Colts sign Patriots Super Bowl hero Vinatieri

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Colts are switching from the NFL's most accurate kicker to the best in the clutch.\nTaking a key piece from its rival New England, Indianapolis agreed in principle to a deal with Adam Vinatieri, the Colts said Tuesday night. Vinatieri, who twice hit winning kicks in the Super Bowl for the Patriots, replaces former Pro Bowl kicker Mike Vanderjagt.\nThe deal was announced on the team's Web site, though terms were not immediately available. Messages The Associated Press left with the Patriots and agents for Vinatieri were not immediately \nreturned.\nThe Patriots allowed Vinatieri to test free agency rather than putting a franchise designation on him, which would have cost the team $3 million next season.\n"It just didn't feel like the right thing to do," coach Bill Belichick said last month at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis. "We considered all our options and decided not to tag anybody."\nVinatieri, 33, had been named the team's franchise player twice, including last year, when he was paid $2.5 million.\nVanderjagt spent all eight of his NFL seasons with the Colts after playing in the Canadian Football League. He scored a franchise record 995 points and made 217 career field goals in 248 attempts, the highest accuracy rate (87.5) in league history.\nIn 2003, Vanderjagt made all 37 of his field goal \nattempts, all 46 of his extra point attempts and set the NFL record by extending his consecutive field goals streak to 42.\nBut twice in his career he missed critical field goals in the playoffs. In January, he badly missed a 46-yarder in the closing seconds, which would have forced overtime with eventual Super Bowl \nchampion Pittsburgh.\nAt Miami, in January 2000, he missed a 49-yarder wide right that would have won the game and sent the Colts into the second round of the playoffs.\nTeam president Bill Polian acknowledged last month it was \nunlikely the Colts would re-sign Vanderjagt, an \nunrestricted free agent.