Minnesota Vikings: Can Blair Walsh overcome his struggles?

Blair Walsh was 0-3 in the Minnesota Vikings’ victory over the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night.

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Once considered among the best kickers in the NFL, Walsh’s struggles so far this preseason are almost commonplace. The Vikings kicker is just two of six so far this preseason, raising concerns at the place kicker position for the Vikes.

Rewarded with a contract extension and signed with the team through 2019, the Vikings believe in Walsh (or at least general manager Rick Spielman does).

Belief doesn’t negate the fact that Walsh has missed a handful of kicks so far this preseason that should have been easy for such a talented kicker. He has a case of “the yips” and it doesn’t seem to be going away.

At this point the minor grumblings are reflective of the overall confidence that we Vikings fans have in the young kicker. Although that may change if he doesn’t manage to come through for the Vikings at a key moment.

Walsh will get benefit of doubt from fanbase until he misses huge kick in huge game, then they'll come down on him like hell unleashed.
— The Viking Age (@TheVikingAge) August 26, 2015

Head coach Mike Zimmer has had some choice words for his kicker and believes it may be enough to motivate him. Personally, I love the demanding attitude of Zimmer and think he has the right gritty, aggressive coaching style to get guys like Walsh back on track.

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Whether Walsh still has the ability to get back on track is another question.

Over the past three seasons, Walsh has seen his field goal percentage dip from 92.1% in his rookie season to 86.7% in season two, and just 74.3% in year three. That decline doesn’t seem to warrant a contract extension or keeping him around any longer than the Vikings have to, regardless of how big his leg is.

While Walsh’s big leg does give the Vikings the opportunity to score from farther out than most other teams, Minnesota may be wise to stop using the kicker from beyond 50 yards. After nailing 10 of 10 from beyond 50 during his rookie season, Walsh has gone an abysmal 7/14. Among kickers with at least 10 games last season, Walsh had the 17th highest percentage on kicks of 50+ yards.

Overall, he had the second-worst field goal percentage among all kickers with at least 10 games in 2014 (according to Pro Football Focus).

What we are seeing from Blair Walsh is decline. He is struggling to do his job and if he doesn’t pick it up in 2015 then it could be difficult for the Vikings to justify him coming back.

Big leg or not, kickers in the NFL are expected to get the ball through the uprights on almost every kick. If the Vikings keep Walsh around it may be time to admit that he simply isn’t the 50+ yard scorer they originally had on the team. He isn’t hitting from 50+ with consistency and, while that removes a weapon from the Vikings arsenal, the Vikings may have to adapt around him. From below 50 yards he was 21 of 26 (80%) which is more respectable. While not great, he is a reliable kicker from shorter ranges.

Is that what the Vikings want a the place kicker position? Do they want a kicker who isn’t Mr. Automatic? Is it time to move on, despite the lingering nostalgia of Blair Walsh’s rookie season?

These questions wouldn’t be asked if Walsh was banging kicks through the uprights all preseason. Unfortunately, he isn’t. We’re seeing Walsh struggle through the preseason and it’s a continuation of decline over the past couple of years. No matter the reason, he needs to overcome these struggles or he’ll be handicapping a Vikings team that is trending upward and hoping to be a contender.

Next: Teddy Bridgewater looks sharp in the preseason

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