INDIANAPOLIS – Adam Vinatieri has lost count.
So many of Vinatieri's Canton-like numbers have reached the point where it's impossible to keep track of them all.
Sunday will mark Vinatieri's 28th career postseason game.
In 19 NFL seasons, Vinatieri has played nearly two years worth of one-and-done games.
When playoff game No. 28 kicks off on Sunday, Vinatieri will be just one contest shy of Jerry Rice's NFL record the most career postseason games played.
"Twenty-eight playoff games?" Vinatieri ponders, "That's pretty awesome."
As Vinatieri discusses his playoff longevity, Josh Cribbs has the kicker's attention.
Cribbs is a few feet away and has Vinatieri shaking his head at how fortunate he is to have spent so many weekends in January/February banging home an NFL-record 51 postseason field goals (12 more than any other player).
Sunday marks Cribbs first playoff game, after 136 regular season contests spanning 10 seasons.
"There's a lot of guys that have never played in one," Vinatieri says, eyes drawn towards Cribbs' direction.
"I know there's a lot of great, great football players that played a long time and never got the opportunity to play in one. Every one of them is special. You never take any of them for granted."
There's been 15 of them in Vinatieri's 19 NFL seasons.
He's missed the postseason just once (2011) in the last dozen years.
Vinatieri turned 42 years old last Sunday and continues to say the only reason he's still in a locker room at this age is for another chance to kick on the grandest of stages.
"At this point, there's 12 teams left and it's single elimination so this is what you bust your butt all season long for," Vinatieri says. "This is why you put in all that time so you have a chance to make that run.
"The excitement level is there, everything's faster, the crowd is louder. Everything about it is fun. That's playoff football. That's what we play for."
Vinatieri is at ease talking about a time of year so many players succumb to the pressure of one-and-done football.
When you're a player that has won Super Bowls with final second kicks, this is why you are still working at the highest of levels at 42 years old.
"There's 20 teams out there that are cleaning out their locker (on Monday)," the most decorated kicker in NFL postseason history says. "Next week there will be four more. Then the next week there will be more and more and more.
"We understand what that means at this point. It's a one-and-done. You win, you continue on. You don't, you're going home."
