Mike Vanderjagt Must Be Drinking Again
“Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots, Tiger Woods missed putts. Does that mean they’re not as good as you think they are? I’m the best kicker in the history of the game regardless of whether I missed my last kick or not, and that’s the way I look at it.”
-Mike Vanderjagt, 2006 (AP)
I don’t know how you begin to dissect a quote like that; it’s almost not fair (as far as column fodder goes). Let me start with the “best kicker in the history of the game” part. That remark is so fucking stupid; Mike Vanderjagt should be locked up. Vanderjagt isn’t even the best kicker in the NFL right now; he’s not even top three. Here’s a quick rundown of NFL kickers who are better than Mike Vanderjagt.
THE TOP NFL KICKERS RIGHT NOW
1. Adam Vinatieri – Indianapolis Colts
The Colts snatched up the NFL’s top kicker from the New England Patriots when their inept kicker (some guy named Vanderjagt) missed an extremely make-able indoor field goal. There is no one better than Vinatieri when it comes to clutch kicks (and in the scheme of things, clutch kicks are the only ones that matter). His famous kick(s) in the snow against the Oakland Raiders which sent New England to the first of three NFL titles was probably the best place kicking performance in the history of the NFL.
2. David Ackers – Philadelphia Eagles
An injury killed Acker’s NFL season in 2005, but he has been as clutch (and consistent) as they come for several years now. Showcasing great distance, Ackers is 9-14 from field goals 50 yards and longer since the 2000 season; that’s all you need to know (and he doesn’t kick in a dome, Vanderjagt).
3. John Kasay – Carolina Panthers
John Kasay isn’t a guy who would normally come to mind when you think about the NFL’s top kickers, but he has been as good as they get when it matters. He’s 15 for 17 in field goal attempts in the post season, and he’s got as strong a leg as anyone.
4. Neil Rackers – Arizona Cardinals
It’s hard to leave Rackers off this list coming off the season he had in 2005. It’s not his fault that Arizona rarely put him in a position to make any clutch kicks. Rackers was the best in the NFL last years, hitting 40 of 42 field goals (19 of 21 from 40 yards and beyond). The Cardinals should be better in 2006; let’s see how Rackers does then.
5. Mike Vanderjagt – Dallas Cowboys
Okay, Vanderjagt gets to be fifth (although there’s a couple of guys I’d rather have kicking in a big spot). He does have the highest field goal percentage in the history of the NFL, and I guess that stands for something. However, without failing, Vanderjagt always misses the clutch field goal.
THE MICHAEL JORDAN AND TIGER WOODS COMPARISON
What do you say when Mike Vanderjagt says something like, “Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots, Tiger Woods missed putts. Does that mean they’re not as good as you think they are?”
That is just an asinine thing to say. Of course it doesn’t matter that Jordan missed shots and Tiger missed putts; it doesn’t matter because, more often that not, they made the ones that solidified their legacy. Phil Mickelson was known as the “best player to never have won a major”; and if he hadn’t won one, that’s how he’d still be remembered.
Sports fans don’t care about things like career field goal efficiency in the regular season. They care about 43 yard field goals in January (in a blinding snowstorm). Vanderjagt is just delusional. If he really thinks he can compare what he has accomplished to what Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have, he really needs psychological help.
That’s like me comparing my rejected Associated Content articles to bad Ernest Hemingway novels.
It’s fucking nuts. Mike Vanderjagt is fucking nuts.
