Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
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'Special spot in my heart' March 23: Kicker Adam Vinatieri is thrilled to be with the Colts and looks back fondly at his time with the Patriots. |
Adam Vinatieri arrived in Indianapolis with the usual expectations — kicking game-winners and winning championships.
After spending the last five years helping the New England Patriots win three Super Bowl titles, Vinatieri wants to do the same with the Colts.
“Hopefully many of those kicks are still with me,” he said Thursday after he was introduced as the Colts’ new kicker. “But those kicks are in the rearview mirror now, and I’m looking through the windshield.”
The signing allows the Colts to switch from having the league’s most accurate kicker, Mike Vanderjagt, to having the league’s most dependable when it matters most — in the playoffs.
Vanderjagt’s final kick in Indy was an unforgettable 46-yarder that went badly right, a kick that would have forced overtime against eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh. Afterward, Vanderjagt slammed his helmet and later said he couldn’t explain what happened.
The Colts brought in Vinatieri to make sure there wouldn’t be a repeat.
Team president Bill Polian said negotiations with Vinatieri’s new agent, Gary Uberstine, began Monday. After an initial conversation, Polian said he met with team owner Jim Irsay. By Tuesday, the two sides agreed on a five-year, $12 million deal with a $3.5 million signing bonus.
“Obviously, we are glad to have Adam here, we know he’ll do a great job for us,” Polian said. “He had a great career in New England and we hope he has a great career here.”
Vinatieri’s most memorable kicks include decisive ones in each of the Patriots’ three Super Bowl victories, along with a 45-yarder to force overtime and a 23-yarder to beat Oakland — both in driving snowstorm in January 2001. That victory led to the Pats’ first Super Bowl title. He also once tackled Herschel Walker and is arguably the best poor-weather kicker of his era.
Vinatieri is already making the transition to the Colts. He said one of the first phone calls he received came from two-time MVP Peyton Manning, who publicly feuded with Vanderjagt in 2003.
“It’s cool when you get your star quarterback calling kickers,” Vinatieri said. “He welcomed me and said he’d do whatever he could to help.”
He said he’s talked to several former teammates since making the decision to join Indy and traded phone messages with Pats quarterback Tom Brady. He also thanked the Patriots’ organization and fans for their support during his first 10 NFL seasons.
“I’ve got big expectations for the Colts, but I really, really appreciate what New England has done for me,” he said. “The organization is truly a classy place. But this, to me, was the right choice.”
Vinatieri will now be kicking in a venue, the RCA Dome, where he has made 11 straight field goals. He’s never missed in Indy.
He also won’t have to worry about kicking much in inclement weather. The Colts play eight home games indoors, and three of their annual road trips are to Jacksonville, Tennessee and Houston, which hardly endure the harsh New England winters that helped Vinatieri earn his reputation.
But Vinatieri remained humble about following Vanderjagt, who agreed to a three-year deal with Dallas on Thursday.
“Mike is a great kicker and I’ve got some pretty big shoes to fill,” Vinatieri said. “I’ll do that to the best of my ability, but everything changes for one reason or another.”
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Vanderjagt, an unrestricted free agent like Vinatieri, left Indianapolis as the NFL leader in accuracy (87.5 percent) and the Colts’ franchise scoring leader (995). He also set the NFL record by making 42 straight field goals between 2002 and 2003.
In Vinatieri, the Colts get a kicker who has been nearly as proficient as Vanderjagt, better in the clutch and minus the baggage that sometimes caused ripples within the Colts organization.
“Mike was a different type of personality, but he lined up and did his job and did it well,” coach Tony Dungy said. “Adam is going to be a different personality. He’s going to be great for us.”
Vinatieri said Indianapolis was an “easy fit.”
“There will always be a special place in my heart for the New England Patriots and the guys there. I’ll miss that,” he said. “But I want to make some history with the Indianapolis Colts.”
Silva: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for NFC teams.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
Ryan Callahan scored for the fifth time in four days and defenseman Ryan McDonagh snapped a second-period tie to lift the New York Rangers to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Capitals on Sunday.
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