Sonstiges » erstars. VAL DISERE, France -- Italian skie

INDIANAPOLIS -- Adam Vinatieri has never been a superstitious guy.Hell talk numbers and records, goals and streaks all day, even when hes on the cusp of another major milestone.If experience has taught the 43-year-old Indianapolis Colts kicker anything, its this: Work hard, savor the special moments and focus on putting the football between the goal posts.Nobody has been more successful at it recently than Vinatieri, who has made 38 consecutive field goals and nine in a row from 50 yards or more.He doesnt miss in practice either, holder Pat McAfee said Wednesday. I dont remember what year it was he told me this, but he said, `Its never a good day if I miss. Even in practice, its not a good day if he misses.Fortunately for the Colts (2-3), Vinatieri succeeds far more often than not.Hes 12th in league history with a field goal rate of 84.5 percent and has made 87.2 percent of his kicks since moving from the harsh New England winters to the cozier, warmer conditions inside Indianapolis dome and retractable roof stadiums.Of course, its not as if Vinatieri needed a climate-controlled environment to make his case as one of the leagues all-time best.He won three Super Bowls with the Patriots, two thanks to last-minute field goals. He made two crucial field goals in blizzard conditions during the infamous Tuck Rule game during New Englands first title run and he left as the franchises career scoring leader.But even after the Patriots decided to go with a younger kicker following the 2005 season, Vinatieri has continued to thrive.Hes climbed to third on the NFLs career scoring list (2,304), third in field goals (516) and is the first player in league history to score 1,000 points or make 200 field goals with two teams. If he makes five field goals Sunday at Houston (3-2), Vinatieri would break Mike Vanderjagts NFL record of 42 in a row. Gary Anderson is second on the list at 40.While Vinatieri prefers not to talk about making 43 at 43, its not out of bounds, either.The key is I feel like the first time I step onto the field its just another opportunity to put points on the board for my team, Vinatieri said after earning his 16th AFC player of the week award by making all five attempts in last weeks 29-23 victory over Chicago . Ill try to get to 39. If I do that, Ill try to get it to 40.In many cases, Colts players might not know how lucky they are.Vinatieri is the only kicker Pro Bowl long snapper Matt Overton has worked with in five NFL seasons. McAfee, a Pro Bowl punter in his eighth season, has spent seven years working exclusively with the best clutch kicker in league history.When outside linebacker Robert Mathis arrived in 2003, Vanderjagt was on the roster and with the exception of Vinatieris injury-shortened 2009 season, Vinatieri and Vanderjagt are the only kickers hes had as teammates.Others in the locker room, such as defensive tackle Art Jones, cherish the peace of mind Vinatieri gives them.While Jones was part of Baltimores 2012 Super Bowl-winning team, he still remembers losing the AFC championship game a year earlier on a missed chip-shot field goal.It makes a defensive player feel really good knowing you have a guy who is going to put points on the board, Jones said. We talk about it (the streak), but hes one of the most humble guys Ive ever met. He doesnt like talking about it.Thats primarily because Vinatieri would rather make sure hes ready for the next kick than celebrate the last one.And its a big reason that after missing his first two field-goal attempts last season, prompting speculation that age may finally be catching up to him, the 21-year veteran looks as spry as ever. Hes made 68 of his past 71 tries and with the Colts struggling to score touchdowns , Vinatieri is on pace to score a career high 163 points.I promise you, if he actually misses one, it wont be his fault. It will be my fault or Overtons fault, McAfee said. But we never worry about that. The only thing we know is that if he misses, its not a good day.Game notes Five of the 12 players who did not practice Wednesday were given an extra day off by coach Chuck Pagano. Those players were safety Mike Adams, cornerback Dontae Davis, running back Frank Gore, defensive end Kendall Langford and Mathis. ... Receivers Quan Bray (shin) and T.Y. Hilton (hip), cornerbacks Darius Butler (finger surgery) and Patrick Robinson (knee and hip), offensive lineman Jonotthan Harrison (appendectomy) and defensive tackle Zack Kerr (ankle) also sat out. Pagano said Kerr was week to week. ... Inside linebacker Josh McNary (stinger) did limited work Wednesday.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL Custom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . Jordan Lynch, the all-purpose Heisman Trophy finalist from Northern Illinois, failed to make it into that exclusive club. Cowboys Jerseys 2020 . Howard Ganz, an MLB lawyer, said in a letter to U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos that Rodriguezs claims do not come "remotely close" to what is needed to overturn an arbitration decision in federal court. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Cheap Cowboys Jerseys . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Dallas Cowboys Shirts . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. VAL DISERE, France -- Italian skier Sofia Goggia was fastest in the second World Cup downhill training session on Thursday, nearly one second ahead of defending overall champion Lara Gut.Goggia was .31 seconds ahead of Cornelia Huetter and .85 clear of Gut on the Oreiller-Killy course in the French Alps.Goggia has started the season with four podium finishes, including second in a downhill in Canada this month.Before this season, her best career finish was fourth.In the first training on Wednesday, Gut was quickest.Yesterday I had a pretty good run, and this gave me the opportunity to try a few things today, the Swiss skier said. Some were good, others not really. But its not the first time Ive been here. I know where I have to ski fast and skki clever.ddddddddddddGut is second in the overall standings, 105 points behind Mikaela Shiffrin, who is not competing this weekend.There is an Alpine combined race on Friday, a downhill on Saturday, and a super-G on Sunday.Last year, Gut clinched a downhill-Alpine combined double in Val dIsere.She said the course is well suited for a quick race on Friday.The snow is really good. I spoke with a few girls yesterday and they were already saying it looks in good shape, said Gut, who has five career podium finishes in Val dIsere. We usually have good races here. Im going to try and put everything together for tomorrow. ' ' '