INDIANAPOLIS — It was just three weeks ago when the Indianapolis Colts dealt with the surprise retirement of Andrew Luck.
Monday? No, they're not dealing the surprise retirement of Adam Vinatieri. At least, not publicly.
Instead, head coach Frank Reich said in a conference call that, "Adam's our kicker," and went on to say how instrumental Vinatieri is as the leader of the Colts.
In the team's first win of the season Sunday against Tennessee, the sure-fire hall-of-famer missed two more point-after attempts. That's three for the season and he went 98% for his career, both before and after the new rule that moved back the point-after to the 23 yard line.
Reich would not get into what personal conversation he had with his 3-time Pro Bowler.
"Adam will figure it out," Reich said. "We have the confidence and belief that he'll figure it out. He'll do what he needs to do. Yes, has it been two weeks of sub-par? Yes. Is it catastrophic? No. To me, it's far from catastrophic. This is the NFL. Some of the most elite players I've played with, seen or coached have two bad games back-to-back. So that's just the way I see it."
Over his past five games, Vinatieri has missed three field goals and five PATs.
