The Minnesota Vikings did not expect Blair Walsh to take it well when they told him they were going to audition some other kickers. According to the team’s special teams coach, that’s a good thing.
Vikings special teams coordinator Mike Priefer admitted that telling Walsh about the kicker auditions hadn’t gone over well, but that was perfectly fine with him.
“I knew how he would react because I’ve known him now for five-plus years,” Priefer said of Walsh Thursday, via Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “It kind of lit a fire under him. [Walsh] got ticked off in a good way, I think, because he’s a competitive young man. If he didn’t react that way, I would be really worried and then we probably would be looking for another guy. If he’s going to feel sorry for himself, then he’s not the guy we want.”
The team isn’t going to replace Walsh at this point. His struggles seem largely mental, and the hope is probably that something like this will focus him and perhaps even help him.
