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Colts Kicker Adam Vinatieri Voted One of Top 100 Players of 2015

NFL Network began unveiling their top 100 players of 2015 as voted on by players, and Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri became the first kicker ever to make the list as he checked in at number 98.

By Josh Wilson
Pat Lovell-USA TODAY Sports

Every offseason, NFL Network puts together a list of the top 100 players from the past season.  This is a list voted on by fellow players, and while there are always plenty of disagreements with the list, it's at least somewhat notable and if nothing else it's something to help us through the offseason.

NFL Network began to unveil the 2015 version of the list on Wednesday night by announcing numbers 91-100, and a Colts player made the list.  Not only that, a kicker made the list for the first time ever: Colts' kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Without a doubt, Vinatieri had a terrific season in 2015 - arguably the best of his Hall of Fame career.  Here's what we wrote about Vinatieri in our 2015 season review:

Adam Vinatieri was perfect in 63 of 64 quarters in the regular season, with his only miss coming in the third quarter of the season finale.  He finished the regular season 30-for-31, leading the league by hitting 96.8% of his kicks - the highest percentage by any kicker in the NFL since the Colts' Mike Vangerjagt was perfect in 2003.  He was 10-for-11 on kicks over 40 yards, and he also hit all 50 of his extra point attempts.  He was only 5-of-7 on field goals in the postseason, but one was a long one in New England that the Colts probably shouldn't have had him attempt.  Overall, Vinatieri was arguably the NFL's best kicker in 2014 and it was perhaps the finest season for a kicker that will wind up in Canton one day.

Vinatieri was a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler, and according to other NFL players, he was one of the top 100 players on the season.  It's an impressive accomplishment for the 42-year old kicker (the oldest player in the league), and it's just another nice mark on the resume as he's the first kicker to ever appear on the list.  Something tells me this pales in comparison to his four Super Bowl rings, three first-team All-Pro berths, three Pro Bowl appearances, 83.7% career field goal percentage, most career playoff games of any player in history, nearly every postseason kicking record, and his eventual gold jacket and bust in Canton - but it's still a nice note to reflect on in the offseason following one of his finest seasons.

What other Colts do you expect to see on this list?  Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, and Vontae Davis seem to be givens, but are there any other Colts that you think deserve to be in the top 100?

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