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Blair Walsh says he doesn’t think about botched kick

By Sayre Bedinger

Jan 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) reacts after missing a field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter of a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 10, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh (3) reacts after missing a field goal attempt against the Seattle Seahawks in the fourth quarter of a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports /
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Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh says he doesn’t think about the botched kick against the Seattle Seahawks in the playoffs…

The icy winds in Minneapolis were nothing compared to the ice cold stares Blair Walsh received after a missed kick in the playoffs that would have moved the Vikings past the reigning NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks.

Walsh has certainly been an asset for the Vikings since being drafted in 2012, and was an important reason why the Vikings were in position for the longest time to beat the Seahawks on that frigid day. He made three field goals in a game where the Vikings led 9-3, a lead that felt insurmountable the way Minnesota was playing defense.

The Vikings’ defense broke down late in the game on one drive, and it put the Seahawks up by a point. The Vikings got the ball down so close, they gave Walsh the ability to make a field goal for the win that most of the fans in the stands probably could have made.

But, tragically, he missed the kick, sending Vikings fans into a confused, shocked, hilariously mad frenzy.

Walsh, like everyone else, is human. It was a bad play and I can’t imagine he wasn’t the harshest critic following that game. Now, however, Walsh says he doesn’t think about the kick that no Vikings fan will soon forget.

“I think people would be shocked to know how little I think about it at this point,” Walsh said. “And when I say that, it’s not to mean that I didn’t dwell on it or didn’t care about what happened. But if I’m at this stage and I’m still thinking about that, then I’m in big trouble.”

The response at training camp hasn’t really gone as perhaps many would have expected. Vikings fans haven’t badgered Walsh, who missed just five field goals all of last season after a disastrous 2014 campaign.

He thinks the positive response has been due to the fact that the fans know what he’s capable of versus focusing on the one huge mistake he made.

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“I think the fans realize how good I am. And that’s not from a cocky place. That’s honesty. It’s a fact. And they know how good I will be. This isn’t someone that was in there for one year and had a bad season and finished it off like that. It was just a fluke. I’ll work my hardest to have it never happen again…”

Walsh is a big leg and a big weapon for the Vikings when the offense stalls. He made some adjustments this offseason mechanically that will get him consistently making big kicks in big situations. He’s always been able to make the long ones, now he just has to put it all together and be consistently accurate from all locations of the field.

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