the visiting team's hotel to try to swipe playbooks and scouting reports.
"Scrambling and jamming" opponent radio headsets to interfere with opponent communication.
