Mariano Rivera Highlights

"Vinatieri is the Mariano Rivera of football; when he lines up a kick you know he'll get the job done,

• maybe that's why Brady has been so cool under fire by knowing he had someone who could close the game for him."
  

Statement by Mike Maniscalco, 1/17/07, Richmond.com and Sportsradio 910,WRNL, from the paragraph:

"Adam Vinatieri might be the most important player in NFL history. *

• If the clutch kicker had been in Indianapolis all these years would we be talking about Peyton Manning as a three-time champion and Tom Brady as a good but not great QB? Vinatieri has already proved his worth by kicking five field goals against Baltimore last week. Vinatieri is the Mariano Rivera of football; when he lines up a kick you know he'll get the job done, maybe that's why Brady has been so cool under fire by knowing he had someone who could close the game for him."

(*This recalls Mike Lupica's statement in 2006, "Mariano Rivera is the greatest money athlete of all time." from the NY Daily News, posted on one of my other sites, XM MLB Chat)