New England Patriots
Vinatieri gained three Tremendous Bowls with the Patriots and a fourth with the Colts. Whereas he could have performed extra seasons in Indianapolis, he’s an final Patriot.
SAN FRANCISCO — We don’t know if none of this occurs with out him — the ten journeys to the Tremendous Bowl this century, the six championships secured, with a seventh pending Sunday night time’s end result.
Tom Brady most likely turns into an outstanding quarterback even when Adam Vinatieri had shanked that 45-yard, tying discipline purpose on that snow-globe Saturday night time towards the Raiders in February 2002.
Invoice Belichick most likely wins dozens, perhaps even tons of, of soccer video games as a head coach. It may very well be that the Patriots would have nonetheless collected a Lombardi Trophy, or two, or extra.
Possibly a few of this does occur even when Vinatieri’s magical, impossibly clutch kick — to not point out his 23-yarder in extra time to present the Patriots a 16-13 victory within the divisional-round matchup — had not.
However this we all know for positive: All of this started with Vinatieri 24 years in the past, in Foxboro Stadium’s snowy closing scene. Due to him, we are able to whimsically ponder how the “sliding doorways” or “butterfly impact” may need altered what grew into 20 years of Patriots dominance.
However we don’t ponder for lengthy, as a result of the truth — of snow angels that formative night time and so many Tremendous Bowls to come back — is a lot sweeter.
Vinatieri, as you certainly heard and celebrated, was announced as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s class of 2026 Thursday night time.
The one small gripe is that he ought to have been a part of final yr’s class, his first time eligible, given that he’s unquestionably the best kicker in NFL historical past.
In 24 seasons — his first 10 with the Patriots, then 14 extra with the Colts — Vinatieri scored 2,673 factors, probably the most in NFL historical past. He scored greater than 100 factors in a season a file 21 instances, and made a file 44 consecutive discipline targets from 2015-16.
But as spectacular as Vinatieri’s numbers are, his profession is outlined by moments. The larger the stage, the higher he was. The 2 kicks within the snow had been the precursor to his profitable 48-yard discipline purpose as time expired three weeks later within the Patriots’ 20-17 upset of the Rams in Tremendous Bowl XXXVI. Two seasons later, in a 32-29 victory over the Panthers in Tremendous Bowl XXXVIII, Vinatieri buried a 41-yard discipline purpose with 4 seconds left to safe the Patriots’ second championship in three seasons.
Simply thrice has a Tremendous Bowl been determined by a discipline purpose within the closing seconds of regulation. Vinatieri — who kicked 18 game-winning discipline targets with lower than a minute remaining in a sport throughout his profession — owns two of them.
It’s wild that Vinatieri booted two winning field goals in the Super Bowl and but the tying kick within the snow — a line shot off his proper foot that one way or the other minimize by way of the falling snow, chilly air, and darkish night time — is undeniably his biggest achievement.
“That [tying] kick within the snow,” stated Patriots coach Mike Vrabel, a teammate of Vinatieri’s for 5 seasons, “that’s most likely the best feat — one of many biggest feats — I’ve seen on a soccer discipline.”
Vinatieri gained three Tremendous Bowls with the Patriots and a fourth with the Colts. Whereas he could have performed extra seasons in Indianapolis (it was a savvy and career-extending transfer to signal with a dome staff after the 2005 season), he’s an final Patriot. His defining moments occurred in New England.
That features making a sure memorable play that endeared him early on to his coaches and teammates. Whereas the 2001 season is his tour de power of clutchness, Vinatieri really was a rookie on a unique Patriots Tremendous Bowl staff, again in 1996.
The rookie free agent struggled early, lacking three discipline targets in a Week 2 loss to the Payments, then faltered once more the following week towards the Cardinals, lacking an additional level and a discipline purpose try.
Sports activities radio host Mike Francesa has claimed over time that Patriots coach Bill Parcells — not precisely the affected person type — despatched in Vinatieri for a 31-yard discipline purpose late within the Cardinals sport with one thing of an ultimatum: Make this kick, or begin in search of a brand new job.
Vinatieri nailed it, then hit 5 discipline targets the following week towards the Jaguars. However the second he earned his bona fides with the Patriots got here in a 12-6 slog of a loss to the Cowboys in Week 16.
Within the first quarter Vinatieri — and that is no exaggeration — caught Cowboys kickoff returner Herschel Walker, an All-American sprinter on the College of Georgia, from behind. “You’re not a kicker,” Parcells advised him. “You’re a soccer participant.”
Vinatieri’s ascent as a rookie — to not point out his open-field tackling expertise — validated Parcells’s tough determination to maintain him over 40-year-old veteran Matt Bahr in coaching camp. Parcells minimize the ageing however dependable Bahr due to his lack of ability to kick off. “He’s the perfect kicker I’ve ever had,” stated Parcells on the time of his determination. “There’s plenty of blood concerned with Matt Bahr. There are only a few gamers — however that is certainly one of them — the place your private emotions are concerned.”
He added, “We’ll see how Adam responds. I’ll have an interest to see how issues go for him from right here on out.”
Our reminiscences of Vinatieri’s assortment of heroic kicks have lengthy advised us that, sure, issues went quite nicely for the best kicker there has ever been.
On Thursday night time, the fantastic information that Vinatieri’s is Canton-bound delivered the final word affirmation.
Get the newest Boston sports activities information
Obtain updates in your favourite Boston groups, straight from our newsroom to your inbox.
