Vinatieri: ‘It’s a special place to play’
FOXBOROUGH — For a player who won three Super Bowl championships in New England — two of which are directly credited to his right foot — it was somewhat surprising that Adam Vinatieri was greeted mostly with boos yesterday.
But that’s what happens when you join a rival, as Vinatieri did after the 2005 season when he signed as a free agent with the Colts.
Yes, even for a kicker with two Super Bowl-winning field goals to his credit.
“They were pretty nice to me today,” said Vinatieri, who must have tuned out the chorus of boos that accompanied his 39-yard field goal in the second quarter that tied the score at 3. “There was a little bit [of booing] on the kicks out there, but that’s to be expected.”
Vinatieri, who spent 10 seasons with the Patriots (1996-2005) and departed as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer (1,156 points), owns four Super Bowl rings, the last coming with the Colts in Super Bowl XLI, said he still enjoys returning to Foxborough.
“It’s a fun place to play. The fans are great, wild and crazy, and obviously there are some good memories there,” he said. “Yeah, it’s a special place to play, and any time you step on the field and play the game you love, it’s always fun.”
Just don’t compare him to another Boston postseason hero who departed for a free-agent deal with a rival.
Johnny Damon? Please.
“I mean, I never played for the Yankees, so I think it’s a little bit more of a hatred there,” he said.
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