News
Why that blizzard in Buffalo may have cost Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri a cool $500K
Brett Carlsen
Mother Nature managed to turn last week's meeting between the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts into the must-watch game of the week. But while watching two teams slug slosh it out during a blizzard was fun, the bad weather dealt Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri a bad break. And a costly one at that.
Vinatieri first became famous by making two field goals in the snow for the New England Patriots during the infamous "Tuck Game" in the 2001 NFL Playoffs. A few weeks later, he converted the game-winning kick in Super Bowl XXXVI at the buzzer to beat the heavily favored St. Louis Rams and begin the Patriots dynasty that is still in effect (Thanks a lot, Adam). He kicked another game winner two years later to beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl XXXVIII (Thanks again, Adam).
Now 44, Vinatieri is still the most accurate kicker in the league, but the Buffalo blizzard was even too much for him to handle. Vinatieri converted one of the craziest extra points you'll ever see:
But he missed both of his FG attempts, including one from 43 yards that would have won that game. Instead, his Colts lost 13-7 in overtime. And Adam may have lost some money in the process.
According to ESPN, Vinatieri's contract calls for him to receive a $500,000 bonus if he makes more than 90 percent of his field goals during the season, something he's done a remarkable five times during his surefire Hall-of-Fame career. But the two misses dropped him from 95.6 percent (22 of 23) to 88 percent (22 of 25).
That means to get back above the 90-percent threshold, Vinatieri needs to go at least 5 for 5 over his final three games. And because he's not on the Patriots anymore, you can actually root for him.