Miami – It happens so many times, no one should be surprised if it happens again.
All week before the Super Bowl, there are mass volumes of stories analyzing the respective quarterbacks, coaches, defenses and offenses.
And who usually decides Super Bowls? The kickers. The highest-scoring players in Super Bowls II, III and IV were not Bart Starr, Joe Namath and Len Dawson but Don Chandler, Jim Turner and Jan Stenerud. Jim O’Brien, another kicker, won Super Bowl V. And on it goes.
Take this Super Bowl XLI. There is the brilliance of Peyton Manning and the inconsistency of Rex Grossman. Much has been made about having not one but two African-American head coaches in the Chicago Bears’ Lovie Smith and the Indianapolis Colts’ Tony Dungy.
The Colts can pass and block, but there remain concerns about stopping the run. The Bears can run and Brian Urlacher’s group can defend, but can their passing game avoid mistakes?
Come Sunday night, it all could be a waste of hype. There is plenty of history suggesting Super Bowl XLI will be won, or lost, on the foot of the Colts’ Adam Vinatieri or the Bears’ Robbie Gould.
Is it any coincidence the NFL’s two best kickers this season have reached the Big Game?
“I don’t know if I consider myself the best kicker in football, but I know Adam is,” Gould said. “This is only my second year.”
Yes, but Robbie Gould had the best year, leading NFL kickers with 143 points, nailing 32-of-36 field goals and drilling a winning 49-yarder in an overtime playoff game against Seattle.
“I had the best year, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m the best kicker,” Gould said. “You’ve got to put those years back to back to back like David Akers, Adam Vinatieri, Mike Vanderjagt, guys who have done it on a consistent basis.”
There’s good reason for Gould’s deference to Vinatieri. Both tried out for the same spot on the New England Patriots’ roster before the 2005 season. Considering Vinatieri is arguably the best clutch kicker in NFL history and was entering his 10th season, Gould, an undrafted rookie at the time, didn’t have much chance.
Gould was cut, picked up by the Bears, kicked erratically as a rookie, but found consistency in job security in his second season.
“Adam says he didn’t help me,” Gould said. “That’s the rumor, but as much as he says he hasn’t, he has. He’s a guy I asked not too many questions. I wanted to look at his preparation, saw what he did in the weight room, on the practice field. And really in games, he’s one of those guys I like to watch every weekend if I get a chance. You can just tell in his eyes and his face – the lights are on, it’s time to go to work.”
Vinatieri’s 37 postseason field goals are a league record, five more than runner-up Gary Anderson, who is retired. Vinatieri is also the only kicker to have two game-winning Super Bowl kicks.
Vinatieri’s success can be attributed to his ability to repeat his stroke under pressure.
“You see great golfers or pitchers when pressure’s on the line, it’s hard to maintain and to continue what you do,” he said.
It may be a stretch, but when it comes to performing in the clutch, Vinatieri is the Tiger Woods of kicking. Woods has won seven consecutive PGA Tour tournaments, a streak Vinatieri had already committed to memory before he was quizzed during Super Bowl week.
“I would say his stroke is better than mine,” Vinatieri said. “He’s got to take different swings with different clubs. Mine’s pretty much the same every time. I think I could learn a thing or two from him.”
Staff writer Mike Klis can be reached at 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com.
