Should The Patriots Have Tagged Vinatieri?

By Tim Farmer  |   Sunday, March 05, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

New England Patriots
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The biggest offseason question regarding the New England Patriots revolved around the status of arguably the most clutch kicker in NFL history, Adam Vinatieri. Many so-called experts are saying that the Patriots made a mistake in not placing the infamous "franchise tag" on Vinatieri, saying that kickers like him don't come along that often. As a Patriots fan, of course I want to see Vinatieri stay.

However, there is one reason why I don't question the move by the Patriots not to tag Vinatieri. Over the past few years, director of personnel Scott Pioli and head coach Bill Belichick have signed and let players go. The two have made very few mistakes. For example, signing Roman Phifer and Mike Vrabel before the 2001 season when they won their first Super Bowl, or adding Rodney Harrison before the 2003 season and Corey Dillon before 2004. They weren't afraid to let Lawyer Milloy walk right before the start of the 2003 season, and they still won the Super Bowl, even though the "experts" criticized the move when it was initially made.

The New England Patriots front office hasn't been afraid to make the bold and daring moves, and that mentality has helped make them the most successful NFL franchise during that span of time. For that reason alone, I won't be too worried if Vinatieri does end up leaving New England. Virtually ever other move of this nature has worked out for the Patriots in the past, so there's no need to start panicking now.
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