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With training camp starting up, the Indianapolis Colts are preparing for the 2020 season and seemingly doing so without legendary kicker Adam Vinatieri in the plans.
Currently a free agent, Vinatieri is still working through rehab from his season-ending injury, and the Colts are focused on the kicker battle between Chase McLaughlin and Rodrigo Blankenship.
When asked about the kicker competition, head coach Frank Reich hinted that Vinatieri wasn’t really in the plans for 2020.
“Adam is still working. Adam’s still working in the rehab. So as far as the competition between those two guys – yeah, I don’t mind spelling that out a little bit,” Reich told reporters Wednesday. “Without any preseason games, we will just have – practices in general will be competitive, but we will have some competitive kicking contests in the middle of practice, at the end of practice. We’ll try to create as many high-pressured scenarios as we can for those competitions. They’ll get all of it in their normal routine, but then as a team we will create a more team atmosphere, more team kicking drills that will be heightened and weighted more heavily in the kicking competition.”
Because of the restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Colts aren’t allowed to work free agents out. So while the Colts can still sign free agents, they wouldn’t be able to work out Vinatieri before signing him if they felt inclined to do so.
But when general manager Chris Ballard was asked about certain position battles to watch, the kicker position came up. Vinatieri’s name didn’t.
“Then, of course the kicking battle,” Ballard said. “We’re going to have to find ways to make sure that we create enough competition and pressure situations for both (Chase) McLaughlin and (Rodrigo) Blankenship. Frank (Reich) and (his) staff have a plan for it, but that’s going to be an interesting one to watch.”
Nothing is official until it is official, but it appears the Vinatieri era is coming to an end in Indy as the Colts prepare for the kicker battle at training camp.