Adam Vinatieri Finally Hangs Up His Cleats
The oldest man in the league finally hangs em high. After he spent 2019 kicking rather poorly, getting surgery and then not seeing the field at all in 2020, this shouldn’t be a surprise. But it is still the end of an era. Tom Brady gets all the press for being the reigning old fart of the league but until this moment, it was actually good old Adam. Adam tackled Herschel Walker once. In 1996. Adam Vinatieri’s first Super Bowl was the Patriots loss to Green Bay. That Super Bowl is legitimately one of my first true complete football memories. I can only picture small snippets of football before that game. He’s the only player who was left who you could argue was a pre-911 quantity. Tom was on the Pats before 9/11 but nobody knew who he was until Bledsoe went down on the 23rd, so unless you were a Michigan fan, Tom Brady is a post-9/11 player. Adam is from the before times.
And now he’s gone. Farewell to a true legend.
Is Adam Vinatieri a hall of famer? Fuck yes he is. I cannot possibly see an argument that he shouldn’t be. He’s arguably the greatest kicker of all time. He has scored more points than any other player in NFL history (2,673). On top of being such a stud for so long, he’s made some of the most iconic kicks in the history of the sport. He’s one of the few kicker’s who’s defining moments aren’t misses. Think about that. Gary Anderson? One of the best kickers in history, yet people only know the NFCCG shank. John Carney? His miss after the River City Relay is his big moment. Adam Vinatieri has at least 3 iconic kicks. The Tuck Rule kick in the snow to beat the Raiders and Super Bowls 36 and 38’s gamewinners. You could argue he also won SB 39, as the Patriots defeated the Eagles by a field goal. He then went to Indianapolis after 10 full years in New England and won another Super Bowl. He spent 14 years in Indy. He holds the record for most consecutive field goals in history at 44. He did this at (I believe) age 43.
If you are one of those “kickers don’t belong in the hall” you can get right the fuck outta here and go jump in a volcano. Dude is a legend and deserves his bust.
Farewell to a legend. I agree, definite HoFer.
Specialists are still football players. The best ones still belong in the Hall.
His running down Herschel Walker was one of my favorite highlights.
I hate both teams he’s played for…but that’s one of my favorite highlights out of the NFL
I have a funny Adam Vinatieri story.
In 2007, when I was 9 years old, I went to ESPN the Weekend. (It was a weekend where 250 or so pro athletes (past and present) & ESPN personalities go to disney world for interviews, autographs, booths, etc.). Because i live in Florida, I got to go to the red carpet thing on Thursday. Most kids eere asking for autographs. I was asking questions. Most of the players just said hello and moved on to the kids asking for autographs, some outright ignored me and everyone else (for example, Chad Johnson/Ochocinco) for example, and some answered the questions (I asked Steve Spurrier if he was going to coach at Vandy and he said he was happy at South Carolina & I Stumped the Schwab by asking him who was the first USFL champion (he guessed the Philadelphia Stars, but it was actually the Michigan Panthers). Only one asked a question back.
I asked Adam “How are you Mr. Football Player?” He asked (How are you Mr. Dolphins Fan?” (I had a Jason Taylor jersey on). That made me the happiest kid in the world.
And he absolutely belongs in the Hall of Fame as a first balloter.
Technically, I think the kick against the raiders you are referring to was the one that tied the game to force overtime. That one was from 45 yards out. The game winner was from 23 yards iirc.
Speaking of feeling old, Frank Gore has the same birthday as me, year included. The day he retires will be the day I truly feel old.
Farewell Mr. Vinatieri. You can go chill with Pat now. Best of luck to you on future endeavors.
I’m more surprised that there are people who *don’t* believe Adam Vinatieri is a Hall of Famer. The dude was already a lock for the HoF after the game winner in Super Bowl 38 and he went and won 2 more Super Bowls after that. You could argue that he was main reason the Colts won it all in 2006, considering that he nailed 14 field goals in 4 games that postseason. You couldn’t be more reliable than him.
Some people argue he should even be a first ballot HoFer. I love Vinatieri but I don’t believe that any kicker will get in at first try.
That’s honestly stupid. We’re not talking about a guy that’s just very good here, he’s the undisputed best at his position. I know the media has a tendency to throw any name out there and scream HoF from the rafters *cough* Edelman *cough* but Adam Vinatieri could not have any better of a case for it. Leaving him out purely because he’s a kicker would be all sorts of wrong.
There was a kicker who got in his first try and he didn’t have a resume that Vin has.
“I’m more surprised that there are people who *don’t* believe Adam Vinatieri is a Hall of Famer.”
KiCkErS aReNt FoOtBaLl PlAyErS
I’m being sarcastic, in case that wasn’t obvious enough
Kickers aren’t people
Adam Vinatieri is older than me by a few weeks. With his retirement, every player in the NFL is now some young whipper-snapper to me.
Enjoy your well-deserved retirement, Mr. Vinatieri.
Adam Vinatieri was always one of my favorite players in the league, hands down. Considering I couldn’t trust any of the Viking kickers, he seemed like a miracle player. HoF player for sure.
I hear he has plans to come back as a TE.
kicker’s who’s
jesus fuck man
just yank the apostrophe off your keyboard and smash it
for all our sakes
It belongs to the kicker who is…
or “he’s one of the few kicker is who is defining moments aren’t…”
i think i developed brain cancer just from typing that out. even autocorrect killed itself
If your Hall of Fame cant field an entire team then its not a good Hall of Fame. There is more to any sport than just points. Vinatieri deserves to be in.
>There is more to any sport than just points.
Even if there weren’t, he scored the most.
Not only that, the Colts signed the guy after Vanderjagt (then the kicker with highest field goal percentage) booted the field goal against the Steelers. One can appreciate how bad Vin made the guy looked when the Colts won the SB a year later. I know Peyton and Dungy certainly did when you remember what Vanderjagt said about them few years before.