Around the NFL
The Colts are going with Matt Stover, not Adam Vinatieri, as their kicker in the postseason. At least that's the plan; Vinatieri remains on the active roster -- he could take over in the AFC Championship game if Stover plays poorly in their playoff opener.
"I don't necessarily care for the decision but obviously all of us want to be on the field as much as we can, but I understand their concerns as well," says Vinatieri in Indianapolis Star.. "I'm going to keep preparing like I'm going to be the guy that goes out on the field and if it happens that way, great, and if it doesn't I'll be a good cheerleader."
Overall, it looks like a down year for kickers among the playoff teams (and accuracy slipped league-wide as well). Five of the 12 playoff teams used multiple kickers during the season. Generally, the benchmark for acceptable accuracy is about 80 percent, and only seven of the 12 playoff teams are higher than that mark.
The Colts don't have a kicker (either one of them) who is reliable from 50-plus yards. And four teams look wildly erratic at kicker -- the Ravens (Billy Cundiff), Saints (Garrett Hartley), Cowboys (Shaun Suisham) and Packers (Mason Crosby). Crosby scored 129 points this year, but he converted on only 27 of 36 field goals.
—Ian Allan
- Comments [0]
Readers' Comments
Add a Comment
Already a registered user? Please sign in to add comments.
To add comments, you must become a registered user of our site. To register, please click here.
