Colts not getting caught up in Vanderjagt talk
11/17/2006 Associated Press
Mike Vanderjagt often stirred controversy during his eight years kicking for the Indianapolis Colts before his offseason jump to the Dallas Cowboys.
Just don't look for the Colts to make waves about Vanderjagt as they prepare for Sunday's game against Dallas — the first time they'll see him in a Cowboys uniform.
His replacement with the Colts, Adam Vinatieri, only had good words for Vanderjagt, who set an NFL record by making 42 straight field goals with the Colts.
"He's a great player and Dallas is a really good team, and they're playing well right now," Vinatieri said. "That game may be pretty sentimental for him, for obvious reasons. But for me and for this team, I think we're just trying to go down there and trying to get a win."
The Colts signed Vinatieri to a five-year, $12 million contract in March after deciding to part ways with Vanderjagt, who is the Colts' all-time leading scorer with 995 points.
Quarterback Peyton Manning and Vanderjagt broke into the NFL together, and Manning says his longtime teammate played a big role in helping turn the Colts from a 3-13 team into one the league's top franchises.
"I feel fortunate to say that I've played with two of the best kickers of all time. Mike was a huge part of our success here," Manning said. "You kind of lose count, just how many game-winning kicks he made for us and come from behind victories he had for us. Mike was one of those guys that was really part of the turnaround for this franchise."
Vanderjagt often caused ripples within the organization for his outspoken comments and antics.
In January 2003, Vanderjagt criticized quarterback Peyton Manning for not showing enough emotion and coach Tony Dungy for being too nice. Manning later responded by calling Vanderjagt an "idiot kicker" before the two patched up their differences.
Manning said that Vanderjagt's last kick for the Colts — a missed 46-yard effort on the final play of January's playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — should not be remembered as any sort of legacy. "That's not how I describe him as a kicker. I describe him as clutch of a kicker as there was," Manning said. "Players on this team and players that played against him know how consistent of a guy he was and how big the kicks were that he made.
Mike Vanderjagt often stirred controversy during his eight years kicking for the Indianapolis Colts before his offseason jump to the Dallas Cowboys.
Just don't look for the Colts to make waves about Vanderjagt as they prepare for Sunday's game against Dallas — the first time they'll see him in a Cowboys uniform.
His replacement with the Colts, Adam Vinatieri, only had good words for Vanderjagt, who set an NFL record by making 42 straight field goals with the Colts.
"He's a great player and Dallas is a really good team, and they're playing well right now," Vinatieri said. "That game may be pretty sentimental for him, for obvious reasons. But for me and for this team, I think we're just trying to go down there and trying to get a win."
The Colts signed Vinatieri to a five-year, $12 million contract in March after deciding to part ways with Vanderjagt, who is the Colts' all-time leading scorer with 995 points.
Quarterback Peyton Manning and Vanderjagt broke into the NFL together, and Manning says his longtime teammate played a big role in helping turn the Colts from a 3-13 team into one the league's top franchises.
"I feel fortunate to say that I've played with two of the best kickers of all time. Mike was a huge part of our success here," Manning said. "You kind of lose count, just how many game-winning kicks he made for us and come from behind victories he had for us. Mike was one of those guys that was really part of the turnaround for this franchise."
Vanderjagt often caused ripples within the organization for his outspoken comments and antics.
In January 2003, Vanderjagt criticized quarterback Peyton Manning for not showing enough emotion and coach Tony Dungy for being too nice. Manning later responded by calling Vanderjagt an "idiot kicker" before the two patched up their differences.
Manning said that Vanderjagt's last kick for the Colts — a missed 46-yard effort on the final play of January's playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers — should not be remembered as any sort of legacy. "That's not how I describe him as a kicker. I describe him as clutch of a kicker as there was," Manning said. "Players on this team and players that played against him know how consistent of a guy he was and how big the kicks were that he made.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:24 PM
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