Every time Andy Reid has needed a clutch kick in the playoffs, he's had the luxury of calling on the same reliable guy.

David Akers holds almost every Eagles postseason record that a kicker can hold, but it's the trust factor that Reid has in him that's most impressive.

"Andy's had seven runs in the playoffs over his 10-year period," Akers said. "We made it to those four NFC Championship games. It's been a great learning process as far as players go. You have to learn that once you get in there to try to make each one count as much as possible."

That's the lesson the Eagles should take with them to Minnesota for Sunday's wild card game against the Vikings. The fact that they got into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth matters not.

The fact that the Eagles are one of 12 teams still alive with a shot at winning the Super Bowl matters most. It's the one hump Akers would like to help Reid and the Eagles get over.

"Obviously we've come up short as far as winning the Super Bowl or getting the one," Akers said. "There have been several teams that haven't been able to do that. Obviously we want to win the championship, but you've got to be in it to win it and we were able to sneak in there at the end. Hopefully we can make some noise."

Over the course of his career, Akers has made his share of noise in the postseason. Akers holds the Eagles' record for most postseason points in a career (96), most point-after-touchdowns (33), most field goals in a career (21), most field goals in a game (4) and he has kicked the three longest field goals in Eagles postseason history.

That experience comes in handy, especially in the playoffs. Considering that the Eagles' last three playoff games have been decided by just three points only makes that experience more valuable.

"Most of these games are pretty tight," Akers said. "When you get into scoring position, obviously you need to make those kicks. You just kind of look at it as it's your job and hopefully you can perform at a level where the team will keep you around."

Akers has clearly performed well enough to be Reid's right-hand, er, left-foot man.