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ANDERSON – Adam Vinatieri is starting his eighth year with the Colts, his 18th in the NFL. With training camp underway, Colts.com catches up with him.
Most fun thing I did during the summer – I took a hunting safari to South Africa. I was on the northwest corner of South Africa on the Namibia/Botswana border. I shot a lion with my bow. Shot a giraffe, an ostrich, a waterbuck and a hartebeest. Every time I say, 'giraffe,' everyone asks, 'Ahhhhh, you shot a giraffe. Why would you do that?' I had a good time.
Why he would go hunting with a bow (he previously did so in Florida for gators)– I guess I am an adrenaline junkie like everybody else. I really never considered it until I talked to the professional hunting guide. He asked, "You are a bow hunter? You want to try it with your bow?" I'd never thought about it. I was within 27 yards of the lion, and he did see me. I had a couple of guys backing me up with some big guns, so it makes it maybe a hair safer, but you definitely don't want to miss a good shot.
Another trophy for the house – Yeah, oh yeah, a full-body mount. I think it will look pretty cool.
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Teammate I expect to have a great camp and why** – Mmmmmm, there's a lot of them. Guys are working hard. I hate to single out one guy. I see the effort with everybody. We have new faces. People like watching LaRon Landry because he brings a high level of excitement. There are good battles. The guys are looking good, so I'll take the Fifth.
Song(s) and artist(s) I listened to the most this summer – It's like a Pandora mix. Unfortunately, when I'm at my house the kids listen to the teeny-bopper, hip-hop stuff. I keep trying to change the channel. I'm more of an acoustic or country guy. I'll hit a Zac Brown Band on my Pandora and let it run. I also like the John Mayer-type music, and some local small bands no one's ever heard of that I listen to.
On if had one last country artist/group to hear in concert, who it would be – The Zac Brown Band is pretty good. They do a good job. That would be a good one to go to.
What I want to accomplish in camp – I want to fine tune everything so I'm ready to go. When you have five months off, you have some cobwebs to dust off and timing to get down. For me, to hone in and be ready.
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Toughest thing about training camp** – The fact that it's three weeks straight of no breaks and day-in, day-out routines and those kinds of things. Once the games come it gets better because you get to bang on other teams and measure your progress. That makes camp more fun. The weeks before the games are the drawbacks. I don't have it nearly as badly as everyone who is putting in 10 miles of running during practice. It's not as bad on me. I know it can get tougher on everybody else.
Most fun thing about training camp – (Laughs), rain days. There's not a lot of fun-ness in training camp. Maybe it's the camaraderie part of it. You're part of a big group of guys who have the same goal. It's not supposed to be fun. It's a time of work and getting ready for the season. There is not a lot of fun to it.
What you know now about training camp that you didn't as a rookie – Maybe now how to manage it better. Now I understand the schedule and know how to take advantage of the few free hours we have, maybe get in the cold tub and hot tub rather than just lie around. It helps your body recover.
How to beat the heat– We've been lucky so far. Two weeks ago when it was 95, everyone was thinking, "Oh my gosh, this will be unbelievable." We've been lucky, but you deal with heat with sunscreen and a wide-brimmed hat.
Best advice you received before entering the NFL and who gave it to you – It was probably just to stay as even-keeled as possible. Matt Bahr told me in my rookie camp, "You're never as good as they say you are, and you're never as bad as they say you are." If you have a good day, put it behind you and move forward. Do the same if you have a bad day. There's a lot of truth in it. I appreciated his advice.
The perfect meal is – My perfect meal is one I don't have to cook or clean up. Meals I don't cook are my kid's favorites, too.
Who are the teammates you eat most often with in training camp and why – Usually the specialists because we're off the field earlier and have different schedules. Other than that, whoever? You find an empty spot and sit down. I like sitting with the new guys. There are a lot of new faces. I like to see where they're from. I sat with Daniel Adongo a couple of times and talked about rugby in South Africa and New Zealand. He's a neat guy.
Who was the NFL player you wanted to meet the most before you made the league and why – It was Dan Marino, because I was a quarterback in high school. When I was in high school, he was the best one out there. I probably idolized and emulated him the best ways I could. We met a couple of times when we played against each other, but I wasn't going to be that type of young player who was going to say, 'Hey, I loved you when I was in high school.' I'm sure he got that a lot of times.
