In the 2000s, it was the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts who reigned supreme in the AFC.
Bill Polian served as general manager and team president of the Colts from 1998 to 2011. He had a front-row seat to the many Patriots vs. Colts showdowns and one of the brilliant minds behind the Pats dynasty, Bill Belichick.
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These days, Polian admires Belichick's excellence from afar. Even after a down season in which the Patriots finished 7-9 and missed the playoffs, Polian is a believer in Belichick and "the Patriot Way."
On a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast, Polian joined Tom E. Curran to discuss why Belichick is still doing things the Patriot Way to this day.
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While spending big in free agency may be atypical of Belichick, Polian doesn't believe that means the head coach and GM is straying away from the Patriot Way.
"The Patriot Way is as follows: Find a way to win," Polian said. "With the constant being great special teams and error-free special teams, great defense, and then build the team to be malleable enough to play different styles in any given week. That's the Patriot Way. The cupboard's bare as there are needs to fill ... they're just filling them through free agency this year. It made perfect sense. ...
"The picture is unclear right now. All we're seeing is just one small piece of it. But the fact is that small piece of it is clearly filling needs, which I don't know why people are saying 'Wow, that's not the Patriot Way.' The Patriot Way is always doing that. That's the way Bill operates."
Polian went on to discuss the Patriots' offseason moves more in-depth with Curran, as well as Belichick's style as a GM.
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Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube below: