12/21/24
February 05, 2003
Smooch!: The Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning and Mike Vanderjagt kiss and make up. Hopefully the last entry in this saga.
Fortunately, a kicker does not have to get along with everyone to still be a good kicker and, thus, beneficial to the team. If there is one isolated figure on a football team, it's the kicker. Everyone can hate him, and he can hate everyone, but as long as he kicks well for the few seconds he's on the field, and as long as the team blocks for him, then all should be fine. My guess is that sometime next season, he'll kick a winning field goal and all will be forgotten. There will be jumping and hugging and spanking and . . .
posted by jacknose at 10:44 AM on February 05, 2003
Vito90: The kicker is a pariah on his team even if he keeps his mouth shut. Opening his mouth probably doesn't change the length of his tenure at all -- as good as he clearly is, he'll likely be kept around another season and dumped a year (possibly two) later because his contract has become too expensive.
posted by rcade at 01:03 PM on February 05, 2003
“My helmet is equipped with a tiny face mask What it possibly could protect, I do not know The other guys on the team Like to make fun of my little shoulder pads And also like to hide the special shoe I need to kick in the snow” From The Lonesome Kicker
posted by Samsonov14 at 03:15 PM on February 05, 2003
Does the kicker really need to be on the same page as everyone else? And who the hell says everyone has to get along anyway? This is a football team, not a damn coffee klatch. Shut your pie hole and do your job. Vandy can say he's done his ... let's hope Peyton and the rest of the Blue Folders reach that level sometime soon.
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:07 PM on February 06, 2003
Vanderjagt will still be a pariah on that team. True or not, accurate statement or not, accurate kicker or not, he should find himself another team.