Though Spygate allegations called into question the validity of the New England Patriots’ success in the early and mid-2000s, the Patriots used the allegations, the storylines, and the punishment as motivation. As documented in the Apple TV series, The Dynasty: New England Patriots, several former players were asked how Spygate changed their and the team’s mentality. They say it had a dramatic impact.
“Spygate, we all took it personal,” wide receiver Donte Stallworth said via Awful Announcing, which transcribed the notable quotes. “We’re not out here just to win games. We’re out here to *****’ make you quit. We want to do very bad things to you.”
Spygate centered on the Patriots filming signs from improper areas, information that would be recorded, decoded, and stored for future meetings. Pittsburgh Steelers players have called the Patriots out over the years, believing the Pats knew their signals to get a jump on plays. In July 2023, former Steelers OT Barrett Brooks claimed the Patriots knew the Steelers’ plays before the players were even told in the huddle.
“They knew the plays before we did,” Brooks said last summer. “I could hear all those guys, [safety] Rodney Harrison say, ‘draw, draw, draw, draw, draw.’ And Ben [Roethlisberger] comes in and he calls a draw play. I’m like, ‘What is going on?’ [Linebacker] Tedy Bruschi knowing the play. ‘They’re gonna sprint to the right, sprint to the right’ and them moving the entire defense over. Because they knew our plays before it happened. They cheated me out; I should’ve had two Super Bowls now.”
As would later be uncovered in the ensuing investigation, the Patriots had a scouting library of information gained from this advantage, storing and logging multiple games of Steelers notes. Running back Jerome Bettis made a similar claim as Jones, confidently saying New England cheated during the 2004 AFC Championship Game when they beat Pittsburgh and advanced to the Super Bowl.
“That’s not even a question mark,” Bettis said. “It’s not even a question in my mind.”
In the documentary, head coach Bill Belichick declined to speak about the topic, saying the issue was behind him. But his players said the Patriots’ desire to not just win but crush their opponent started with Belichick.
“This is how we knew when he felt it: That offense kept scoring. Bill was just relentless,” Bruschi said, via Awful Announcing. “We’d up by 20, 30 points, and he’s telling the offense, ‘Do it. Again.’ We’re beating people’s *** so bad that we’re the bad guys. I sort of liked it, though.”
Spygate became a story in September 2007 after the New York Jets noticed the Patriots filming in an illegal location. The NFL quickly got involved and three days later fined Belichick $500,000, the organization $250,000, and ordered the forfeit of a first-round pick if the team made the playoffs (which New England did). Despite the league’s swift reaction, Roger Goodell’s decision to destroy all evidence of the Patriots’ tapes came under scrutiny, and the NFL commissioner was accused of helping the Patriots sweep the issue under the rug.
The center of negative attention, the Patriots went on to have a perfect regular season, going 16-0. Their plus-315 point differential remains easily the best mark in football history, 23 points higher than the second-place 1942 Chicago Bears and over 30 points better than the closest post-merger team, the 1999 St. Louis Rams. Twice that year, the Patriots beat their opponent by at least 40 points and only three times throughout the regular season was their outcome determined by one possession. They beat the Steelers that season, 34-13. All fueled by the rage they felt under the microscope for Spygate.
Their undefeated streak would continue through the AFC playoffs before being upset by the New York Giants in the Super Bowl, preventing their truly perfect season. That Super Bowl and Spygate’s controversy are moments in football history that won’t be forgotten.
