With the sordid history of Minnesota Vikings kickers, it’s become commonplace to hear roaring applause following every field goal and extra point. Fans have become addicted to the balance between pre-snap anxiety and either the sarcastically loud, universal sigh of relief when the ball goes through the goalposts, or the shameful mumblings of under-the-breath insults about how the Vikings will never have a clutch kicker.
In the past 25 years, the wide variety of characters who have made their way in and out of the Vikings’ locker room covers every style, personality, and role that a kicker could possibly portray. There was the legend who could only make it 99% of the way to glory, Gary Anderson. There was Ryan Longwell, the career man who brought stability to the table, but just didn’t quite match timelines to when the rest of the team had a solid foundation. And of course, who could forget Daniel Carlson, the rookie who was thrown into the fire as a notable draft commodity and got burnt to a crisp.
Now, we have two new characters that have entered the fray of the Minnesota depth chart, Greg Joseph and Riley Patterson. Neither of these players have enough history to be brought to the team with a predetermined destiny, which means they get to have a good ol’ schoolyard competition to see who comes out as the starter. In a situation like this, there are a couple of things that the team and the fanbase can do to create a smooth transition for each of these players into a permanent and long term spot on the team.
First of all, the offensive and defensive units can set the special teams up for success by putting them in low-risk situations. With a defense hyped as highly as Minnesota’s, and an offense that can easily put points on the board, there is no reason that these kickers should be the difference between winning and losing. If the kickers are constantly put in high-pressure kicks, frequent 50-plus yarders, or game-winners, then I would count that as a loss for the team as a whole. I would hope that with a dynamic running back and a couple of Pro Bowl-level receivers, we could get to a point in games that the kicks are just a formality.
Secondarily, these players need one of the hardest things to come by in the fast-moving NFL, which is time. New players, on a new team, with a new coach is a solid recipe for learning through experience. For any veteran kicker who may have played in the spotlight for years, this situation may not be a major factor. We’ve seen examples of this in players such as the kicking king, Adam Vinatieri, who was seasoned into the New England Patriots lineup for years and was given his due time to develop. Once he became a reliable kicker, Vinatieri could have gone anywhere and had a successful career, regardless of whether it was with the Indianapolis Colts or not.
Don’t get me wrong, Vinatieri has, and has always had, a very high amount of skill. But for one of the greatest kickers of all time, having three of his first five seasons with a sub-80% field goal rate shows that even the greatest need time to develop. For a couple of younger players who are trying to join a restructured special teams unit, we need to give them the time and due process that they deserve, then make a judgement call when the proper time comes to re-sign or cut them.
The final, and most important thing that these kickers need to succeed is to remove the negative stigma the fanbase places on being a kicker for the Minnesota Vikings. With the proper support from fans, Minnesota’s potential kickers can develop the mindset of a champion.
For example, back when Mike Tyson was in his prime, he would never celebrate his victories because it wasn’t supposed to be a surprise to him that he would win. Rather it was expected of him. This same mentality needs to be brought to the Vikings fans so that when the kickers make a kick, it isn’t a surprise, it is commonplace. Let’s embrace the same mentality that the fan’s of former dynasties held, in order to dial in one of the missing pieces of a future Vikings dynasty.
As Joseph and Patterson work through the preseason and battle it out for the starting position, it is up to the team, personal growth, and fanbase to set these kickers up for success.
Imagine the difference between the following two scenarios as we enter the season:
- You line up for a 50-plus-yard field goal knowing that if you miss, you will be ridiculed as part of a failed system and likely succumb to negative criticism and potentially lose your job.
- You line up for a 50-plus-yard field goal knowing that your fanbase will be disappointed if you miss, but they will support your growth as you continue to improve your craft and cement your place in the community until the time for proper judgement has come.
Big difference, right?
