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For their own good Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
JACKSONVILLE - If not for him, Bill Belichick would not be considered so smart.
If not for him, Tom Brady would not be considered so cool.
If not for him, no one would toss the word "dynasty" in the general direction of the New England Patriots.
Say this much for kicker Adam Vinatieri: He's got the whole world in his toe.
Vinatieri's is the foot that never misses a step. Everything you think about the Patriots now, every observation and every adjective, begins at the end of Vinatieri's normal-looking right leg. You can place it alongside Curt Schilling's bloody ankle as the most beloved body part in the great Northeast.
When you consider the great clutch performers of sports, include his name. He is Joe Montana. He is Michael Jordan. He is Reggie Jackson. There is no kick too long, no weather too bad, no pressure too great. There is only the sight of Vinatieri's leg swinging, and the sound of the cash register ringing.
In the most pressurized moments of the most glorified game on the planet, Vinatieri has come through - twice. A heartbeat from overtime, and Vinatieri has turned on the confetti machine - two times. He had the greatest kick you can imagine - and ditto.
He is the most clutch performer in the history of the Super Bowl, and if Vinatieri did anything other than kick a football, you would know it. Hey, Bill Mazeroski only hit a Series-winning homer once. Kirk Gibson only limped around the bases once.
In last year's Super Bowl, Vinatieri kicked a 41-yard field goal with four seconds to play to finish off the Carolina Panthers. That was the easy one. Three years ago, he kicked a 48-yarder as time expired to beat the St. Louis Rams.
"It's a shame he's a kicker," said Josh Miller, his holder. "He's as good at what he does as those guys (Jordan and Montana) were at what they did. By definition alone, you have to put him in that category."
What if he had missed? What if he had missed twice? Yes, the Patriots still might have won in overtime. On the other hand, maybe not.
A bit of a hook, a touch of a slice, and the image of the Patriots could be altered. No one might be trying to measure Belichick's brain or Brady's calm or Rodney Harrison's reputation. Maybe Charlie Weis wouldn't have been offered the Notre Dame job. Maybe Romeo Crennel wouldn't be the favorite for the Cleveland job. Maybe Scott Pioli wouldn't look so flawless as a general manager.
Such is the power of the placekicker in today's NFL. Ask the Jets, who are home because they didn't have one. Ask the Bills, who could have won Super Bowl XXV if Scott Norwood hadn't missed a last-second kick. Ask the old Baltimore Colts, who won Super Bowl V because Jim O'Brien made one.
"I've done my little part," Vinatieri says.
Vinatieri talks like that, all deference and humility, as if the rest of the Patriots were the Flying Wallendas and he was driving the clown car. You cannot get him to swagger. You cannot convince him to talk smack.
Yes, Vinatieri concedes. The players in sports worth admiring are the clutch performers.
"Look at a guy like Jordan," Vinatieri said. "He'd always been the guy who wanted the ball in his hands. More times than not, he helped his team win. Joe Montana was like that, too. Those were the guys who epitomized winning."
And how about Vinatieri? Does he want the ball on his foot?
"I consider myself a guy who likes to have the opportunity, sure," he said after a moment. "The way I look at it, (the Eagles') David Akers is one of the best kickers in the league. If he's on the field at the end of the game, he's going to make it. For selfish reasons, I hope he's not out there. If it's me or him, I hope it's me."
So do the rest of the Patriots. Consider: Only four kickers in history have been more accurate (Akers is one of them). Seventeen times, Vinatieri has kicked a late field goal to give the Patriots a victory. Seven of those have come in the final minute of regulation; nine more have come in overtime.
Understand, then, how intimidating it must seem to the opposition to see Vinatieri walk onto the field at closing time. It must be like lying in a hospital bed and having a mortician come in for measurements.
Two weeks ago, the Steelers' Jerome Bettis said the last man he wanted to see in the late going was Vinatieri. If you see Vinatieri, the cause has been lost.
"This guy, I don't think he bleeds," Bettis said. "I don't think he has any blood. He's cold. He's the best in the business of kicking a tough field goal. Weather doesn't bother him. Pressure doesn't seem to bother him."
Miller said he understands how other teams feel. "You sweat and you bleed for 60 minutes," Miller said, "and here comes Robin Hood. You might as well unbuckle your pads."
Who would have anticipated Vinatieri would grow into such a beast? In high school, he played quarterback and linebacker, neither of them particularly impressively. At South Dakota State, he barely hit 50 percent of his kicks. It was only through kicking schools and the World League that he earned his shot.
These days, Vinatieri seems like a safe bet to reach the Hall of Fame, a designation only one other true kicker has earned. Who is going to ignore two (and counting) last-second game-winners?
For the record, Vinatieri still has both footballs he kicked to win Super Bowls. For some reason, it doesn't seem to be quite the bone of contention it is with the Red Sox and Doug Mientkiewicz.
Sunday, Vinatieri has a chance to add to his collection. By now, it isn't hard to visualize him walking on the field with a tie score, a tough angle and tremendous expectations. Again.
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Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
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