Thanks
Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship kicked two kickoffs out-of-bounds in Week 1 against the Texans, allowing them to start at the 40-yard line, and missed a 42-yard, game-winning field goal in overtime in what would eventually become a 20-20 tie.
That was enough for the Colts, who cut him today.
Not sure how I feel about that. Certainly that’s a truly atrocious outing in a dome for a kicker and it played a role a bad outcome against a supposedly inferior team, but changing kickers in week one feels like an overreaction. Plenty of teams have cut bait on a kicker only to spend the rest of the season rotating through a bunch of bad kickers all season long.
I remember when Stephen Hauschka, who was the Seahawks kicker for many years (and had a SB ring) was cut after 2016, when he had a down season. I mean, the year before he was in the Pro Bowl.
He went to Buffalo and did a spectacular job, and was their kicker for a few years. Meanwhile, Seattle signed Blair Walsh who was a complete disaster, and they lost a number of close games from his inaccuracy. Even really good kickers have struggles now and then.
I don’t think he was doing that great last year either before he got hurt, only 85% on field goals.
Broncos Coach Hackett agrees with all of us expert coaches on the Dope:
Reminds me of Jay Feely who you may well remember as the Giants kicker who shanked all those kicks in Seattle back in the day. Feely was really good, but I don’t think he survived long on the team after that game. It was so bad they did an SNL skit about it when Dane Cook was hosting.
Feely is now a sideline reporter and I kind of like him in that role. I always liked him as the Giants kicker, but even I was like “hmmm…” after that Seattle game.
ETA: I don’t really remember this skit as being particularly good, but it is online:
I just remember this coming out when Blair Walsh signed with Seattle. Some joker claimed this was the contract he signed.
To keep it in context, the year before Seattle beat Minnesota in the infamous 2016 “ice bowl” NFC playoff game (it was -6 degrees and -25 with the wind chill), where Walsh (as the Vikings’ kicker) missed a 27 yard field goal that would have won the game, where the ball went wide left. You just have to see it to appreciate it.
And some live Vikings fan reactions at the game as it happened.
But anyway, I supposed using the principle “you break it, you buy it”, Seattle signs the same kicker whose disastrous kick gave them a playoff win to their own team. Maybe they thought they could “fix” him but no, he sucked in Seattle too.
Eh. My expectations are so low that this feels like a huge victory. Also, I’m going to their game with the Packers on 10/23, and I’d like them to have a winning record (or at least non-losing)…so, it’s a start?
That skit is from 2005, goddam Kenan’s been on the show forever. . .