Adam Vinatieri: Being Home is More Comfortable than Anywhere Else

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INDIANAPOLIS – When it came down to decision time for Adam Vinatieri, there is no place like home.

"They knew that there's no other place that I wanted to be.  Assuming that they wanted me here, I knew it was something that could definitely get done," said Vinatieri of contract negotiations finalized Tuesday.  "I'm excited and extraordinarily happy that I can finish my career with just playing for two teams.  I think everybody wanted the same thing."

Vinatieri relocated to Indianapolis in 2006 after 10 seasons in New England that were noteworthy enough that Bill Belichick said recently should make Vinatieri a definite Hall-of-Famer.

The league's fifth-leading scorer (2,006 points) is cognizant of spending a career in outstanding environments.

"This organization is top-notch.  We've got an unbelievable owner, great front office staff and great coaches," said Vinatieri.  "The players, it's a special group of guys here.  It is a very comfortable place to come to work and be productive.  

"Everybody's got one mission and one goal, and we're working to achieve that goal.  Hopefully, we can be holding the trophy (at) the end of this year."

Not many players have been involved in as many winning settings as Vinatieri.  He has made the playoffs in 14-of-18 prior seasons. 

His 27 career playoff games tie the second-most ever (trailing only Jerry Rice's 29) and with 73 regular-season wins as a Colt, that number is pushing toward the 101 he enjoyed in New England.

At 41 and the NFL's oldest player (**click here for Vinatieri feature from 2013)**, he knew contract discussions centered around two areas. 

"Productivity and age," said Vinatieri.  "(My) productivity speaks for itself.  The age factor, I'm sure you can deductively reason how that factored in.  

"But the biggest key to age is the longevity of your career.  You don't sign a five-year deal.  There's less guarantees involved the older you get.  I realize I'm 41.  I also know in my heart and believe in my abilities, and I know that I can play these two (years) and possibly even more."

Vinatieri hit 35-of-40 field goals this past season, including 19-of-23 from 40 yards and beyond.  He had three or more in eight contests, including a five-for-five outing against Tennessee with four coming from the 40-yard range.

"As long as my body's feeling healthy and I can continue to kick at a high level, I don't see why I can't continue to play on," said Vinatieri, whose four Super Bowl wins and five appearances are one behind the respective records for the title game.  "I know Morten (Andersen) played until he was 47.  I think Gary (Anderson) played until he was 46. 

"In that sense, there's a handful of years left, not just two."

In his last game, Vinatieri vaulted past the 2,000-point mark reached only by six others.  With 139 points in 2013, he tied Denver's Jason Elam for the league mark with 16 100-point years.

Vinatieri embraces his veteran stature in the locker room and points out his youngest teammates are closer to the age of his oldest child than they are to him.

It is a stature carried well by a player who has sampled more success than most players ever dream.

It still is a profession where Vinatieri punches the clock daily.

"I've always been a short-term guy," said Vinatieri.  "The ultimate long-term goals are always out there but for me, it's a day at a time, a week at a time, a month at a time, a season at a time.

"I've been working my butt off to get back into shape so (in) April when we report back I'm not too many steps back.  I'm planning on having good years and helping our team win championships."