Can Will Reichard Start Perfectly?
Plenty of things are of interest for the Minnesota Vikings during Week 1 of the preseason. Of course, the quarterback situation will certainly top them all. What Will Reichard can do shouldn’t be far down the list.
Can Will Reichard Start Perfectly?
The Minnesota Vikings told John Parker Romo that he would come in and compete for a kicking job. Then they drafted Will Reichard and jettisoned him before a competition could even take place. Of course, that is largely a byproduct of what they saw from the pair, but there was never going to be a situation in which the drafted commodity wasn’t going to win the job.
We have seen this situation before, though, and it went horribly. Daniel Carlson was a fifth-round pick back in 2018. Mike Zimmer got sick of his performance so quickly that he sent the Auburn product packing, and that was the end of his tenure in Minnesota. Carlson will be in attendance on Saturday, this time as one of the best in the league, as a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.
There certainly could be growing pains for Reichard with the Vikings. He comes to the NFL from Alabama and is among the most decorated players ever to don a college uniform. However, he is known more for accuracy than big leg, and the pressure is truly on for the first time.
Minnesota has seen substantially too many failed kickers since Gary Anderson’s unfortunate miss. That has the fanbase constantly scrutinizing the position. It would be great for those in attendance to see Reichard bang a few home, and starting perfectly would definitely allow him something to build on throughout the preseason.
Beyond just kicking between the uprights, we will also see how Reichard handles the new kickoff rules. They are new to the NFL and to anyone joining from the collegiate ranks. The kickoff changes should make the play safer and more exciting. That doesn’t mean the strategy won’t be something of a work in progress.
As players look to settle in during exhibition games, there is nothing practice about missing kicks. Reichard can put himself in a good spot by nailing everything early, and he will be under a microscope each time he steps on the field.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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