New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick has heaped praise on Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri, ahead of the clash between the two sides on Saturday.

Vinatieri, 41, was with the Patriots for a decade until 2006, when he moved to the Colts after Belichick decided not to use a franchise tag on him.

Despite letting Vinatieri leave, Belichick knows what the veteran still has to offer, suggesting that he has all the attributes to continue in his role in the foreseeable future.

He told Patriots.com: "He's a special guy. I know he trains hard, as he did when he was here with all the other players. He didn't have any special routine like a specialist would have or anything like that. Mentally, he's as tough as they come.

"He's still banging them through the posts; looks like he's still good. I don't know what the future is but just watching him now, he's as good as he's always been it seems like. He was here in '96, the year I came in, that was his rookie year, and he was very consistent, dependable, tough-minded, good technique player. It doesn't look like it's changed.

Vinatieri surpassed the 2000 point mark for his NFL career earlier this season, and is currently the fifth-highest point scorer in the history of the league.