Minnesota Vikings Shopping New Kickers
The Minnesota Vikings are looking into all their options for kickers this week. Sources say they are considering moving on from Blair Walsh.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported that the Minnesota Vikings are working out kickers this week, and they are keeping their options open after another miserable performance from the 26-year-old kicker.
Following a missed extra point and a blocked field goal by Blair Walsh, the Vikings are working out kickers this week, source said.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) November 7, 2016
In a game where the story should have been the resurgence of the offense and creative play calling under Pat Shurmur, Blair Walsh stole the media’s attention with a missed extra point and a blocked field goal (if one could blame that on him somehow).
The missed extra point turned out to be a huge factor in the game. With just 23 seconds left on the clock, the Detroit Lions would have needed to score a miracle touchdown had it not been for Walsh’s miss. Instead, they just needed to get into Matt Prater’s massive field goal range to send the game to over time.
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Walsh, who missed his league-high third extra point of the year, was clearly frustrated after the game.
“It did not go in right? You can ask me this question a million times, did it feel good? Did I make it? No I did not. Do I have to? Yes. Do I want to? Yes,” Walsh said when asked about his missed extra point.
The Minnesota Vikings already missed out on dependable veteran Robbie Gould, and the rest of the field isn’t very impressive for kickers. Perhaps this is a motivational tactic for Blair Walsh, but one has to wonder how thin Mike Zimmer’s patience can be before making a change.
Next: Vikings vs. Lions Offensive Report Card
Similar to Walsh’s situation, Packers kicker Mason Crosby went through a couple of rough years. The Packers stuck with him and he has returned to top form in the league. Whether the Vikings are cutting him or not, Blair Walsh needs to be more consistent if the Vikings are going to continue playing in close games.