Steelers legend Troy Polamalu recalls a Bill Belichick compliment that had him over the moon
Polamalu and the Steelers had epic battles with the Patriots
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Bill Belichick’s run with the New England Patriots could be coming to an end after nearly 25 years and six Super Bowl titles.
In the early part of the coach's tenure, the Patriots had epic battles with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Led by Hall of Fame safety Troy Polamalu, the defense was routinely among the 10 best in the NFL. Polamalu had a lot to do with that while earning eight Pro Bowl nods and four first-team All-Pro selections.
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Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots shakes hands with Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers after a game at Gillette Stadium Nov. 3, 2013, in Foxboro, Massachusetts. (Jim Rogash/Getty Images)
Polamalu, who spoke to Fox News Digital recently on behalf of Frito-Lay’s new NFL playoff ad featuring him and other NFL greats, said he looked back fondly on his time going up against Belichick and shared a moment he had with the legendary coach.
"This is the first game that we played against the New England Patriots," he said. "And after the game, he came up to me, and he says, ‘Hey, Polamalu, I like your game.’ And I just looked at him, and as soon as he said Polamalu, like, it took me a while (for it) to click. I was just like, ‘He knows my name. He knows my name.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}NFL GREAT TROY POLAMALU STARS IN FRITO-LAY CAMPAIGN AS PLAYOFFS APPROACH
Troy Polamalu of the Steelers during a game against the Houston Texans Sept. 7, 2008, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
"That’s all I kept thinking to myself, ‘He knows my name. As I walked off, ‘He knows my name.’"
Polamalu played six games against the Patriots, the first in the regular season, Oct. 31, 2004. Pittsburgh won 34-20.
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Pro Football Hall of Famer Troy Polamalu during a Hall of Fame press conference at the NFL Honors Feb. 1, 2020, at the Adrienne Arsht Center in Miami. (Rich Graessle/PPI/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
From there, Pittsburgh and New England developed an epic rivalry.