The only kicker we ever loved
Yes, back in the days there was Tony Franklin, but he was a penthouse to the outhouse back to the penthouse player, as he once said himself.
But Franklin was no Adam Vinatieri. Vinatieri was always on top of his game, but never one you’d think of as a penthouse guy. Adam wasn’t just a kicker, not just the best clutch-kicker ever in football, but an actual football player.
And now he’s gone to the Indy Colts, America’s Whiniest Team, where he’ll be mopping up the perennial shortcomings of the Manning & Dungy Underperformance Express. Considering Vinatieri’s stature, he’ll probably be waving the Colts’ offense off the field on 4th&2. Heck, maybe he’ll even throw a touchdown pass to himself.
The I saw It With My Own Eyes: Adam Vinatieri score a two-point conversion against the Buffalo Bills after Ben Coates had hauled in a last second game-winning touchdown pass from Drew Bledose, prompting the somewhat robbed Bills to leave the PAT uncontested. It was in 1998.
A distant relative of mine was the mascot for the Jackrabbits in the mid-1990’s. He’s got a picture of himself posing with then-South Dakota State University kicker Adam Vinatieri. Pretty cool. I never got to see Vinatieri himself, but I did visit his then-homefield in 1994. It’s a great place, but trust me, when I was there, I wasn’t thinking “this is where the Patriots will find their Super Bowl winning player.”
Thank you, Adam Vinatieri, for all the memories.
(Update: Gino Cappelletti wasn’t just a kicker but also a receiver. Had he been a full-time kicker I don’t think he would have been much remembered. Hence, Adam Vinatieri, the only kicker we ever loved).
