11:00 AM EST on Wednesday, March 22, 2006

BY TOM E. CURRAN
Journal Sports Writer

It's hard for two sides to see eye-to-eye when they're standing back-to-back with their arms folded.

And that's the stance Adam Vinatieri and the Patriots have been in for more than a year. So now Vinatieri's going to kick for the Indianapolis Colts, having reportedly agreed yesterday to a multi-year deal with a $3.5-million signing bonus. And the Patriots are out one probable Hall of Fame kicker.

Because the Pats and Vinatieri have been so good together, it was hard to see the mutual bitterness bubbling below the surface.

Vinatieri felt wronged when he was franchised in 2002 and 2005 (although the franchise tag was pulled in 2002 after an extension was worked out). After making some of the most memorable and difficult kicks in NFL history during the Patriots run to three Super Bowls, he wanted a multi-year deal and the security and bonus money that came with it, not a succession of lucrative one-year deals. And, given his track record, the 33-year-old wanted to be paid better than any other kicker. The Patriots made offers but none that eclipsed everyone else. By the time this offseason came, Vinatieri decided that if the Patriots weren't going to ante up, he'd go to a team that would.

Meanwhile, the Patriots believed that the cost of franchising Vinatieri in 2006 was far too much. Since he was already the highest-paid kicker in the league in terms of salary last season ($2.5 million), he would get a 20 percent raise in 2006 if he was franchised again, meaning he'd make more than $3 million. That's nearly 50 percent more than any other kicker would make and the Patriots didn't see the value in that. And given that Vinatieri's heading to Indy, it can also be assumed the Pats weren't keen on signing a 33-year-old who's had back and leg injuries to the richest deal in the league. Even though the Patriots are $20 million under the 2006 salary cap of $102 million and could afford Vinatieri, they weren't going to negotiate at the point of a bayonet.

So while the standoff centered on money, both sides felt they were standing on principle. Vinatieri wanted the Patriots to step to the plate and pay him as he (and many) felt he deserved to be paid; Super Bowl hero or no, the Patriots weren't going to cave.

This move came quickly. Last Friday, Vinatieri -- an unrestricted free agent -- was in Green Bay visiting with the Packers. He spoke to the Journal that night and said the visit had gone well. He sounded like a man ready to make a move if the price was right. But Vinatieri returned to his offseason home in Florida that night without a deal. Vinatieri didn't return calls over the weekend.

Late Monday came news he'd fired the Ohio-based firm that represented him. His longtime agent, Neil Cornrich, is on suspension by the NFLPA, so it's assumed he was being represented by another agent in Cornrich's office. Either way, Vinatieri reportedly signed with agents Gary Uberstine and Steve Kalik, who last week brokered the deal to land Willie McGinest with the Browns.

Yesterday afternoon he agreed to terms with the Colts. A source confirmed that the Patriots were involved yesterday in negotiations to keep Vinatieri in New England.

While the Patriots had already bid adieu to McGinest and wide receiver David Givens in this offseason, the loss of Vinatieri cuts deeper. Framed photographs and front-page pictures showing him tying the 2001 Snow Bowl against the Raiders or celebrating Super Bowl game-winners in 2001 and 2003 can be found on barroom walls, bedroom walls and office cubicles all over the region. Without him, then what?

The fact that he's signed with one of the Patriots' prime rivals no doubt diminishes his cache as a Patriots icon. His off-field marketability in New England was second only to Tom Brady's among players.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the Patriots. Owner Robert Kraft was said to be distressed over the loss last week of McGinest. Now one of the teams' longest-tenured (1995) players has followed him out the door. It's worth wondering if this football decision made by head coach Bill Belichick and vice president of player personnel Scott Pioli was embraced by the owner.

But Belichick and Pioli have an unparalleled track record to fall back on. While this offseason rash of departures is viewed collectively by fans and the media, the brass looks at each move singularly.

Adam Vinatieri wanted more than the Patriots were going to pay him. So now he'll wear a horseshoe on his helmet and the Patriots have to hope they get as lucky with their next placekicker as they were with this one.