Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri out six weeks, per ESPN's Adam Shefter

Twitter is a great, great thing these days when it comes to getting important NFL news quickly. Here's Adam Shefter, via Twitter:

Looks like Indianapolis will be without kicker Adam Vinatieri for about six weeks -- or five games with the bye -- due to knee surgery.

Tip to ihateshrimp. Also fro Shefter's Twitter page, the Colts have signed veteran kicker Matt Stover.

Stover, who is six years Vinatieri's senior, has kicked in the NFL since 1990. Last season, he played for the Baltimore Ravens and kicked a 43-yard game-winning FG to defeat the Tennessee Titans in a playoff game in Nashville.

With the Colts releasing Ed Johnson yesterday, the Stover signing does not prompt the release of another player from the 53-man roster. It seems the Colts will leave Vinatieri inactive for roughly six weeks. With rookie Pat McAfee handling kickoffs, all the Colts require from Stover is he kick field goals. In the past, Stover (like Vinatieri) has shown a knack for making big kicks in the clutch. Also like Vinatieri, Stover has a workman-like personality, and he seems respected as a kicker where ever he plays.

Key to the Colts making any kind of post-season run is the health of Adam Vinatieri. When on his game, no kicker in NFL has shown such a consistent level of clutchness when it comes to kicking important FGs. The next game we may possibly see Vinatieri is November 22nd against Matt Stover's old team, the Baltimore Ravens.

[UPDATE]: Colts.com has more on Vinatieri's knee [via shake n bake]:

Adam Vinatieri has undergone successful arthroscopic surgery to his right knee to remove a piece of cartilage. Vinatieri is expected to miss four-to-eight weeks.