by Dan Skip Allen,
An Appreciation for Adam Vinatieri
Adam Vinatieri has had a lot of accolades and accomplishments in his 24 year NFL career, but as a Patriots fan, he’ll always be remembered by me and my fellow fans as Mr. Clutch. He’s one of the most clutch players in sports history, let alone the NFL. He had ice water running through his veins in some of those clutch situations he succeeded in, in his long and storied career.
His game-winning kick in Super Bowl XXXVI was one of the greatest moments in my life as a sports fan, and I’ve been a Patriots fan my whole life. But that kick wasn’t all he did that season. In the divisional playoffs versus the Raiders, he kicked the tying and winning field goals in overtime in a blizzard to send the Pats to the AFC Championship game. Tuck rule aside, that was some clutch field goal kicking. He would later go on to help the Pats win Super Bowl XXXVIII with another last-second game-winning kick.
Adam won 4 Super Bowls in total in his career, 3 with the Patriots and 1 with the Colts. His career is considered one of the greatest of all time. He was selected as 1 one of the 50 Greatest Patriots of all time and then he was selected as one of the 100 Greatest NFL Players of all time. His clutch performances game after the game had no doubt contributed to these great accolades in his career.
Adam has a lot of records in his long storied career as well. He has scored more points than anybody (2,673), most field goals made (599), and most postseason points as well (238), and last but not least the most overtime field goals (12), cementing him as Mr. Clutch. He also played in 3 Pro Bowls as a first steamer in ’02, ’04, and 2014. He made the all-decade team in the 2000s as well.
Adam played 10 seasons with the New England Patriots and 14 with the Indianapolis Colts, but he’ll always be remembered by me and so many others as a New England Patriot. I was sad when he left the Patriots. His amazing moments brought tears out in my eyes in those moments because I’m a huge sports fan and I followed the Patriots through a lot of losing seasons. When we finally won the Super Bowl, I was ecstatic and very emotional. Adam helped bring on that emotion for me and I know many other long-time New England Patriots fans. Mr. Clutch will live in my mind forever! Thank you, Adam!