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INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts of Indianapolis will not make a dramatic change, yet.
Coach Frank Reich announced Monday that he expected to stick to Adam Vinatieri.
"I just want it to be clear: Adam is our kicker," said Reich. "As I said [Sunday]we have zero concern. He is not only our kicker, he is an essential leader of our team. When we talk about toughness and what we all are as a team and program, there is probably no one who personifies that more than Adam. "
Vinatieri will be the kicker against the Atlanta Falcons, but the Colts may not have linebacker Darius Leonard. Leonard, according to Reich, suffered a concussion during Sunday's win over the Tennessee Titans and is part of the protocol.
Vinatieri's future seemed rather bleak after missing two more kicks – the two extra points – against the Titans, bringing to seven the total of his losses over the last three games since the playoffs of the last season. It only took him two games to equal the same number of extra points missed as last season – three – in 47 attempts.
Vinatieri, the NFL's all-time leading scorer with 2,605 points, left the locker room without speaking to the media on Sunday. Colts owner Jim Irsay has not hesitated to comment on his team's kicker over the past 14 seasons.
"Of course that's a concern," Irsay said Sunday. "I can not lie to you, we expect to win when we are professional, so we need to know where we are and see what the coach and the [general manager] Chris [Ballard] thinking is the best direction. "
Reich and Vinatieri met on Monday during the team's day off. The coach refused to say what had been discussed.
Vinatieri, who is in his 24th season, admitted that he was "100%" responsible for the overtime loss of Indianapolis Week 1 against the Los Angeles Chargers after missing three home runs. foot. The Colts could have dropped to 0-2 without a strong fourth quarter defensive performance against the Titans.
"He'll understand, do what he has to do," said Reich. "Is it two weeks submarine?" "Is it catastrophic?" "For me, it's far from catastrophic." It's the NFL. the most elite with whom I played or trained, I saw them having bad parts back to back, that's how I see things. "
The Colts' decision to stay with Vinatieri is considered somewhat risky, given the mediocrity with which he has played lately. All NFL players would not have the same leeway as Vinatieri of the Colts.
"There are high standards for every member of our team [and] We must all understand that standards are high, but staying is the same for everyone. This is probably not realistic, "Reich said. The more a guy plays, the more he played, the more he did, latitude. "
Vinatieri, 46, had a knee problem that kept him away for part of training camp. Reich described his kicker as a physical "power" and said he did not see the knee as a problem despite the fact that Vinatieri was still receiving treatment.
In less than a year, Vinatieri has gone from Morten Andersen to the NFL's list of goals. He now has all kicks, pre-game warm-ups and closely watched games, while potentially forcing Reich to try his luck at the fourth goal. for 2 points instead of giving the extra point.
"We will always make the call at the moment that gives us the best chance of winning," said Reich. "In a strange way, before this game starts [Sunday]I hoped the goal was to secure a 60-yard placement to win. Hoping that one of these games will happen, and there is no one in whom I would trust more than Adam Vinatieri. That does not mean that he's going to do all the blows. Shoot, he is human. "
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