Minnesota Vikings training camp battles: Kicking competition
By Josh Clarke
One of the top position battles during training camp this year for the Minnesota Vikings will hopefully find the team a long-term solution at kicker.
Without a doubt, fans of the Minnesota Vikings have endured a love-hate relationship with their kickers throughout the franchise’s storied existence.
Gary Anderson made every field goal and extra point attempt in the Vikings’ 15-1 1998 season, only to miss when it mattered most during the closing moments of the NFC Championship. Blair Walsh was booming multiple kicks from over 50 yards through the uprights in 2015 but horribly shanked a 27-yarder that would have sealed a playoff victory over the vaunted Seattle Seahawks.
The misery continued for most of 2016 as the Blair Walsh horror show continued as he missed 25 percent of his field goal attempts and four extra points . Fortunately Minnesota general manager Rick Spielman came to his senses after Week 10, cutting Walsh and providing all parties with the fresh start they were in need of.
Walsh has since found a new home with the Seattle Seahawks and while Vikings fans undoubtedly wish him the best of luck, his training camp hasn’t gone well so far.
Blair Walsh 2-4. Missed both right. Keep watching.
— Mike Salk, Seattle Sports Station (@TheMikeSalk) July 30, 2017
Heading into the new season, Minnesota will unquestionably be looking for a more dependable kicker and with two on the roster, a battle for the starting spot is underway at training camp in Mankato. As Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer advised in his press conference on Monday morning, the race remains wide open;
"I’m not totally confident in them yet. I have to figure out who’s it going to be. When we’re out here like this, we evaluate them, but when we get some preseason games, when the real lights are turned on, that will be the true test I think."
In this article we will breakdown the competitors and predict who will enter the 2017 season as Minnesota’s kicker.