Winslow Townson/Associated Press

Ben Roethlisberger hasn't declared himself among the conspiracy theorists who believe the New England Patriots cheated in their Thursday night opener. That said, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback did indicate the Patriots have an innate ability to figure out opposing teams' plays.

“I always felt that they knew some of our offensive plays,” Roethlisberger said on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh (via CBS Pittsburgh). “For whatever reason, maybe it was better scouting or whatever, but I had always felt that.”

The Patriots, fresh off having Tom Brady's four-game suspension overturned, were at the center of another controversy when the New England radio broadcast interrupted the Steelers' headsets during the early going in New England's 28-21 Week 1 win.

While it obviously frustrated Pittsburgh's coaching staff—coach Mike Tomlin told reporters it has "always" happened at Gillette Stadium—the NFL has cleared the Patriots of any wrongdoing.

"Based on our review to date, we believe that the audio interference on Steelers' headsets last night was entirely attributable to an electrical issue made worse by the inclement weather; that it involved no manipulation by any individual; and that the Patriots had nothing to do with it," an NFL statement read, per Conor Orr of NFL.com

The Steelers offense put up only three points during the first half, which was partially interrupted by the headset malfunctions. The team added 18 in the second half, putting up 464 total yards to New England's 361 for the game.

Roethlisberger, who threw for 351 yards and a score, said the coaching staff was more bothered than the players:

It happens at a lot of stadiums. It happens at Heinz Field…That’s the first time that I had ever heard of anything happening when you hear a radio broadcast during a game, that’s new to me in hearing that. But like I said, it didn’t affect me at all, but it obviously affected the coaches, so whether that’s a coincidence it happened up there or what, I’m not really sure.

Had it been any of the other 30 possible opponents, there probably wouldn't have been a controversy. But given New England's sketchy reputation, conspiracy theories have naturally run rampant.

As for Roethlisberger's suspicion the Patriots know their offensive plays, well, let's just say that will probably open up another can of worms for those seeking controversy.

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