Mike Zimmer has been known for many things during his tenure with the Minnesota Vikings. Under Zimmer’s watch, the Vikings have had one of the top defenses in the NFL, a strong running game and a revolving door at the kicker position.
From Blair Walsh to Dan Bailey, Zimmer has had a knee-jerk reaction to missed kicks. With each miss, Viking fans are left to wonder how many kickers will be brought in the following Monday to battle for the job and how much of a leash the current kicker has before being replaced.
This year’s camp has a similar feel with two young, unproven kickers battling for the starting job. It’s a certainty that Zimmer will have a hair trigger with everything on the line this season but if he wants the secret on how to groom a kicker, he should look no further than Mason Crosby.
Crosby joined the Green Bay Packers during the 2007 and immediately became one of the league’s best kickers. In his first 10 seasons, Crosby converted 80.4 percent of his field goals and 98.6 percent of his extra points but ran into trouble beginning in 2017.
In a two-year stretch, Crosby remained consistent with his field goals (80.4%) but struggled with extra points (94.4%). Rock bottom came on Oct. 7, 2018 when Crosby missed six kicks in a 31-20 loss to the Detroit Lions. The performance led Packer fans to slam a few extra Miller Lites and demand his release on social media.
Just as Packer fans were ready to pack Crosby’s bags, the Packers decided to stick with him and their faith was rewarded. Over the next two seasons, Crosby missed a total of seven kicks in 137 attempts and made all 16 field goals last season.
Entering his 15th season with the Packers, Crosby is set to become one of the greatest players in franchise history and told reporters this week that he would like to play into his 40s.
It’s a different situation than what has happened under Zimmer’s watch in Minnesota. Just two weeks before Crosby’s meltdown in Detroit, Daniel Carlson was sent packing after missing three field goals in an overtime loss to the Packers.
The Vikings replaced Carlson with Bailey, who was the NFL’s second-most accurate kicker of all-time when he signed with the team. But even a steady veteran wasn’t safe from Zimmer’s wrath, falling victim to a second-half meltdown which led to his release this offseason.
Whether it’s young kickers or established veterans, Vikings kickers know that their job could be on the line with every kick. That fear implants the situation in their brains and ultimately leads them to failure.
This is important coming into this year’s training camp. With Riley Patterson and Greg Joseph, the Vikings have two unestablished kickers looking to win the job. While a missed kick isn’t the end of the world, it causes Zimmer’s blood pressure to skyrocket and could have them on the street faster than they can say “Sorry, coach.”
Even if the Vikings ultimate plan is to sign a veteran, who would want to come here knowing Zimmer’s past? If anything, Zimmer needs to show patience and see if his kicker can fight through the struggles instead of snapping over an extra point.
