With the Super Bowl just two days away for the Patriots, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, who was a part of all three Patriots Super Bowl-winning teams, joined The Big Show Friday afternoon to talk about his career, the role kicking will play Sunday and the future of the Colts franchise.

Having made game-winning field goals in both Super Bowl XXXVI and Super Bowl XXXIII for the Patriots in wins over the Rams and Panthers, respectively, Vinatieri is all-too-familiar with the game’s biggest moments and is thankful he was able to be a part of NFL history on so many different occasions.

“You’ve got really good kickers across the league that never got opportunities that I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of,” Vinatieri said. “I’m very, very fortunate not only to have a nice long career that I’ve had up to this point, but to be able to be placed in key positions and been fortunate to make most of those kicks that helped our team win championships and Super Bowls.

“Having guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, you’re going to have opportunities to win games,” he added. “You just never know when your time is going to be called and hopefully you’re ready and prepared for it when it happens.”

With the Super Bowl taking place in climate-controlled Lucas Oil Stadium, Vinatieri noted that coaches will plan accordingly for a game with very favorable kicking conditions.

“They absolutely should make decisions differently — it’s going to be 75 and sunny on Sunday, if you know what I mean,” Vinatieri said. “There’s going to be no wind, no rain, field conditions are going to be perfect. The kickers should be able to perform well, they should be able to kick longer than they normally would.

“If they were in New England and it’s 32 degrees, your range isn’t as far,” he added. “It’s going to be a good place to kick – get the ball on line and it’s going to go where you’ve kicked it.”

Already immortalized as one of the great clutch kickers in NFL history, Vinatieri is content with the way his career has played out and is grateful to even be in the discussion for a place in the Hall of Fame.

“To have people even mention me in those kinds of talks is a tremendous honor for me, but I try not to think about it at all,” Vinatieri said. “If I’m fortunate enough to have that happen, that would be unbelievable, and if it never happens, I still feel honored to be in those conversations. For me, having those rings, to have the career that I’ve been blessed with, I couldn’t wish for anything more.”

Following are more highlights from the conversation. To hear the full interview, go to The Big Show audio on demand page.

On the future of the Colts and Peyton Manning: “I’m too low on that totem pole. I’m glad I don’t get to make those decisions. Times are changing at West 56th Street, which is where our organization is located at. Obviously, a new GM, new coach, new coordinators, lots of new players, I sure hope that Peyton’s going to be back. If you read, you see what’s going on, that’s a very big if right now, but I know he’ll be back playing next year. There’s nobody that tries or prepares harder than he does. I’m sure he’ll have a helmet on and throwing touchdowns. Hopefully it’s with us, but if not, I wish him all the success in the world. Hopefully if we get some new guy named Andrew Luck, he’ll do well as well.”

On returning to New England since joining the rival Colts: “I expect New England fans to be very passionate about their sports. I would expect nothing less than that. The great thing is, when I ran out on the field to start the game and when I ran off the field after the game, they were very, very nice to me, generous to me. They cheered for me, they said nice things. Then that 60 minutes in between, they gave me the business and I would expect nothing less than that/ When I come back for reunions and stuff when I’m not playing anymore and hopefully they’ll be nice to me at that point. New England fans are passionate about their sports and I completely respect that. Along the way, they gave me a lot of well wishes and thanks for all the things I’d done in the past. I completely understand it.”