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WEEI radio station of Boston is reporting that Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots Kicker and Super Bowl winner extraordinaire, may be moving on, and to an interesting new team - the Indianapolis Colts.
Several Boston news stations are reporting that the Colts and Vinatieri have agreed in principal to what is most likely a multi-year deal with a hefty sum up front and/or guaranteed. Terms of the deal have not yet been made available.
The Pats decided not to Franchise Tag Vinatieri, which would have cost the Pats $3 million for the 2006 season. Instead, the Patriots let Vinatieri test free agency, and it looks like Adam passed with flying colors, and the Pats have a bit of egg on their face.
The Colts go from the most accurate kicker in NFL history in Mike Vanderjagt (who was not re-signed by the Colts this off-season and is currently a free agent) with the most clutch kicker in NFL history. As Bostonists know, Adam Vinatieri kicked field goals to win SuperBowls XXXVI and XXXVII.
Givens. McGinest. Vinatieri. This ain't your daddy's Patriots anymore. So, what IS going on down there in Bostonist's satellite Foxboro office? Is there a plan? There are a lot of questions to be answered.
This might be the hardest of all to swallow. Vinatieri has a warm place in Bostonist's hearts, and there has never been a better clutch kicker. Not only will he be missed on the field, but Dunkin Donuts and Papa Gino's will never be the same.
Unfortunately sports fans, this one looks like it was a business decision. Paying $3 million plus for a kicker is a lot of money in the world of NFL salary caps. But this one still smells a little funny... Is this a lax move on the Patriots part? Did they drop the ball? Or is Indy trying to stick it to their rivals? And are they sticking it to themselves by overpaying for a Vinatieri, and more importantly, tying up a decent sum of salary cap money in a kicker? Bostonists, what's your theory? Let's here it!
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Patriots_n_bush.jpg
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It might be nice to think that the coach and Pioli know what they're doing, but after last years debacle(Brown, Scott, Starks), can we really trust them? I don't think so. I can no longer buy the reputation of Coach Bill. We know after last year that he doesn't always make the wisest decisions. The teams that won the Super Bowls had been in place for a few years. This armour has a few chinks. What begins to smell so badly is that they didn't even have the courtesy to talk with Willie. They left him hanging. Troy Brown? They will toy with him again. Wow- this feels like Kiam all over again.
Darren you are an idiot
Darren,
Great commentary. Billy is the idiot.
The armor does havea few chinks, and yes they will toy with Troy Brown... its the nature of the business unfortunately. The Pats will let the market establish itself, and then go after players. 3mil is way too much for a kicker... especially when monies need to be spent in the secondary, OLB, and now WR.
Billy, yours is an example of a bad comment. I'm leaving it up only to serve as a teaching tool for others as how NOT to comment on our site. Be a little bit more insightful when calling someone out as an idiot.
i like bill simmons' 9 year theory - an extra $10 mil to keep players with 9 years+ of continuous service. but really, this ends up being an emotional thing - it's sad to see all these guys go, and even sadder that the reason ends up being money. but that's the nfl salary cap for ya, and, frankly, it's hard to complain when we have 3 superbowl rings. we just might not see that for a long time to come if we keep losing key players. the cohesiveness of the team just deteriorates.
Vinatieri is clutch, there's no doubt about that. But, to be honest how many kickers get put in the situation of being able to win a Super Bowl or playoff game with a last second kick? Give some other kickers the chance maybe they do come through maybe they don't. The fact is 3 million for a kicker is too much. What surprises me about Vinatieri is that, as you mentioned, he will lose out on all the endorsement opportunities he had around here. If you combine the discounted salary and endorsements he probably would earn more that 3 million a year.