NASHVILLE — When it's all said and done, Adam Vinatieri could very well own almost every key kicking record in NFL history.
On Sunday afternoon in Nashville, Vinatieri continued his assault on the record books.
With 3:46 left in the third quarter of Sunday's game between the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans, Vinatieri converted a 33-yard field goal, which was his 43rd consecutive make, breaking the NFL record previously held by former Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt.
It was Vinatieri's second field goal on the afternoon, after he tied the record with a 28-yard field goal with 10:16 left in the second quarter.
Vinatieri's streak began last season during Week 4, and in the 21 games since, he has, of course, been money from close and intermediate distances, but he's also been impressive from deep, converting nine kicks from 50 yards or longer.
How does it do it? His holder, Pat McAfee, said Vinatieri is "the most competitive human to ever walk this earth."
"I understand that sounds like an oversell. We are in a world of oversells. Everything is breaking news. Everything is incredible. Everything is the best of all time," McAfee said. "But with Adam Vinatieri, you are talking about literally the greatest of all time.
"I believe he's the most competitive person in the history of the world. Every single thing with him is a competition to him. And he handles it with class. He's not the obnoxious competitive person. But every single kick to him is a chance to make his team better, but also to improve himself. Every single kick he wants to prove that he's the best kicker ever."
Colts special teams coordinator Tom McMahon has had an up-close-and-personal look at Vinatieri's approach since 2012, and said the future Hall of Famer's success is no mistake.
"With Adam Vinatieri, he lives in the moment," McMahon said. "He's not going to look at the records (until) later on in life; he's not going to look at what he's done in the past. He looks at that play, that moment, what he has to do, where he's got to put his eyes, where he's got to put his foot, and it's that simple. And he makes it that simple, and he does it that way every single time. And those guys are the special guys in this league."
