INDIANAPOLIS - Adam Vinatieris greying temples and greyer beard reveal one part of his remarkable career. At age 41, he is the NFLs oldest player.Hes not slowing down.Nine years after the leagues best clutch kicker made the surprising move to leave New England and sign with rival Indianapolis, Vinatieri is still finding ways to kick it in a young mans world.At his age, he could probably just leave practice and say See you on Sunday. But Vinnie works just as much now as he did when he was 25 years old, teammate Pat McAfee said. The reason he is so good and can be so good for however long he wants to be is his work ethic.McAfee was 9 years old when Vinatieri was a rookie in 1996.Over five seasons as Vinatieris understudy, the Colts punter and kickoff specialist says Vinatieri has advised him on everything from how to eat right to finding the proper balance between football and life. McAfee believes those life lessons have helped him thrive, and remain the primary reason Vinatieri seems to be on the cusp of milestones every week.The next chapter could come Sunday night when Vinatieri will try to become the first player in league history with 17 seasons of 100 points. He needs eight points to break a tie with Jason Elam, and it would be a fitting moment as the Patriots (7-2) and Colts (6-3) renew their rivalry.Hes as good of a kicker, good of a clutch kicker, and consistent kicker thats probably ever been in the game, New England coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. Mentally, hes as tough as they come in terms of concentration, focus, discipline, blocking out all the things that he cant control and just doing his job.Vinatieri, after all, made decisive last-minute field goals in each of New Englands three Super Bowl wins. He earned his fourth Super Bowl ring in his first season with Indy. He made two equally memorable field goals during a New England blizzard, to tie and then beat Oakland, as the Pats made their first title run.Last month, he became first NFL player to score 900 points with two franchises and hes just 60 points away from making it an even 1,000 with both teams. With two points Sunday, hell also join Morten Andersen, Gary Anderson and Jason Hanson as the only players to reach 2,100 career points.Things havent changed much this year. Vinatieri is 32 of 32 on extra points and 20 of 20 on field goals. His current streak of 26 consecutive field goals made is the third longest in franchise history.But Vinatieris legacy cannot be measured purely by numbers.Hes played for Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells, Hall of Fame finalist Tony Dungy and, of course, Belichick. Hes played with three No. 1 overall draft picks -- Drew Bledsoe, Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck -- in addition to certain Hall of Famer Tom Brady. He also played for the defunct World League of American Football long ago.Not all of his moments have been memorable. His Super Bowl kickoff against Green Bay in 1997, returned for a touchdown by Desmond Howard, has appeared in the NFLs Hall of Fame. It made Howard the only special teams player to ever win the MVP award.Vinatieri put that behind him long ago. An avid hunter, he also learned at a young age about the necessity of maintaining a steady heart rate before taking a shot.Backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck saw how good he truly is when Vinatieri popped in a video of a lion hunt in Africa. As Vinatieri tracked the animal, the guide started explaining it was no longer safe.I feel like Im pretty unflinchable and my heart was racing, Hasselbeck said. I remember thinking, Theres no way a field goal is going to get his heart racing.Teammates dont just respect Vinatieri for his experiences. Theyve given him one of the rarest titles a kicker can attain, locker room leader.Not surprisingly, Vinatieri doesnt let the milestones, the nickname, the honours or the buzz get in the way of what he does best. Thats how he got a foothold in the NFL. And thats how he intends to keep it until he leaves, on his terms.Its been a lot of fun, he said. There have been so many great moments throughout my career -- the first time you win the Super Bowl is something you dream about as a kid. The Snow Bowl game was fun. Tackling Herschel Walker as rookie was great fun.When you get to my age, you focus on staying healthy and staying productive, he added. If thats a year or three years, I dont know. Im not putting a time on it.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP_NFL Mark Barberio Jersey . 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Anton Lindholm Avalanche Jersey .C. - Brent Sutter scored 1:32 into extra time as the Charlotte Checkers came from behind to defeat the visiting Abbotsford Heat 5-4 on Sunday in American Hockey League action.Smiling or frowning.Woe is us or Wow for us.Heading into the final week of the NFL regular season, hardly anyone has a neutral feeling about the 32 teams. There are success stories and there are flops.Heres a look at both sides.SMILINGThe biggest and widest grins should be worn in Dallas, of course; everything is huge in Big D, right? No one outside of Jerrys Palace could have predicted the Cowboys (11-4) would be NFC East champs and in line for a first-round playoff bye. Not with a defence that lost its best player, linebacker Sean Lee, to preseason injury. Now with quarterback Tony Romo coming off back surgery. Not with a coach, Jason Garrett, who seemed lost in big spots.This team is so special because we built this thing from the ground up, defensive end Jeremy Mincey said. Guys came to work, from (training camp) all the way to now, and the results are definitely paying out. And if we keep playing the way that were playing, anything is possible.Folks in the Valley of the Sun also should be thrilled by what their Cardinals (11-4) have provided. Until injuries tore apart the roster — theyve used four quarterbacks and have seen offensive and defensive playmakers go down nearly every week — the Cardinals were the feel-good story of 2014.Even as they reel a bit, their faithful should, well, keep the faith heading into the post-season.You have to wipe it away, get the 12th win. Use that momentum, hopefully, to go into the playoffs, running back Stepfan Taylor said. We still have football left. Thats the best thing about this. Were not out of anything.Then there are the two favourites for the Super Bowl, the defending champion Seahawks (11-4) and the AFC East winners, the Patriots (11-3).A little more than a month into the season, their fans were shaking their heads, wondering what was wrong.Now, those same fans are nodding pleasurably at what they see.Seattle is hitting top speed at just the right time, its defence looking just as overpowering as last year, its quarterback, Russell Wilson, making magic on the ground and through the air.New England has been invincible at home, which could be enough to get it to yet another Super Bowl. Tom Brady is having a vintage season despite a non-stellar surrounding cast other than tight end Rob Gronkowski and receiver Julian Edelman. The defence has found some new stars (Jamie Collins, Chandler Jones) to go with vets Rob Ninkovich and Darrelle Revvis.ddddddddddddTwo more teams few counted on to make an impact: Detroit and Buffalo.The Lions (11-4) not only can waltz off with the NFC North by winning at Lambeau Field on Sunday — a tall task, for sure — but have a shot at the top seed in the conference.Regardless, under new coach Jim Caldwell they have exorcised many of the disciplinary demons that plagued them under the previous regime.As for the Bills, well, their NFL-high drought is now at 15 seasons, but they at least sniffed the playoffs this year. They also put together a defence that nearly anyone east of Seattle would envy.FROWNINGWe could lump together the teams that brought in new coaches and totally floundered: Washington, Tennessee, Tampa Bay. Not many people seeing the bright side there.Instead, though, lets concentrate on the horror shows in Chicago, New Orleans, New Jersey and San Francisco.Its a sign of how much turmoil the Bears (5-10) have experienced in 2014 that one week after benching Jay Cutler for Jimmy Clausen — yes, Jimmy Clausen — the team has to go back to the failed veteran. Clausen was concussed in his start on Sunday, and coach Marc Trestman has to go back to Cutler against Minnesota.Regardless, things have gotten so ugly in the Windy City that the only thing capable of bringing smiles might be a total housecleaning.Just as dysfunctional are the Saints (6-9), who lost five straight at home, cant stop anyone defensively and have lost their mojo with the ball. Theyve rarely looked the same since the bounty scandal and Sean Paytons year-long suspension in 2012.At least folks arent wearing paper bags at the Superdome as in the old days.Instead of resorting to the paper bags, Jets fans hire airplanes to fly banners asking to fire the general manager. They could get their wish as owner Woody Johnson may show John Idzik the door, along with coach Rex Ryan.The Jets (3-12) still play hard, particularly on defence, but the overall talent level would make any observer frown.Not so in the Bay Area, where there is plenty of skill. When Jim Harbaugh leaves the 49ers (7-8), he will be praised for taking them to three straight NFC championship games, and one tight Super Bowl loss. His departure will be blamed on discord in the front office.No one will be smiling.___AP Sports Writers Schuyler Dixon and Bob Baum contributed to this story.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL ' ' '