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Mare excited to go against Colts, venerable Vinatieri

Both teams' kickers share penchant for getting touchbacks

Thursday, September 06, 2007 By Benjamin Hochman


INDIANAPOLIS -- Saints kicker Olindo Mare was at his locker Wednesday when he was asked: "Have you gotten to the point where you expect to kick a touchback?"
Before Mare could cook up a cliché-ridden response, punter Steve Weatherford, standing nearby, chimed in and said: "Yeah. I'm Olindo Mare!"
Mare led the NFL with 24 touchbacks last season, and he has kicked seven this preseason, second-most in the league.
Hopefully, they'll take a knee," Mare said. "I'm not as fast as Steve. I can't really chase anybody anymore."
Mare, entering his 11th season, will be pitted against another quality kicker tonight.
The Indianapolis Colts' kicker is the famous Adam Vinatieri, who kicked two Super Bowl-winning field goals for the New England Patriots.
Last season, his first with Indianapolis, he was a weapon. He made 25 of his 28 field-goal attempts for 89.3 percent, the third-best percentage of his career -- and fifth-best in the NFL that season. His long was a 48-yarder, and he was perfect on extra points.
As for kickoffs, Vinatieri had 10 touchbacks.
Mare did well last season with touchbacks, but he struggled with field goals while playing for the Miami Dolphins. He made 26 of 36 attempts (72.2 percent -- 32nd in the NFL). Mare did make his final nine field goals last season, and he ranks 11th all-time with an 80.9 accuracy percentage. He has 12 game-winning kicks.
This preseason, Mare made six of 10 field-goal attempts, including an 0-for-3 showing last Thursday night in the Saints' 7-0 victory against the Miami Dolphins at the Superdome. During the preseason, he made all three kicks from 40 to 49 yards, including a 48-yarder, but he was 0-for-3 from 50 yards or farther.
The Saints remain confident in Mare -- or at least more confident in him than they are in John Carney, who kicked for the Saints last season.
As for tonight's game, "If you play football, and you can't get excited for something like this, you're in the wrong job," Mare said. "You have to try to keep all your emotions inside, because you can get caught up."
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The game may come down to him.

"We may have lost the game, but you'll be hurting tomorrow." Doug Atkins