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Today in Patriots History
Just Another Camp Leg
Just Another Camp Leg
June 28, 1996:
The New England Patriots sign undrafted rookie Adam Vinatieri
Bill Parcells was extremely confident in Matt Bahr going back to their 1990 super bowl win with the Giants - but Bahr was just a few days shy of his 40th birthday. The previous season his field goal accuracy slipped below 70%, including 3-7 from 30-39 yards, and 2-5 beyond 50.
On April 15, 1996 - five days before the NFL draft - the Patriots had signed Blair Culley as a free agent. Culley had signed with the Bengals as an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma the previous year, but did not make the roster. The Pats did not draft a kicker, so it was assumed those two would be the only players competing for the job in the offseason.
Meanwhile, there was a guy from South Dakota that had won the job as punter and kicker for the Amsterdam Admirals of the World League of American Football. Sure, he was all conference - bit it was in the Summitt League, for division 1-AA South Dakota State. Adam Vinatieri was viewed as nothing more than a camp leg that was on hand to keep Matt Bahr rested. The signing was made so late, there is zero mention of Adam anywhere in the 1996 Patriots Media Guide - only of Bahr and Culley.
Vinatieri did not just outperform Culley, won the job outright over Bahr - which shocked many, even though Bahr was 40 years old at that point.
CUTTING BAHR EVEN HURTS PARCELLS
Practicality got the better of emotion Tuesday. The Patriots waived 17-year veteran kicker Matt Bahr. “He’s the best kicker I ever had,” Patriots coach Bill Parcells said, “but that’s only incidental how I…
www.courant.com
Bahr gets boot
FOXBORO -- Whenever his Patriot or New York Giant teams drove within field goal range, Bill Parcells would look over at kicker Matt Bahr and wait for 'the look.' Sometimes with just a wink or a nod…
www.southcoasttoday.com
Releasing Bahr Yesterday, Parcells Won't Have A Clue What His Kicker Is Thinking In Tight Situations.
He'll have to build the immense confidence he had in Bahr in the Patriots' new kicker, rookie free agent Adam Vinatieri.
Bahr's dismissal comes as a surprise. Many observers saw Parcells keeping Vinatieri as the kickoff man and continuing to use Bahr for field goals and extra points. But, Parcells said he weighed the "potential upside" to using Vinatieri full-time and felt squeezed by a roster that was becoming overloaded with specialists like punter Tom Tupa and deep snapper Steve DeOssie.
If he also kept two kickers on the 45-man gameday roster, Parcells would have four specialists and have only 41 players left for the game, a number the coach said would really hurt him on kickoffs, punts and returns.
"I was a little surprised when I found out for the time being I have the starting job," said Vinatieri. "I know this league is built on pressure. I know I have to always be ready for my next kick."
Parcells made it clear he's not marrying himself to Vinatieri for the entire season. Several veteran kickers like Bahr will be cut in the next week or so and if the rookie from South Dakota State falters, he won't be around long. Bahr would likely get the first call, but "whenever you waive a player, the options may be taken away from you very quickly. I just told Matt to stay in shape."
This is one of Parcells' riskiest moves as the Patriot coach. The last time he entrusted the team's kicking chores to a rookie was in 1993 when fifth round draftee Scott Sisson won the job. Sisson went on to kill the Pats in several games that year, earning the nickname "Missin' Sisson" in the process.
Vinatieri spent last spring and summer with the Amsterdam Admirals of the World Football League. He hit 9 of 10 field goals and made all four extra points, all the while keeping in touch with Patriot special teams coach Mike Sweatman.
"Once he had success in the World League, we said we'll sign this kid no matter what it takes," Parcells said.
Vinatieri signed in June with the hope of winning the kickoff job only. He hit 4-of-6 field goals and all seven extra points in three pre-season games, production deemed good enough to move Bahr out.
"I'm real excited," Vinatieri said. "I've dreamed about this since I was four years old and watching games on TV. It makes all the days in South Dakota when it was cold and snowy and you still go out and work out worth it."
As a rookie Vinatieri won both fans and teammates over with one iconic play. Herschel Walker was fast - really fast. He ran a 4.3 40, and when he was on his high school track team ran a 9.9 second 100-yard dash. Walker had outrun ten of eleven Patriots on a kickoff return - and Adam Vinatieri ran him down and tackled him. This was something that just does not happen. You can see Walker's speed on the videos below.
Adam Vinatieri did make it into the 1997 media guide, with the write-up focusing on college and the World League, as well as finishing fifth in the NFL in points scored.
As a rookie Adam Vinatieri connected on 77% of his field goals (an eight-point improvement over Bahr the previous year), including 18-19 from inside the 40. Adam was on shaky ground with the fanbase in September after three kicks (two off the crossbar) in week two - including a miss - and then missing an extra point a week later. Vinatieri recovered the following week, kicking five field goals and winning Player of the Game and AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. From then on Bill Parcells never had a reason to call Matt Bahr back. A year later Vinatieri improved his field goal accuracy to 86%, and the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
As a rookie, Adam Vinatieri was never mentioned in the team's media guide.
In his final season in Foxborough he received a seven-page spread.
2005 Patriots Media Guide
In his final season in Foxborough he received a seven-page spread.
2005 Patriots Media Guide
