Patriots' latest cheating accusations raised eyebrows because they came against one of the worst teams in the NFL, but it might not be as crazy as it sounds

The video offers damning evidence that the Patriots intended to capture footage of the Bengals' sideline with a "direct view" of Cincinnati players and the coaches' signals for play calls.
The week's revelations may have come as a surprise to many because the Bengals are one of the worst teams in the NFL .
According to Fox Sports' Michael Strahan , the answer is simple: the Bengals have a new head coach.
Strahan suggested that the Patriots have no film of a Zac Taylor -led team and that "this is a way to compile information on a new coach's system, so you can't just say that they should beat this team."
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A video taken by New England Patriots staffers has many believing the team has been caught cheating once again.

On Sunday morning, Fox Sports' Jay Glazer revealed exclusive footage of an interaction between a New England Patriots' film crew and Cincinnati Bengals security after an official caught the Patriots employees filming the Bengals' sideline.

The league office has been investigating New England since the Week 14 incident first took place. However, the video offers fairly damning evidence that the Patriots intended to capture footage of the Bengals' sideline with a "direct view" of Cincinnati players coming on and off the field and the coaches' signals for play calls.

The week's revelations may have come as a surprise to many not only because New England sits atop the AFC East and appears primed to compete for yet another Super Bowl, but also because the Bengals are one of the worst teams in the NFL. In fact, Cincinnati owns the league's worst record on the season with just a single win through 13 games.

So if you're the reigning Super Bowl champions, why go through all the trouble to get ahead against an NFL bottom-dweller?

According to Fox Sports' Michael Strahan, the answer is simple: the Bengals have a new head coach.

After Glazer's video first aired on "Fox NFL Sunday," Terry Bradshaw questioned the Patriots' motivation to capture illicit footage of "a team that they can beat," but Strahan quickly pushed back.

"You can't say 'for a team that they can beat,'" the legendary New York Giants and Hall of Fame defensive end said. "That's a bad excuse, because this is a team with a new head coach and they have no film. They don't know anything about this guy's system. This is a way to compile information on a new coach's system, so you can't just say that they should beat this team."

"If that were the case, none of this stuff in the past would have happened," he added, alluding to New England's past cheating scandals.

The Bengals hired former Los Angeles Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as the 10th head coach in franchise history in February of 2019. Taylor had no head coaching experience prior to taking over the helm in Cincinnati, so any information the Patriots could accrue on the 36-year-old would be brand new information.

The NFL has yet to announce an official punsihment for New England, but the league has suggested it hopes to complete its investigation shortly and act swiftly on the matter. The Patriots insist head coach Bill Belichick had no involvement in the illicit efforts.

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Patriots' latest cheating accusations raised eyebrows because they came against one of the worst teams in the NFL, but it might not be as crazy as it sounds

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