HOUSTON – Two years ago, it came down to Adam Vinatieri for the Patriots. A made 48-yard field goal on the final play of the game and the Patriots would be Super Bowl champions. Prior to that, it took two colossal Vinatieri kicks to get the New England to that Super Bowl.
Three weeks ago, it came down to Vinatieri. A late-game field goal allowed the Patriots to beat the Titans and move on in this postseason.
It often comes down to Vinatieri for the Patriots, which is usually good news.
The Patriots’ kicker is money in the bank. He won Super Bowl XXXVI with that 48-yarder. He cut through six inches of snow with a 45-yarder to force overtime earlier in those 2001 playoffs and later sent the Patriots to the next round with a 23-yarder in OT.
And his 46-yarder in frigid conditions at Foxboro on Jan. 10 gave the Patriots a 20-17 win over Tennessee and advanced them to this season’s AFC title game.
Because of his history, Vinatieri figured to have a significant role in Super Bowl XXXVIII last night at Reliant Stadium.
“The game goes on for 59 minutes and you’re only on the field a handful of times,” Vinatieri said. “You’re out there for six seconds and you’ve got to make the most of it.”
He usually does.
Vinatieri entered last night having kicked 15 game-winning or tying field goals in the fourth quarter or overtime, placing him third among active players behind Morten Andersen (18) and Steve Christie (16).
He ranks as the 10th most accurate kicker in NFL history, having made 80.6-percent of his FG attempts, a number even more impressive when you consider that he kicks in some of the most difficult weather conditions in the NFL.
He and Denver’s Jason Elam are also the only kickers to score at least 100 points in each of their first eight seasons.
Vinatieri has earned the highest respect from the best coaches in the history of the NFL, with Bill Parcells, who usually regards kickers and punters with the same disdain as telemarketers, considering him one of the best he’s coached.
“More than a kicker, he’s a football player,” his current coach, Bill Belichick, said.
Where does he rank his top kicks?
“The snow kick was a harder kick [than the Super Bowl game winner],” Vinatieri said of the field goal that beat the Raiders in overtime in the 2001 division playoffs. “I don’t know if it was any more pressure-filled. I don’t think you can get any bigger kick than the Super Bowl. But with the 45-yarder in about five inches of snow, I definitely would say that’s a pretty low-percentage kick. If you had it 100 times, I don’t know how many times I’d make it.”
Asked if he’s been dreaming about another Super Bowl winner, Vinatieri said, “It’s definitely a great feeling to put icing on then cake, but it’s also a great feeling to be leading 45-3 and have your feet up.”