Mike Vanderjagt Michael John " Mike " Vanderjagt ( ; born March 24 , 1970 ) is a former American and Canadian football placekicker and punter who has played in the Arena Football League , the Canadian Football League ( CFL ) and National Football League ( NFL ) . On May 31 , 2008 , Vanderjagt returned to the Toronto Argonauts , where he played from 1996 to 1997 , to be their starting kicker . He retired as the most accurate field goal kicker in CFL and NFL history of all kickers with at least 100 field goal attempts ( 230 of 266 , 86 . 5 % as of January 2010 ) He is also known , however , for some high profile missed field goal attempts in postseason games . College career . Vanderjagt began his college career at Michigan State , where he was a quarterback in 1988 . However , he left Michigan State for Allan Hancock Community College in Santa Maria , California , where he took over placekicking duties from exiting freshman Jack Garvin ( who left for the University of California , Los Angeles ( UCLA ) in Division I ) . Vanderjagt punt ed and played quarterback for AHCC until returning to Division I football , as solely a punter and placekicker , at West Virginia for the 1991 and 1992 seasons . CFL 1993 – 1994 , 1996 - 97 . After graduating from WVU in 1993 , he returned to Canada and started a career in the Canadian Football League . Between 1993 and 1996 he was cut by four different CFL teams , getting some playing time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1993 . Not playing in the league in 1994 or 1995 Vanderjagt played for the Tampa Bay Storm of the Arena Football League before returning to the Toronto Argonauts ( who had previously cut him twice ) for the 1996 season . Over the next two seasons , Vanderjagt served as their regular placekicker and punter , as Argos won the Grey Cup in both 1996 and 1997 ; in those two games he was 9 of 9 . For his 1996 Grey Cup efforts he was named the game ' s outstanding Canadian . He also led the CFL in yardage per punt in 1997 . Following the 1997 season , Vanderjagt left the Argos to become a free agent , ultimately to play in the National Football League . NFL career . Indianapolis Colts . In 1998 , Vanderjagt crossed the border again but this time he joined the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL , and was the club ' s placekicker through the 2005 season . He led the NFL in scoring in 1999 . In a , Vanderjagt successfully converted a 50 - yard field goal in the fourth quarter , but missed a 49 - yard attempt in overtime . Miami scored on the next possession to win the game . After the Colts were eliminated in the first round of the 2002 playoffs , Vanderjagt gave an interview to Toronto area cable network The Score , in which he criticized coach Tony Dungy and quarterback Peyton Manning . This led to Manning referring to Vanderjagt in an interview at the Pro Bowl as " our idiot kicker who got liquored up and ran his mouth off . " He continued , " The sad thing is , he ' s a good kicker . He ' s a good kicker , but he ' s an idiot . " In 2003 , Vanderjagt became the first kicker in the league ' s history to go an entire season , including the playoffs , without missing a field goal or point - after attempt . ( In 1998 , Minnesota kicker Gary Anderson was perfect in the regular season , but missed a field goal attempt in the playoffs . ) In the process , he made his first Pro Bowl and was named first team All - Pro . He finished the regular season 37 for 37 in field goals and 46 for 46 in PATs . He was also perfect on three field - goal attempts and 12 PATs in the postseason . He did however miss a potential game tying 51 yard field goal in that season ' s Pro Bowl with three seconds left in a 55 - 52 loss to the NFC . ( Vanderjagt did miss a 40 - yard field goal attempt in overtime in , but the play was nullified due to a defensive penalty . Vanderjagt ' s subsequent kick was partially blocked , but went through the uprights for the Indianapolis victory , leaving Vanderjagt ' s official perfect streak intact . ) In 2004 , he kicked 20 field goals , the lowest number of his career . However , he also had considerably fewer field goal chances that season ( 25 ) , as the Colts offense scored 61 touchdowns ( nearly four per game ) , with Peyton Manning throwing a then NFL record 49 TD passes . Vanderjagt ' s streak of 42 consecutive successful field goal attempts , the longest in NFL history ( the league does not include postseason or Pro Bowl games when compiling streaks ) , ended on September 9 , 2004 when he missed a 48 - yard attempt against the New England Patriots . The game was 2004 ' s Monday Night Football opener , which the Colts lost 27 - 24 . After the Colts routed the Denver Broncos in the wild - card round of the 2004 playoffs , he told reporters that the Colts ' opponents in the next round of the playoffs , the Patriots , were " ripe for the picking , " and said " I think they ' re not as good as the beginning of the year and not as good as last year " ( when they won the Super Bowl ) . Patriots safety Rodney Harrison fired back at him in an interview , calling him " Vanderjerk " . Harrison ' s teammate , linebacker Willie McGinest , was more temperate in his response , but noted that " there ' s going to be a whole bunch of plays when he ' s not going to be out there [ on the field ] . The rest of his guys will be out there dealing with it . " The Patriots eventually defeated the Colts 20 - 3 and went on to win Super Bowl XXXIX . Vanderjagt indicated in a radio interview during the season that he might not return to the Colts for 2005 , as his cap number was $ 2 . 8 million and the Colts might not be willing to pick up his salary for that season . He noted that he may return to the CFL , where his professional career began . However , he eventually signed a reworked deal and returned to the Colts . In the , against the Pittsburgh Steelers , Vanderjagt missed a 46 - yard field goal attempt wide right with 18 seconds remaining , when the Colts were behind 21 - 18 , costing the Colts a chance at overtime and ending the team ' s season . Walking off the field after the kick , he took off his helmet and threw it to the ground in anger ( which cost his team a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty ) . It was Vanderjagt ' s first field goal miss in the RCA Dome in the postseason . Shortly thereafter , on January 19 , 2006 , Vanderjagt appeared on a lighthearted segment of the " Late Show with David Letterman " , during which he successfully kicked a 46 - yard field goal , outside Letterman ' s Manhattan studio . Letterman — an Indiana native and Colts fan — served as the holder . The appearance was said to be one of the reasons why Vanderjagt was not re - signed in 2006 . Dallas Cowboys . In the 2006 offseason , Vanderjagt became a free agent , and the Colts elected not to re - sign him . Instead , they signed free agent Adam Vinatieri , the kicker who had played an important part in the Patriots ' recent successes . On March 23 , Vanderjagt signed a three - year deal with the Dallas Cowboys . Vanderjagt suffered a groin injury that kept him out of action for two weeks . He returned in the final preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings . In that game , he missed two field goals in overtime of 32 and 33 yards ( both misses were wide right ) , forcing the game to end in a tie . Rumors quickly spread that Vanderjagt would be released by the Cowboys before the regular season began . However , he remained with the team . He was replaced by back - up kicker Shaun Suisham in the first game of the season against Jacksonville , but appeared in each of the Cowboys ' subsequent games through Week 12 . In Week 9 , his potential game - winning field goal was blocked by the Washington Redskins as time expired . In Week 11 against his former team , the Colts , he missed his only two field goal attempts , ( both of these misses were also wide right ) making it the first time since 2001 since he had done so . The fans were so upset , they booed a commercial he appeared in on stadium monitors . After he barely made a 22 - yard field goal against Tampa Bay , the Cowboys had seen enough . On November 27 , 2006 , Vanderjagt was released by the Cowboys and replaced by Martín Gramática . Return to Argos . On May 31 , 2008 , the Toronto Argonauts signed Vanderjagt and traded their veteran kicker Noel Prefontaine to the Edmonton Eskimos . Vanderjagt claimed he really wanted to return to Toronto and his hometown " regardless of what NFL team called " as he missed the sport , missed the area , and missed his friends and family , which include his wife Janalyn and their 9 year old son Jay Michael . He was released on his request on May 28 , 2009 . Film appearance . Vanderjagt appeared in a Walt Disney film called " The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon " , where he was a stunt double for Tony Danza as a place kicker for the Philadelphia Eagles .