–Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, a legend in Patriots history because of the kicks he made in the snow against Oakland in 2001 and the two Super Bowl game-winning kicks, is now in his 23rd season. He started kicking in 1996 – the same year Patriots rookie running back Sony Michel was born. Vinatieri just passed Morten Anderson for the most made field goals in NFL history.
Asked about Vinatieri, head coach Bill Belichick said, “I would say it (the kick against the Raiders in the snow) was by far the greatest kick I have ever seen. The conditions were very difficult. There were probably three to four inches of snow on the ground. It was a soft snow that kind of didn’t go away. I mean, there was no way to get around it. The magnitude of the kick was significant. It’s got to be the greatest kick of all time, certainly that I’ve seen.
“Adam (Vinatieri) is a great player. He was a great player here and has been a great player for the Colts, great person. He works hard. He certainly doesn’t fit the classic profile for a kicker. He is more of a football player. He’s physically and mentally tough. When he was here, he trained and worked out with all the players. There was no special program for him as a kicker or anything like that. He embraced that. He had a great relationship with his teammates because of the way he worked, how competitive and mentally and physically tough he was and how he was willing to help out in other areas of the team – scout team and things like that.
“Whatever the team needed he was always great about that. He was a clutch, dependable player in his role. So, you can’t ask for much more than that. He has had a fabulous career. Certainly, in my opinion, the greatest kicker in the game. Not just for his longevity and production but again, the magnitude of some of the kicks that he made and the difficulty – particularly the one that you mentioned. But there were many besides that – the kick in the Super Bowl and the kick in the Carolina Super Bowl. So, I mean there were just big games after big games that we couldn’t – back in 2001, it seemed like every game came down to the last possession or the last kick. Every point was critical. Those games we won in 2001 and 2003 – especially in the early part of the year in 2003 – were all close games and tough ones. Adam came through for us with some enormous kicks. Congratulations to him and to the great career that he has and honestly it doesn’t seem like there is much sign of him slowing down. The ball continues to go right in the middle of the uprights. It never curves. It doesn’t hook. It just goes straight down the middle. So he just has an unbelievable level of consistency.”
–Colts defensive end Jabaal Sheard played for the Patriots in 2015 and 2016 and totaled 13 sacks.
“We love Jabaal. He’s been a leader on the practice field, he’s been an emotional leader, playing at a high level, playing with great intensity, just brings a kind of toughness. You know, we talk a lot about toughness. He’s really provided all that for us,” Colts head coach Frank Reich said.
BY THE NUMBERS: 4 – The number of prime-time games the Patriots will play in the next five weeks. Thursday night against the Colts, a week from Sunday night at home against the Kansas City Chiefs, a Monday night game at Buffalo, and a Sunday night game at home against the Green Bay Packers.
217 – With a win, the Patriots will earn their 217th victory since 2000, tying the San Francisco 49ers for the most regular-season wins over two decades (1980s/1990s).
