Without Adam Vinatieri, there is no New England Patriots dynasty.
The legendary kicker consistently came through in the most clutch situations. Two of them -- the final seconds of the "Snow Bowl" in 2002 and Super Bowl XXXVI in 2004 -- brought championships to New England.
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Vinatieri ended his Patriots career with three Super Bowl titles before joining the Indianapolis Colts in 2006. He went on to win another Super Bowl in Indy, where he'd spend the final 14 seasons of his illustrious career.
Despite playing for the Colts longer than he played for the Patriots, Vinatieri hasn't forgotten his roots. He spoke with Tom E. Curran on a new episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast about why he will always feel like a Patriot.
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"I think when you're in that organization, and we accomplished what we accomplished, I feel like I'll always be a Patriot in some facet," Vinatieri said. "I feel like I was fortunate enough to play two full careers. I really did. Twenty-four years is a long time. A lot of guys don't play 10 years anyway. So playing 10 years in New England and being part of a team that won three Super Bowls at the time, all my teammates and stuff. Some of my best friends are still guys I played with there.
"So don't ask me, 'Which team is more important to you?' because they're equally as important to me, but no doubt those memories, those times, those experiences there are burned into my heart. There's absolutely no way I would deny that. I still feel like I'm a Patriot to some facet. I still feel like I'm a Colt to a facet too. No disrespect to anybody. Whenever you win a Super Bowl or achieve what those teams achieved, that team is my family as much as my blood relatives are."
Also discussed in the episode: Vinatieri explains how he became such a good kicker in clutch situations, getting back into shape after retiring from the NFL, and whether he ever thinks about making the Hall of Fame.
Check out the latest episode of the Patriots Talk Podcast on the NBC Sports Boston Podcast Network, or watch on YouTube.