Kicker still on target

INDIANAPOLIS -- Adam Vinatieri's many clutch kicks for the Patriots will never be forgotten in New England, but his phone number is another matter.

Vinatieri said that neither Patriots coach Bill Belichick nor owner Bob Kraft returned messages he left after leaving the organization to sign with the Indianapolis Colts, inking a five-year, $12 million deal with a $3.5 million signing bonus. The Colts kicker said he hasn't spoken with either one since.

"I know that I left messages for them a long time ago, but at this point I think that everybody has moved on," said Vinatieri in a conference call. "I know that Coach Belichick this year is all about winning games and not talking to me. I'm sure if I see him on the sideline or before the game I'll say hello to everybody, but I think it's going to be business as usual."

Though Vinatieri isn't talking with his former coach, he was talking like him yesterday while fielding wave upon wave of interview requests at the Colts' practice facility.

At least eight times, the former New England icon and popular pitchman, a Red Sox cap atop his head, sprinkled his answers to questions about what it will be like to face his old team on his old stomping grounds Sunday night with the phrase, "It is what it is," a favorite aphorism of Belichick.

Vinatieri tried to downplay the significance of returning to Foxborough, where he spent the first 10 years of his career, connecting on 263 field goals (in 321 attempts), setting a franchise record with 1,158 points, and earning three Super Bowl rings.

"Obviously, it will be a fun game and a special game for me, but ultimately this game is no more or less important than some of the other AFC games we'll be playing," said Vinatieri. "They're all important. It is what it is."

You can take the Patriot out of New England, but you can't take the New England Patriot out of him.

So far, it's been the same Automatic Adam in Indianapolis. The 33-year-old, who is the fifth-most accurate kicker in NFL history at 82.7 percent, has yet to miss a kick in a Colts uniform. He is 14 for 14 on field goal attempts and 11 for 11 on extra points, despite missing three games with a groin injury and the lingering effects of a left foot injury suffered during the preseason. Dating to last season, Vinatieri has hit 20 straight field goals attempts.

"I guess the one thing about Adam that's always impressed me is his consistency," said Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. "He's been just as good a kicker the next year as he was the year before, but at the same time you don't take it for granted, you still appreciate it when he goes out there and makes that kick."

The kick Manning was referring to was the 37-yard game-winner Vinatieri drilled last Sunday with two seconds left to give the Colts a 34-31 victory in Denver. It was the 19th time in his 11-year career that Vinatieri has booted the deciding points in either the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.

Kicks like that one are why the Colts signed Vinatieri.

"No question about it," said Colts coach Tony Dungy. "You feel like you're going to be in big games. You're going to be in situations where you're going to need to make kicks and we have a lot of confidence in Adam. We had a lot of confidence in Mike [Vanderjagt] when he was here."

Dungy may have had confidence in Vanderjagt, but the kicker couldn't back up his talk on the biggest stages. Vanderjagt badly missed a game-tying 46-yarder with 21 seconds left against the Steelers in the AFC Divisional playoffs last season. Patriots fans also remember when Vanderjagt ended his streak of 42 field goals made by missing a tying attempt in the final seconds of New England's 27-24 win in the 2004 season opener.

Vinatieri had nothing but praise for his predecessor, who is still the most accurate kicker in NFL history, but he acknowledged that his reputation for making the types of kicks that Vanderjagt missed is one reason he's in Indy.

"Everybody is expected to make big kicks when they have the opportunity," said Vinatieri. "I think the Colts decided they wanted to make a move this year and hopefully for reasons like those kicks."

Sunday's matchup between the undefeated Colts (7-0) and the 6-1 Patriots could come down to a field goal -- "I'm glad he's on our side," said Colts tight end Dallas Clark.

The ending is already written in some minds. Vinatieri does to the Patriots what he's done to so many other teams -- breaks their hearts with one swift kick.

Vinatieri said he wouldn't relish such a kick any more than usual.

"A 37 or a 45 [yard field goal] is a 45 or a 37 no matter who you're playing or where you're at," he said. "You have to prepare the best you can. For me, it's me and the ball and the distance. It really doesn't matter who we're playing against or where we're at or whatever."

Clark said he can't imagine what it's going to be like for Vinatieri to return to Gillette Stadium. Vinatieri said he saw former Red Sox center fielder Johnny Damon's not-so-friendly greeting at Fenway Park, but didn't want to make comparisons to his fan reaction.

"They're passionate. They love their sports," said Vinatieri. "They're loud and crazy, which makes it fun. A few of them might give me a thumbs-up before I'm even out there. I expect once the game starts it's business as usual and most of the time that means yelling at the opposing team as much as you can, so I guess it is what it is."

Vinatieri said the same goes for his departure from the Patriots.

"That's part of the game. There's people that have to move around," he said. "When I saw this opportunity here, it was a good fit for me and a good fit for my family. It's a team that scores a lot of points, so I knew I'd be on the field a lot. And [kicking] inside is always a nice thing.

"We had some good memories out there and a lot of fun time out there, but I think they've moved on and so have I."

Christopher L. Gasper can be reached at cgasper@globe.com.