Colts' Frank Reich On Adam Vinatieri: 'Adam's Our Kicker'
Indianapolis Colts head coach Frank Reich knew he would be asked about the obvious before taking to the lectern on Wednesday.
So he started his weekly chat with reporters with two updates.
The first addressed quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who practiced full later in the day and is expected to start Sunday when the Colts (5-4) host the Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5). Brissett missed the Colts’ 16-12 home loss to Miami last Sunday with a left knee sprain.
The second pertained to kicker Adam Vinatieri, who missed his 11th kick and league-leading sixth extra point against the Dolphins. The Colts, once again, are sticking by their captain, the NFL’s all-time leading scorer and oldest player at 46, who is having the worst season of his legendary 24-season career.
As much as Brissett’s improvement is encouraging, Vinatieri’s situation has digressed into constant consternation. The Colts worked out six kickers on Tuesday, the second time they’ve taken a look at what’s out there in free agency this season, but have decided to stand pat.
So like it or not, repeat after Reich’s company line: “Adam’s our kicker. (GM) Chris (Ballard) and I have talked about this situation. We have confidence in Adam. Obviously there’s been other kickers in here working out. We have the confidence in Adam. He’s not just our kicker, he’s a leader on our team, he’s a captain, his presence is important. We feel we need him going forward and have the utmost confidence in him.”
The fact that the Colts looked outside again reiterates the uncertainty of this situation. The fact that Vinatieri’s 11th miss in nine games ties his previous worst season as a rookie in 1996 also emphasizes the importance of this decision.
Reich quoted Marv Levy, his Buffalo Bills head coach, in summing up how the Colts are handling Vinatieri: “You treat everyone fairly, but not everyone the same.”
He also added, “I would think it makes sense and everyone understands with 24 years of what he’s done, there’s a sense where we believe in him. If you’re going through a rough patch, we’re going to be more patient than normal.”
While there’s plenty of examples in the NFL to back up that assessment, there are two other adages that could also apply.
Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it. And the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result.
The Colts’ loyalty to Vinatieri is admirable to some extent, but they’ve set themselves up to be disappointed again the next time he misses. His failures have been key factors in three of the four Colts losses.
Yes, Reich is correct when reminding several plays determine the outcome of a game and Vinatieri’s missed kicks are magnified as an obvious deciding factor.
But the question everyone will continue to ask is how much will be enough to say enough?
One factor that probably hasn’t been mentioned enough is Vinatieri’s health. He reiterated after Sunday that he’s healthy enough to be out there, but didn’t say he’s 100 percent. He had a knee injury in his left plant leg in preseason and that problem lingered, although he’s never appeared on a weekly injury report during the regular season. A sideline photo from Sunday showed a trainer working on his right leg, which could suggest compensating for that plant leg has caused a problem with his right.
But all of that is conjecture. What’s clear is Vinatieri’s health is in question. Reich couldn’t dodge that question.
“Every player has ailments,” he said. “I’m sure when you’re 46, you have a few more ailments. I’m not the kind of coach who asks a player every day, ‘Hey, how’s that knee feeling?’ I’m more take the other approach. I figure they’re good, the trainers are getting him right, they’re getting themselves right. I don’t even want to think about it. Just get out there and do your job.”
And what is Vinatieri doesn’t do the job? Reich referred to the faith the Colts have in their kicker as doubling down. But in poker parlance, this is more like going all-in and busting a few times, but buying back in and using the same strategy by shoving in all the chips yet again.
Reich reiterated the value to having Vinatieri.
“He’s one of the greatest players of all time, but more importantly, one of the great leaders of all time,” he said. “This guy is a unique guy, not just as a kicker but as a personality and a presence in the room. And then thirdly, his mental toughness, I really, really value that. I just really believe in him. I believe in whatever we’re going through, it’s just a phase and he’s going to help us win games and get to where we want to go.”
