Annoying Problem Resurfaces in Vikings Camp
Football is back. Thursday, the Detroit Lions were blown out by the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game. The Vikings, meanwhile, continue their preparation for the season that will kick off in September with a road game in Chicago.
Annoying Problem Resurfaces in Vikings Camp
In training camp, the purple squad has seen some players shine and others disappoint. Among the first group is certainly Jeff Okudah, who is seemingly the favorite to be the CB3 in Brian Flores’ unit. Cornerback remains a concern for Vikings fans.
One annual concern, meanwhile, has made a return, which also indicates football’s return. The kicking game has been cursed in the Twin Cities for a long time, and once again, the top kicker is struggling. Will Reichard, a sophomore with an up-and-down rookie season, looks more like his post-injury self from a year ago rather than the lethal pre-injury version.
Craig Peters of Vikings.com wrote in his camp observations last Saturday: “The Vikings closed practice with the first field goals of camp. Will Reichard was good from 33 yards (the same distance as an extra point) to open the session and followed with makes of 41 from the right hash and 45 from the left hash. After a kick from 48 yards on the left hash flew wide left, Reichard responded with makes of 50 and 54 from the right hash to end the period.”
Going five of six with the one miss coming from 48 is not alarming, especially if two other kicks from distance split the uprights.
Yet, he made only five of seven attempts in the next practice session. Will Ragatz of Si.com wrote a couple of days later: “Will Reichard hasn’t been automatic in the first couple days we’ve seen him kick. He hit the left upright from 53 yards out in the situational period, then later missed wide right from 46. I believe Reichard was 5 for 7 on the day, including makes from 48 and 50 yards.”
Hitting 10 of 13 field goals results in a 76.9% rate, which would be among the worst in the league. Granted, 13 kicks are a tiny sample size.
In his rookie season, Reichard started like a flamethrower, literally knocking down every kick Kevin O’Connell allowed him to attempt. In his first seven games at the pro level, Reichard hit all 14 field goals and all 20 extra points. He was flawless, including four hits from 50 or more.
Well, his trajectory changed in the win over the Indianapolis Colts. A right quad injury led to his inaccuracies in that game. While he hit all three extra points, he missed a pair of field goals and was clearly not comfortable with his leg, grimacing through each kick.
In the following four weeks, as Reichard was stashed on IR to recover, it was the Parker Romo show, who saved the Vikings a couple of times. Once Reichard was perceived as healthy, he was back in the lineup, and Romo was sent packing.
Special teams coordinator Matt Daniels blamed too much kicking for the injury: “Me as a coach, really having a rookie kicker last year,” Daniels said last month, “a guy who played into the [college] playoffs, went to the Senior Bowl, went to The Combine, and then he had a Pro Day. You really looked at, I mean this guy basically played eleven straight months of football without a break. Obviously, he ended up having the quad injury that took place, right around the middle of the season, and that was probably due to over-kicking. Overexertion, really.”
Reichard couldn’t regain the brilliance from the first half of the season, as he missed four of his 14 field goal attempts. At least, he nailed all 15 extra points. Just as bad as a missed field goal were the kickoffs he inexplicably shanked, gifting the opposing team elite field position.
At this point, it’s way too early to write the young kicker off. However, if he continues to be unreliable in training camp conditions, it would be an alarming sign, especially with the familiarity in the kicking operation. All three of snapper Andrew DePaola, holder Ryan Wright, and kicker Reichard worked together last season. The Vikings don’t employ any other kicker at this point.
Of course, Reichard could bounce back and return to his flawless self, but Vikings fans just can’t trust their kickers.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
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