Vikings, Seahawks, and the ghost of Blair Walsh
The Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks have shared many NFL players during their recent history, but it is a singular athlete that ties a rather infamous bond between them; former place-kicker of both teams, Blair Walsh.
In the last several seasons, many prominent Vikings moved to the Pacific Northwest to continue, or to finish, their careers.
Defensive standouts like John Randle, Antoine Winfield, and Kevin Williams ended their playing days in Seattle, and offensive stars Nate Burleson and Percy Harvin exited Minnesota to join the Seahawks as interim players.
Even Vikings special teams star and fan-favorite Heath Farwell signed a contract with the Seahawks.
There may be one other player that comes to mind–Seattle All-Pro offensive tackle Steve Hutchinson–that actually flipped that script when signed to the Vikings’ roster in 2006, creating a distinct acrimony between the Seattle and Minnesota front offices’, but we’re not going to talk about that today.
We’re talking about Blair Walsh.
In 2012, Walsh was drafted out of the University of Georgia in the sixth round by Minnesota. Considered as one of the nation’s most reliable “big-leg” kickers, the Georgia Bulldog had had so much college success that he was nicknamed the “Athens Assassin”.
In his rookie year, he became both an assassin and a new Minnesota Viking star. The records he established may not be broken for decades. Walsh went 10/10 on field goals over 50 yards, he set the Vikings’ team record for scoring with 141 points, matched the career longest field goal in Vikings history (56 yards) and was not only a Pro-Bowl selection but a first-team All-Pro for 2012.
No doubt, Viking general manager Rick Spielman won a kewpie doll on the draft pick.
For the next two seasons, Blair Walsh was one of the best kickers in the game. He got a new cool contract and haircut, became a press go-to guy and everybody was pretty happy. Hard-nosed head coach Mike Zimmer liked Walsh’s toughness and solid leg, and Viking teammates’ liked his scrappy special-teams attitude.
Things were good.
But then, in 2015, the NFL changed the extra-point conversion rules.
The ball was taken from the 2-yard line, 17-yards out, to the 15, making it a 33-yard kick.
Boy, did the plot thicken for Blair Walsh.
In 2012, Walsh’s extra point conversion rate was 100. In 2013, 97.7. In 2014, 100.
In 2015, it fell to 89.2. That means Walsh was missing one of of ten extra points. His field goal percentage was still good–though not as good as in 2012 and 2013–and his kickoffs were strong. What was up?
Extra points–33 yards out! A chip shot! Shake it off, Blair! We need ya!
No one wants to be reminded of what happened on Jan. 3, 2016 on TCF Bank Stadium, but, unfortunately, it creates the fulcrum to the tragic story.
On December 3rd, 2015, the Seattle Seahawks humiliated the Minnesota Vikings 38-7 in TCF Bank Stadium.
One month later, in the same place, in the third lowest temperatures in Vikings’ playoff history, revenge was ours, and it was going to be served cold.
The day began with 89 year-old Vikings’ legendary head coach Bud Grant running out in his short-shirt sleeves for the game’s coin-toss. Short hours later, the brutal, defensive contest was ending as Teddy Bridgewater and the Viking offense made a bold late 4th-quarter charge down the frozen field.
A late offensive charge to set up a short field goal–seconds left–with the Vikings down by two points!
A short, 27-yard field goal…!
At that moment, vaporous plumes of white stopped coming from the mouths of tens of thousands of Viking fans bravely watching the game in TCF Bank Stadium.
They were all holding their breath.
Walsh’s kick went wide left. Seattle went on to meet Carolina in the NFC Divisional Playoff and the Vikings’ long 2015 season was over.
Whatever happened is for NFL pundits and professional psychoanalysts to ponder, but to Viking fans and Blair Walsh, the damage was done.
In 2016, a new season for the Vikings and for Blair Walsh, the place-kicker’s extra-point conversion rate dropped to 78.9, the lowest in the National Football league.
He also missed four of his first 16 field goals. In week nine of the season, Coach Zimmer brought in a small collection of kickers to audition for Walsh’s spot on the team.
In week ten, Walsh missed an extra-point kick against the Washington Redskins and was waived a few days later. Kai Forbath became the new Vikings’ place-kicker.