We could have seen the last kick of Adam Vinatieri

If Adam Vinatieri was a normal kicker, the Colts would cut him today. Vinatieiri had a nightmarish start to the season, missing two more points in Indianapolis' 19-17 win over the Titans, a week after missing two FGs and one XP in a six-point loss to the Chargers. There are nine points remaining on the board in two games, which is not acceptable for an NFL kicker.

But Adam Vinatieri is not a normal kicker, of course. He is 46, the oldest player in the league. He is the all-time leading scorer in the NFL and holds the record for most career goals and consecutive goals. It's a legend, and if there was justice, he would have earned the right to decide himself when he would quit. But that's rarely how things work. Sometimes a player wakes up and, even if he still wants to play, realizes that he suddenly has no more. This usually occurs before the age of 46, that is true, but it still happens.

And so we may have seen Vinatieri's last kick, ignominiously, an extra missed point. After week 1, the company said everyone was having a bad day and the Colts were not worried about their kicker. After week 2, the owner Jim Irsay changed his melody:

"I know all of our fans, like me, hurt with Adam, because no one hurts more than Adam and it breaks my heart to see him because I know how hard he works. Of course it's a concern, I can not lie to you. Everyone will tell you that it is a concern. Adam, coach [GM] Chris [Ballard] everyone, me. Yes, it is a concern. This league is professional football. Look, we must all produce. The wait is to win when you are professional. So we need to know where we are and see what the coach and Chris think [is] the best direction, and I know that Adam will be the most honest person of all "

Vinatieri may have already made his decision. He did not hesitate to talk to reporters after Sunday's match, but he unfortunately promised to talk to them today:

This seems to be exactly what it looks like. Pro Football Talk reports that Vinatieri plans to retire, but that the Colts are trying to dissuade him. I do not know how hard they are going to try, since retirement is an alternative that saves face, and Indy, a team hoping for playoffs, has already lost one game less than the margin of its missed shots, and barely holds to win a match . Secondly, Vinatieri can not really afford to go from the front even though it is not sure that it will blow and dry. that he is as competent as ever.

We do not even know what's wrong with Vinatieri, even if her encounter with confidence in the brain should enlighten us. Can he still be injured after missing most of the pre-season due to a knee injury? Or maybe something is wrong with his big toe? Can he be a victim of bad clique and holds? Could he have the yips? Can he have … 46 years old? Some of these things are easier to fix than others. But Vinatieri missed two goals and three more points in two weeks, one year after missing four goals and three more points all season. Whatever happened, it happened quickly.

Ideally, Vinatieri could go somewhere, whether he's able to kick or not, like Miami, and he could play until he's 60. But we will probably know if Week 3 will be the first time since 1995 that the NFL has not had Vinatieri. And it would be as disappointing as watching his kicks kick.