The New England Patriots have become a dynasty in the NFL, winning five Super Bowls since the year 2000.

That’s not merely by chance, as coach Bill Belichick and his assistants have done everything necessary (and then some) to stay on top of the sport.

One of those things involves scouring the college ranks for ideas that might help them make life harder on opposing defenses. Back in 2005, that mission led them to the Florida campus, where New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels met with Gators coach Urban Meyer and offensive coordinator Dan Mullen.

According to Kevin Clark of The Ringer, McDaniels said he was hoping to figure out how the Florida offense worked so he could implement some of the strategies in New England:

“It’s us trying to figure out if we can’t steal something and help our team along the way,” he said.

Mullen, now the head coach at Mississippi State, said McDaniels was particularly interested in Florida’s spread offense. He said he helped teach McDaniels how Florida quarterbacks were able to read the defense before the ball was snapped:

“I think what intrigued the Patriots,” Mullen said, “was the definition of the spread for us. Once you get the defense to declare as man before the play even happens, for the QB it’s easy.”

From there, the rest was history. The Patriots and QB Tom Brady embarked on one of the most dominant stretches in NFL history, something Mullen said he’s enjoyed watching — especially since he played a part in the team’s offensive progression:

“It was something fun to see on TV,” Mullen said. “You’d see a play, or see them create a matchup that we talked about—and they took it to another level.”

The full story, which is well worth your time, can be seen here. After reading it, it’s no surprise Mullen has worked with so many talented quarterbacks over the years.