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Minnesota Vikings: Is the ‘Blair Walsh Project’ a failure?

By Adam Carlson

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Minnesota Vikings fans are seemingly getting more and more frustrated with kicker Blair Walsh every passing week.  In fact, the outcry to release the once automatic kicker reached a high point when he missed a medium range kick that could have been the difference in the final score against the Denver Broncos.

This is a huge difference from the Blair Walsh of his rookie season, when he set multiple team records for field goals made and kicks longer than 50 yards (10/10).  Since then, his long-range accuracy has gone into the toilet, connecting on only half of his kicks from 50 yards and beyond (7/14).

In a recent article on the Fox Sports website, Minnesota Vikings general manager Rick Spielman showed a vote of confidence in his kicker, adding that there is no doubt in his mind about his place on the team.

"“I think there is no question that he is our kicker,” Spielman said."

Oct 4, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) kicks a game tying field goal during the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Broncos won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

It’s great that Spielman is showing so much confidence in his kicker, but the fans on Twitter and Facebook haven’t been as patient.  Many are still calling for Walsh to be released or for competition to be brought in for the job.  However, it would be tough for the Minnesota Vikings to do either of those things considering that he just signed a hefty extension this offseason that made him one of the league’s highest paid kickers.

"“Blair is working extremely hard at trying to get through this, and we’re doing everything we can with (special teams coordinator Mike) Priefer on our end to get through this.”"

The folks over at iSportsWeb.com had a quote from Blair Walsh, showing that he’s well aware of the issue and that he’s already been taking steps to correct them.

"“I know everyone wants to draw the comparisons from the preseason to the regular, but I think if you look at the last 12 kicks, I’ve made 10 of them.”"

Sadly, Blair Walsh set the bar so high during his rookie year that even an above average performance from the kicker is disappointing to fans.  Those expectations need to be tapered going forward and people need to be patient while he works through his kicking issues.

Fans in Green Bay saw a similar situation with their kicker, Mason Crosby, who was part of one of the worst slumps I’ve ever watched as a fan.  Crosby worked hard and got back on track.  Now, he’s one of the most reliable kickers in the NFL again.

Hopefully, Blair Walsh can accomplish the same kind of thing with the Minnesota Vikings and the struggling doesn’t continue too much longer.

Next: Minnesota Vikings 2015 Game By Game Previews

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