He wanted way too much for a kicker.:IBTL:
:IBTL:
BB just was keeping his promise to Vinatieri about not franchising him again"It just didn't feel like the right thing to do," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said of the decision not to tag Vinatieri. "We considered all our options and decided not to tag anybody."
http://msn.foxsports.com
Len PasquarelliESPN.comLenny P from ESPN is disputing this.
Yeah, it'd be foolish to base that on the three Super Bowls they've won.I guess we'll see now whether "the Patriots way" of building a team really works based upon how well they rebuild.
Those were all effectively the same team. Believe me, I have a lot of respect for them in doing that. If the system that they used to build that team is as fundamentally sound as they say such that other teams are dumb not to follow it, they should be able to replicate it (and by that I mean field a consistently strong team, not win 3 championships in 4 years necessarily).Yeah, it'd be foolish to base that on the three Super Bowls they've won.I guess we'll see now whether "the Patriots way" of building a team really works based upon how well they rebuild.
It was absolutely not the same team. This is a pretty common misconception. On offense Brady, Andruzzi and Light are the only three offense players to start on all three title teams. On defense you have Seymour, Vrabel, Willie, Bruschi and a combo of Phifer/Johnson (they were both kind of starters). Law was on all three title teams but he missed a good portion of the 04 season and didn't play in the playoffs that year. So counting the kickers (which means AV) you have 9/24 players that started on all three teams which means there was almost a 2/3's turnover from the first championship to the third. The first title was very much a veteran team while the third one had a very healthy dose of youngsters (Branch, Givens, Koppen, Samuel, Wilfork, Warren, Wilson, Graham etc.) that weren't on that first team.Those were all effectively the same team. Believe me, I have a lot of respect for them in doing that. If the system that they used to build that team is as fundamentally sound as they say such that other teams are dumb not to follow it, they should be able to replicate it (and by that I mean field a consistently strong team, not win 3 championships in 4 years necessarily).Yeah, it'd be foolish to base that on the three Super Bowls they've won.I guess we'll see now whether "the Patriots way" of building a team really works based upon how well they rebuild.
linkDespite a strong push, the Green Bay Packers lost out to the Indianapolis Colts on free agent kicker Adam Vinatieri Tuesday, a National Football League source said. The Packers were in the running for Vinatieri up until the last minute, but ultimately the clutch New England kicker decided he wanted to go to a team that plays indoors. The Packers, Patriots and Colts were the strongest players for Vinatieri, who visited Green Bay last weekend and had shown interest in coming to Green Bay.
According to the source, the Packers offered more than the five-year, $10 million contract Ryan Longwell received from the Minnesota Vikings, but Vinatieri accepted a deal believed to be worth slightly more. The Packers, the source said, had shown an inclination to go higher with their offer, but Vinatieri appeared most interested in kicking indoors. Terms of the deal Vinatieri signed with the Colts were not known.
Over the weekend, Vinatieri changed agents, picking Nevada-based Gary Uberstine, to handle negotiations, a source said. Previously he had been with Neil Cornrich, but Uberstine was the one who negotiated the deal with the Colts and spoke with the Packers and Patriots.
That run was all luck.Yeah, it'd be foolish to base that on the three Super Bowls they've won.I guess we'll see now whether "the Patriots way" of building a team really works based upon how well they rebuild.
Hopefully, Patriot fans will storm Foxborough and force the Pats to open up their wallets.Rotoworld reported that because he fired his agent today he can not sign a contract for 5 days. They are saying it's probably a verbal agreement at this point.
linkColts sign away Patriots Super Bowl hero Vinatieri
By MICHAEL MAROT, AP Sports Writer
March 21, 2006
The Indianapolis Colts are switching from the NFL's most accurate kicker to the best in the clutch.
Taking a key piece from its rival New England, Indianapolis agreed in principle to a deal with Adam Vinatieri, the Colts said Tuesday night. Vinatieri, who twice hit winning kicks in the Super Bowl for the Patriots, replaces former Pro Bowl kicker Mike Vanderjagt.
The deal was announced on the team's Web site, though terms were not immediately available. Messages left with the Patriots and agents for Vinatieri by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.
The Patriots allowed Vinatieri to test free agency rather than putting a franchise designation on him, which would have cost the team $3 million next season.
"It just didn't feel like the right thing to do," coach Bill Belichick said last month at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. "We considered all our options and decided not to tag anybody."
Vinatieri, 33, had been named the team's franchise player twice, including last year, when he was paid $2.5 million.
Vanderjagt spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the Colts after playing in the Canadian Football League. He scored a franchise record 995 points and made 217 career field goals in 248 attempts, the highest accuracy rate (87.5) in league history.
In 2003, Vanderjagt made all 37 of his field goal attempts, all 46 of his extra point attempts and set the NFL record by extending his consecutive field goals streak to 42.
But twice in his career he missed critical field goals in the playoffs. In January, he badly missed a 46-yarder in the closing seconds, which would have forced overtime with eventual Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh.
At Miami, in January 2000, he missed a 49-yarder wide right that would have won the game and sent the Colts into the second round of the playoffs.
Team president Bill Polian acknowledged last month it was unlikely the Colts would re-sign Vanderjagt, an unrestricted free agent.
I feel very lucky to have witnessed it.That run was all luck.Yeah, it'd be foolish to base that on the three Super Bowls they've won.I guess we'll see now whether "the Patriots way" of building a team really works based upon how well they rebuild.
You should be...he has never missed a FG in your done! (he is 10 for 10)I'm thrilled with this. Absolutely thrilled.
So am I. This is a fantastic signing for the Colts since it's not only a great player but also damaging to the Patriots. It also is a smart move because the loss of Edge may make the Colts have to settle for more FG's.I'm thrilled with this. Absolutely thrilled.
linkAccording to sources familiar with the talks, Vinatieri would receive a $3.5 million signing bonus and $7.5 million over the first three years of the contract. The total length of the contract was unclear, though it could be five years.
Even taking away the "clutch" label (Vandy is the opposite of clutch), he's an upgrade because:1. He can kickoff - Vandy is awful at that. That could save a roster spot on the Colts that was used on a KO specialist.Why is he an upgrade?
He's certainly not more accurate than Vanderjagt. He's more "clutch"?
but the bottom line is, biggest field goal of his life vandy choakedin the half-dozen or so HUGE field goals vin has tried, he nailed them all. He should have been the MVP of their first super bowl!Even taking away the "clutch" label (Vandy is the opposite of clutch), he's an upgrade because:1. He can kickoff - Vandy is awful at that. That could save a roster spot on the Colts that was used on a KO specialist.Why is he an upgrade?
He's certainly not more accurate than Vanderjagt. He's more "clutch"?
2. He won't be a cancer in the locker room. He'd never say that another team is "ripe for the picking" before a playoff game.
Any plans in Indy to acquire a "clutch" quarterback now?