One little tidbit that came out on Friday was the fact that the New England Patriots may have something planned for this upcoming 2026 campaign when it comes to an absolutely incredible and historic 2001 Patriots Season.
Head coach Mike Vrabel was asked during his Friday press conference about former teammate Adam Vinatieri, who is set to be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame this Saturday, joining other past teammates including Richard Seymour and Ty Law.
Vrabel said that he believes those players should be celebrated, and he hinted that there may also be a celebration coming at some point this season for the 2001 group that he was also part of.
“Well, I think when you have success as a team, I think everybody gets celebrated and rightfully so,” said Vrabel. “So to be able to have spent time with all those players as teammates and people and former players and be excited to see them this season, hopefully as many that can come back for the 25-year anniversary of that 2001 team. That’ll be something that I’m looking forward to.”
No announcement had been made prior to Vrabel’s statement, so it comes as a nice surprise that should certainly be something to look forward to.
Meanwhile, Vrabel went on to recall one of the most pivotal moments of that season, which was the kick that Vinatieri hit to force overtime in the infamous “Tuck Rule” game against the Raiders during the Divisional Round game that sent the Patriots to the AFC Championship. It also ended up being the final game ever at the old Foxboro Stadium.
“The kick in the snow meant— if you were there, you were on that field— to be able to think that, that could somehow be done… I struggled to run on that field that day, and he was able to make the kick that he made,” said Vrabel. “It was always just – anytime we got into those situations, we knew if we can just get it to the 35-yard line that we were going to win the football game. And so for him to be able to do that in the biggest moments was a pleasure.”
One of the things that also impressed Vrabel was the fact that Vinatieri was more than just a kicker. He was also just a normal football player, and someone everyone in the locker room always respected.
“You know, he trained hard,” said Vrabel. “He had a routine, engaged with – he wasn’t off, wasn’t the lonely kicker, wasn’t by himself. Like he was part of the football team.”
When asked if he could recall a funny moment, Vrabel recalled a story of when Vinatieri showed up in a fancy car, which Vrabel said didn’t end well.
“Well, I think the favorite story is he showed up one offseason with a yellow Lamborghini or Ferrari or something, and we crushed him,” said Vrabel. “And I think he took it back and then got a normal color.”
Vinatieri played for the Patriots from 1996 to 2005, before leaving to join the Colts ahead of the 2006 season via free agency. He remained in Indianapolis from 2006 to 2019, and his induction makes him just the third placekicker in NFL history to be inducted, joining Morten Anderson and Jan Stenerud.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
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