Former Indianapolis Colts kicker Mike Vanderjagt feels he belongs within the staff’s Ring of Honor for the profession he had with the staff. Not solely has the staff not included him amongst its all-time greats, however he additionally says they haven’t included him in something since he left the franchise, together with not giving him an invitation to Dwight Freeney’s Corridor of Fame ceremony when the defensive finish requested the Colts to ask all of his former teammates.
Vanderjagt instructed all of this to The Athletic’s Zak Keefer in a wide-ranging interview that mentioned the 2 largest moments that severed ties between him and the franchise.
The primary, was when Vanderjagt gave an interview shortly after the staff’s 2002 playoff loss to the New York Jets the place he questioned the method and tenacity of head coach Tony Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning, and whether or not or not they’d what it takes to win a Tremendous Bowl.
That interview prompted Manning’s well-known “liquored up kicker” remark on the Professional Bowl.
The second was his game-losing missed discipline purpose within the 2005 divisional playoffs in opposition to the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending the closely favored Colts residence shockingly at a time when that core — led by Dungy and Manning — was nonetheless in search of its first championship.
Vanderjagt took possession of the interview and defined that he and Manning buried the hatchet with each other not lengthy after that with the kicker taking duty for the entire thing. However that second, in addition to the missed kick within the playoffs, has apparently been an excessive amount of for Colts possession to look previous.
Particularly when shortly after lacking the kick Vanderjagt went on a late-night speak present, in opposition to the desires of staff president Invoice Polian, and kicked a 46-yard discipline purpose (the precise distance that he missed within the recreation) on the streets of New York Metropolis.
From The Athletic article:
Vanderjagt was an impending free agent. He figured after the Pittsburgh miss, his days in Indy had been numbered. So not solely did he go on the present, but additionally he kicked a 46-yard discipline purpose on the streets of New York Metropolis with Letterman holding. This time, he made it.
“No regrets by any means,” Vanderjagt says.
Polian was irate.
“They weren’t bringing me again,” Vanderjagt says. “If you hearken to Invoice Polian’s radio present the day after the sport and also you’re essentially the most correct kicker in historical past and also you get thrown beneath the bus for why we misplaced, you’re similar to, ‘I deserve higher.’ Pay attention, I wanted to go someplace else. It was a Invoice Polian factor. I’m simply not an excellent ass-kisser. I’m not good at being pretend.”
Vanderjagt ended up signing in Dallas as a free agent that offseason and kicked simply 10 video games for the Cowboys earlier than leaving the NFL for good.
The Colts, in the meantime, signed Adam Vinatieri away from the New England Patriots and ended up profitable the Tremendous Bowl the very subsequent season.
It is a wild story total, with quite a lot of burned bridges.
Whereas Vanderjagt might be deserving of a spot, and whereas time ought to have healed quite a lot of these wounds from the Colts’ perspective (Polian is gone from the staff and the Colts ended up getting their championship the following 12 months) it additionally may not be the one motive he’s not within the staff’s ring of honor.
The Colts have additionally not honored Vinatieri, who kicked in Indianapolis far longer than Vanderjagt did and received a championship there. It’s fully attainable they simply don’t see kickers as being on the identical degree as the opposite members.
That also doesn’t clarify freezing him out of the whole lot else.
