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Mike Vanderjagt's record-setting 41st straight field goal nearly was doomed before takeoff.
``I put it on a little mound on the field and I got under it a little too much,'' Vanderjagt said after his game-ending 43-yarder lifted the Indianapolis Colts to a 20-17 victory Sunday at Houston. ``I probably shouldn't have done that, but I felt it was going to go through. When you watch 1,000 (practice kicks) a week, you kind of get a feel for when it's going to be good.
``And I felt this was good.''
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His 39-yarder in the first half tied Gary Anderson's record 40 straight, set
in 1997-98 with San Francisco and Minnesota.
The lanky six-year veteran from Canada via a college career at West Virginia started his streak last year and finished this season 37-of-37, winning his first Pro Bowl election in the process. He also broke the franchise record for field goals in a season, set by Cary Blanchard with 36 in 1996.
His dominant season was preceded by problems he caused in January after the Colts were knocked out of the playoffs. Speaking on a Canadian cable sports network, he criticized quarterback Peyton Manning for not showing enough emotion and coach Tony Dungy for being too placid.
Manning fired back, calling Vanderjagt an ``idiot kicker,'' a disparaging monicker that became more uncomfortable when he missed all three field goal tries in preseason.
He rebounded by doing all the scoring in the Colts' 9-6 season-opening victory at Cleveland and kept rolling from there.
``The (streak) is always a factor, and I was very aware of the streak,'' Vanderjagt said. ``I said to my family the other day, `I would like to get two field goals today and go on to the next year.'''
Vanderjagt, 33, said the Texans even tried some reverse psychology.
``Normally, guys say, `You're going to miss,''' he said. ``So this time they said, `You're the man. You haven't missed all year and you are going to the Pro Bowl.'
``It didn't work. I knew
the situation and what was going to occur.''