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Keegan-Michael Key has a theory on why Matt Patricia coaches with a pencil on his ear

Patriots senior football analyst Matt Patricia likes to keep a pencil behind his ear when he’s coaching, even though, as Peyton Manning pointed out on Monday’s “Manningcast,” his play sheets are laminated.

Curious about the reason why, Manning asked comedian and Detroit Lions fan Keegan-Michael Key for his thoughts.

Patricia was head coach of the Lions before rejoining the Patriots in 2021, and he was known for keeping pencils handy in Detroit, too.

“I think that the pencil is very much like a pacifier,” Key said.