Adam Vinatieri chose the Colts over the Patriots Saturday night. But at least he looked jacked doing it.
The kicking legend banged the anvil before the game to give one of his former teams some good luck. The Colts started the tradition in 2017 to fire up their fans, and it worked Saturday. The crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium was raucous all night long, even forcing the Patriots to take a delay of game penalty when Mac Jones couldn’t call the play in time.
Vinatieri may be responsible for a large fraction of the noise himself. That is, if his decibel level matches his biceps. The all-time great is huge.
Vinatieri signed with the Colts in 2006 after winning three Super Bowls with the Patriots, and his right foot was responsible for a few of those victories. He made the game-winning kicks in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII.
While the Patriots made up for Vinatieri’s absence by drafting Stephen Gostkowski, Vinatieri went on to enjoy a long and fruitful career with the Colts. He helped Indianapolis win a Super Bowl in his first season there.
Overall, Vinatieri made 263 of his 321 field goal attempts in 160 games with the Patriots, and he made 336 of his 394 attempts in 205 games with the Colts. He left the Colts following the 2019 season, and formally announced his retirement in May. He still appears to be in football shape.
Maybe the Colts could bring him back for another run. The Patriots are all set at kicker; Nick Folk has done an incredible job. Bill Belichick even says he’s learned a lot from the veteran. Perhaps those kind words explain Vinatieri’s betrayal. They may also explain those pecs. Rage-benching is the best kind of benching, bro.
