National Football League

Cool kicker: Walsh unfazed by efforts to ice him

Published Oct. 28, 2014 12:45 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

foxsports

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Go ahead and try to ice Blair Walsh. The Minnesota Vikings' third-year kicker seemingly has ice in his veins and stays cool under pressure.

In fact, Walsh doesn't mind being "iced" like he was Sunday when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice called timeouts seconds before he attempted half-ending field-goal attempts.

"I know coach (Leslie) Frazier is on their staff and he's part of the people that drafted me here," Walsh said Monday. "I hope it's a sign of respect. But they should know better than to try and get in our heads as a field goal unit. We're pretty solid and we've got one of the best snappers and holders in the league. I rely on those guys a lot to be consistent and they are. I think that helped me."

Walsh connected on both of the negated attempts Sunday. Thankfully for the Minnesota Vikings, he couldn't be iced and came through on the successive kicks in Sunday's 19-13 win. Walsh hit a 46-yard field goal for the first points of that game as the first half expired and pushed the game into overtime with a 38-yard field goal as time expired in regulation.

Knowing the situation and the timeouts Tampa Bay had left, Walsh expected to be iced. He enjoyed the extra practice.

"It's definitely meaningful," Walsh said of the attempt as the timeout is being taken. "You don't want to take it as a practice rep and miss it. You want to make that kick and then translate it right over into your next rep."

Twice in one game is a bit strange. Walsh couldn't remember being iced twice in one game and could recall one other time he's been iced while with the Vikings. Of course, Walsh is a very confident kicker. He doesn't seem bothered by the situations.

The gamesmanship, as Walsh called it, has become widely used around the league. More often than not, the tactic seems to delay the inevitable. Walsh doesn't believe in icing kickers.

"If I were a coach, I'd probably just let him do it," Walsh said. "I'd probably just let him go because getting two shots at one kick, you're much better off making the second one than you are the first one."

Walsh missed from 56 yards Sunday, which would have tied his career-high. But Minnesota trusts its kicker with nearly any attempt inside of 60 yards.

"He's really a terrific kicker," head coach Mike Zimmer said. "He does a lot of really, really good things. Obviously, he's a great field-goal kicker but he helps us with field position by kicking the ball out. He can do a lot of things with the football. I have a lot of confidence in him."

Walsh has worked to inspire the confidence from his new coach.

An up-and-down second season, which included a troubling hamstring injury, made Walsh rededicate himself in the offseason. He wanted to be more flexible in his hips. He did more running and watched what he ate.

Walsh lost weight and said he's stronger. His 5-foot-10 frame is as chiseled as his muscular teammates.

"I just was like, 'You know what? I want to be in better shape. I want to be able to go out there and be confident that I can blast the ball through the end zone whenever I need to and make those deep kicks,'" Walsh said. "I sort of struggled with the deep kicks at the end of last year because, you know, I had the hamstring injury, wasn't able to get the strength that I needed to get back, and I felt like it all could have been avoided if I was in better shape."

Walsh is tied for second among all NFL kickers with three field goals of 50 yards or longer. He's 3 of 4 from the distance this season, while going 16 of 19 (84.2 percent) overall.

The strength is particularly noticeable on kickoffs. Walsh is tied for third in the league with a touchback percentage of 77.1 percent. On 35 kickoffs this year, 27 have resulted in touchbacks.

"My approach to the game this year is better than it was last year," Walsh said. "I'm out there trying to prove to this coaching staff and the players on the team that I can be that reliable guy that they've seen me be before and that's what pushes me each and every day."

Walsh knows he's going to be counted on this season in the fourth-quarter, just as he was Sunday. Like the coaches, his teammates trust his approach and his leg, to the point Walsh might have earned a nickname on Sunday.

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Everson Griffen called Walsh "Ice Man" in a celebratory postgame locker room. Walsh wasn't sure about the nickname.

"I didn't say I don't like it," Walsh said. "I just don't know where it came from. I'll take it. Any nickname is good, so I'll take it."

Follow Brian Hall on Twitter

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League