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JakeTheSnake got me thinking the other day about our old "idiot kicker" from yesteryear, and today I come across an article talking about his return to kicking in Toronto, where Vanderjagt seems to think he'll make it to Canton:
"I don't know how achievable it is, but I'd love to be the CFL's most accurate kicker (percentage wise) to go along with the NFL's most accurate kicker title (which he currently holds at 86.4 per cent).
"So if I do those things I wouldn't mind being in Canton (the Pro Football Hall of Fame) someday. Those are lofty goals, but if you don't set goals you're going to be out there running around doing nothing. I'm not here just to collect a paycheque."
Just for fun, I thought I'd check out the NFL's career leaders in Field Goal Percentage, and I made a startling discovery: Vanderjagt is now #2! It would have been a good idea for the author of the above article to actually make sure Vanderjagt was correct in his statement, since Nate Kaeding is now the NFL's all time leader in Field Goal Percentage. The CFL Leader is Sandro DeAngelis at 82.35%. Vanderjagt is 73/99 career in the CFL, so he has some work to do, as well as hold off a former Irish kicker with a good rookie 2007 season.
While Vanderjagt is the all-time leading scorer in Colts franchise history with 995 points, he is most remembered for missing field goals in big spots. After his field goal that went into the tunnel against the Steelers in the playoffs, he had a stellar 10 game stint in Dallas, where he made $2.5 million as a signing bonus! I guess he was laughing all the way to the bank. I'm sorry Mike, you don't deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, and I think you'll have a hard time convincing anyone here otherwise.
As a side note: Now that Vanderjagt is #2, I wonder if this song is no longer accurate either. I hope it still is, as it is a catchy tune...