Thoughts on Disappointing Seasons & Blair Walsh

[Muqali]

You can be positive or negative about it and not be wrong either way, but being negative is less rational, less productive and less fun.

Every season can be thought to be a disappointment if you don't win the Superbowl. Superbowl is the goal right? In that regard, 31 of 32 teams each year have disappointing seasons. In many ways, the 2007 Patriots going 18-0 and then losing the Superbowl is more disappointing than the 2008 Lions going 0-16. Know that each year is almost certain disappointment.

Blair Walsh is one of the best kickers in the league. He is young. His forte is distance and we all know it. He missed 4 extra points during the regular season. Anyone who watched the Vikings season knew it wasn't going to be 100%, maybe 95%. Flukes happen every game. I watched it with my family and we all made comments before the kick. We knew a miss was possible. Blair Walsh is not what I would call a clutch at this point in his career. We have no clutch players on offense. Certainly not AD. Rudolph's season was statistically not a very good one but he is probably our most clutch player on offense. We do not need a team where everyone is clutch as the majority of the game is won by outright talent. Every team should have a clutch player or 2, but clutch players won't have opportunities to seize the game if you discard your talented players that aren't clutch. Teddy has been called the GUMP. He doesn't appear to be playing that much better under pressure, but doesn't seem phased by it. Most players play much worse under pressure, especially young QBs. As a 2nd year QB, that should be a very good sign for the future. I am hopeful (not certain) that once he is comfortable in the pro environment we will come to know him by that name.

There is no position in football that has a bigger mental game to it than being a Kicker. Coaches know this which is why they think icing the kicker is a good strategy. (It's not a good strategy though because having that first practice kick out on the big open field helps to release mental pressure and visualize the success of their second kick.) Being a kicker with some kind of performance anxiety must suck. Blair knows of the Anderson miss and certainly inherited some pressure. It would be far better to acknowledge it was a #### kick and that Blair shares much of the blame for the loss, even considering that he scored every point for the Vikings today, after that, move on. That is what Zimmer appears to have done. He didn't sugar coat it, but he also didn't blow it out of proportion. He just said what it was. He should have made that kick. It seems Blair and the other players have that attitude as well.

I would love for Blair Walsh to have the opportunity to kick a game winner in the post-season for the Vikings next year. Making that kick would give a perfect example for all future Vikings kickers. I don't believe in football curses in the form of magic, but the mental game is real. The best way to improve Walsh's mental toughness is to support him without putting too much weight on it. From what I've heard from them today the team will. The fans should too.

The Vikings have been a very successful franchise overall. Out of 32 teams we are 10th in overall win rate. There will have been 50 Superbowls so far after this year. Evenly distributed the average team should have about 1.56 Superbowl victories and 3.125 conference championships. If you exclude the 6 teams with 4 or more the average of Superbowl victories drops to 0.8. The Vikings have more than their fair share of conference championships and are only 1 Superbowl away from wiping away 50 years of "disappointment". The Vikings have been the Dan Marino of football teams. Lucky for us, fans don't have to retire until we're dead.

Skol Vikes

[DK Sweets]

[PurpleMustReign]

Good post.
Not to get overly emotional, but one of the reasons that this loss is hard for me is because I know that it is a virtual certainty that i will have to put my oldest dog down before next season, and that is going to be very hard for me. I knew the chance was remote, but i wanted the Vikings to win tye Super Bowl this season because i know getting to next season won't be easy for me.
But, this season was (mostly) very fun and very exciting. Remember San Francisco? I barely remember that game. Mike Zimmer is agod right now, and if Spielman wanted to give him an extension, i wouls be ok with it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

[VikingLord]

As far as the season goes, I'd characterize it more as a disappointing end to a pleasantly surprising season. I didn't expect the team to finish at .500, much less 11-5 as NFC North champs, especially considering the injuries to the offensive line before the season started and the injuries suffered by the defense through a big chunk of the hardest part of the season late. Heck, even in the loss today the Vikes surprised me with how tenacious they were. I didn't think the Seahawks would blow them out like earlier in the season, but I expected the Seahawks to largely control the game. But the Vikings were the better team for the vast majority of the game, and Walsh was a big reason why.

[fiestavike]

Good post.
Not to get overly emotional, but one of the reasons that this loss is hard for me is because I know that it is a virtual certainty that i will have to put my oldest dog down before next season, and that is going to be very hard for me. I knew the chance was remote, but i wanted the Vikings to win tye Super Bowl this season because i know getting to next season won't be easy for me.
But, this season was (mostly) very fun and very exciting. Remember San Francisco? I barely remember that game. Mike Zimmer is agod right now, and if Spielman wanted to give him an extension, i wouls be ok with it.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Its an interesting thing how cathartic sports can be. We get to invest so much emotion into something that isn't all that important in the end, and in the end we usually discover that all that passion is really stemming from something else. I remember having an epic fit after the cardinals knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs several years ago. Once I calmed down, I was so intensely sad about my Grandfather who had passed that year. I hadn't really dealt with his death, I had been busy, had lots of obligations, couldn't mourn, and boy had I just directed all of that passion and love and sadness into a football game. Once I collected my senses, I mourned my grandfather.

Sounds weird I suppose, but I think what's going on in our lives drives our responses to sporting events.

[PurpleKoolaid]

He missed a chip shot that would have kept us in the playoffs. No wind, snow, rain, pressure, bad snap, etc. He choked and missed. And I cant stand him right now, and want him gone from the team. As I fan I have a right to say that and think that. And if I no longer trust him (I havent for 2 years really) I would management would feel the same. Some guy who blows the game for you, cant be trusted in key situations. AD is the same mold. Chokes in big games, hes very careless.

Same with Loche. Dont think he was a good holder. I also think he is a crap punter. The front office right there has a lot of work to do just on ST imo.

We dont have to say we forgive and forget. We just have to move on.

And please, no good fan-bad fan stuff. Its going to take me a while to get over this one because we couldnt make a chipshot in the last seconds. I wish I was man enough to say I have nothing but good feelings for Walsh.

[English_Viking]

After having the chance to sleep on yesterdays result (I live in England) I must admit I woke with a great sense of pride. Before the game did I think we would win - no. Thats not to say I didnt want us to win, however felt the Seahawks were a far better team even without Lynch. I felt most upset after the match as we had the chance to win. Had we lost by a larger margin it probably wouldnt have affected me so much.

However now the result is over I feel we can look back at 2015 as a positive year. The emergence of our rookies was phenomenal, our defence was excellent and the togetherness of the team is evident. Yes Teddy needs to improve his mechanics, yes we should rely less on Peterson, but I think we can look to 2016 as a big year for us. Heres to 2016 and the Legion of Zimmer!!

[Just Me]

I honestly "feel badly" for Walsh. He will be the focus of some pretty bad feelings for sometime to come and as a 'human being' I wish he didn't have to go through that.

But.......

From a 'clinical' personnel evaluation perspective, here is an article to review.

By the way, Walsh is 2-for-5 lifetime when kicking for the lead with less than a minute left. That’s the worst in the NFL over that span.

If it's any consolation ( ) the Vikings hold the #1 spot (Anderson miss) and the #3 spot (Walsh) for the 'worst choke.'

I'd actually argue that the Anderson miss was less of an issue (the Vikes were still up by 7 when Anderson missed his first FG of the season!) but honestly, I'm tired of the argument. Didn't expect to win the division. Expected them to be one-and-done if they made the playoffs, but I thought they might just win this game. <Sigh> Wish I could act surprised...

[Muqali]

He missed a chip shot that would have kept us in the playoffs. No wind, snow, rain, pressure, bad snap, etc. He choked and missed. And I cant stand him right now, and want him gone from the team. As I fan I have a right to say that and think that. And if I no longer trust him (I havent for 2 years really) I would management would feel the same. Some guy who blows the game for you, cant be trusted in key situations. AD is the same mold. Chokes in big games, hes very careless.

Same with Loche. Dont think he was a good holder. I also think he is a crap punter. The front office right there has a lot of work to do just on ST imo.

We don't have to say we forgive and forget. We just have to move on.

And please, no good fan-bad fan stuff. Its going to take me a while to get over this one because we couldnt make a chipshot in the last seconds. I wish I was man enough to say I have nothing but good feelings for Walsh.

A real fan is a fan who wants his team to win and is emotionally invested in the team. You are a real fan. It makes you angry when bad **** happens. My first words within 1 second of the kick were a very quick and deadpan, "Fire him. Fire him now." It wasn't personal toward him, but it was how I felt in the moment. Doing so, however, would be a Total Browns Move.

I've read comments today in various places from fans saying stuff like: "We need to fire Walsh." "We need to draft another QB just in case Bridgewater is not the one." "Fire Norv. He is so predictable." I just have to ask these people... WWTBD? Turnover is often very damaging, especially in this case considering Walsh's relationship with the team. The missing variables needed to make the Vikings a superbowl caliber team have shrunk a lot, let's assess those variables instead of creating more.

Everyone has moments of doubt. Anyone who wants to achieve greatness at anything has to learn how to keep doubt in check. You also have to embrace failure, and learn from it. There's no way you get to be a Walsh caliber at kicking without understanding this. You might say, "Learn what? How to kick a 27 yard field goal?" Not that, Walsh knows how to kick a 27 yard field goal. He took the first step by owning up to what happened. His availability and the way he communicated it was inspirational. If the rest of the Vikings can reciprocate that type of honesty within the organization it can do wonders for choking issues not just for Walsh, but for the whole team.

The 2009 season was largely successful because of the way everyone wanted to play for Favre. Everyone played with heart, even ****ing Percy Harvin. They wanted to get him that Superbowl. It removes doubt when you are not playing for just yourself. The culture Zimmer is creating is building that type of fervor. I can totally see the team trying harder and more confidently to score touchdowns to remove some weight from Walsh's shoulders.

Burleson said it perfectly well at the end of that quote. You can take this opportunity to build instead of destroy. Really building, not rebuilding.

It's a perfect time to not overreact too. The Vikings new stadium should return homefield advantage to something normal and hopefully better. I would expect the fan turnout to be better. I'm tired of seeing half of the stadium in yellow & green when the packers visit. I'll be flying out to a few.

[PurpleMustReign]

Right now i am in the "angry at Walsh" camp. If it was a 50 yard fg... Or if it was blocked... It would feel way different. I feel bad for him, but dammit... You had one job. They had a great season, but many said it before: Walsh will miss a key kick in the postseason. It sucks. And, of course, the Packers had to win their game. Any joy i had of winning the division is now gone, for me, because the Packers advanced further than the Vikings.
But as my signature says... Purple Pride is forever...

Cold is temporary. Purple Pride is forever.

[Muqali]

From a 'clinical' personnel evaluation perspective, here is an article to review.

Not sure where the 2-5 kicking for the lead for less than a minute left stat comes from. I looked at the end of every game that ended by a difference of 3 or less since beginning of 2012 and these are the games I found that were decided by a final Walsh kick:

---------2012---------
W vs JAX - 38 yards
W vs GB - 46 yards
---------2013---------
T vs GB - 35 yards
W vs CHI - 34 yards
L vs DET - Blocked 26 yards, Missed 68 yards
---------2014--------- (None)
---------2015---------
W vs CHI - 36 yards
W vs STL - 40 yards

So, not including today Walsh was 6-1, and the miss was a 68 yarder. Don't know if any other teams would have even attempted it. If I missed any let me know. If he missed his first 46 yarder to beat GB we would have missed the playoffs on that kick alone. We in essence had our last postseason caliber victory on Walsh's leg, the only in 5 years. 46 yards isn't trivial either. Walsh has really only choked once, and that was yesterday. On a side note, Walsh's points were 47% of our total offense this year. Every other kicker in the NFC playoffs scored 33% or less of their offense. You can either take that as a knock on our offense or a good thing for Walsh. It's likely something in between. Knowing that makes it make even less sense to lynch the guy on a day where he's the only player to score.

Sometimes I wonder why anyone would be a kicker. Since the odds are in favor of what they do, they get disproportionately low credit/blame ratio. Walsh even said, "That's the life of a kicker." Indicating he is humbly ok with it. It's like landing AA in poker, you don't realize you are still a little lucky every time you win with them. In some people's minds they are just "supposed to" win. A loss is simply unacceptable. That isn't reality, and people who can't do the correct calculus go broke when you tilt. No reason to tilt our very bright future.

The fact that people predicted he would miss an important field goal means zero. The volume of football predictions made online every day covers every possible outcome. If you had predicted he would go 3 of 4 on the day would have been a correct prediction and not that bold. It wouldn't have been that upsetting either without additional details.

Also, I don't feel bad for Walsh. Pity is worthless. Anyone who wants it is pathetic, so why give it? Understand his position and the reality of where the Vikings stand in the NFL but don't feel bad for him. We all got screwed.

[autobon7]

Am I pi$$ed that Walsh missed? Sure I am. More situational.....pi$$ed at what happened and less at him. Many things happened through the game that the Viks should have done better. Locke could have done better at turning the laces.....Walsh prolly starred them down. As we know all season we settled for FGs in the red zone as opposed to TDs and this game was NO different. AP fumbles yet again. How many folks on here commented all season about run, run, 3rd and long all season? I will state once again that in my eyes Norv is holding back our offense (along with a leaky OL). Was there anyone besides me that felt we could have used Charles Johnson yesterday in the red zone? Just one TD would have prolly made the difference. Good season but disappointing end. At least we didn't throw away the game like those knuckleheads in Cincy.

[J. Kapp 11]

He missed a chip shot that would have kept us in the playoffs. No wind, snow, rain, pressure, bad snap, etc. He choked and missed. And I cant stand him right now, and want him gone from the team. As I fan I have a right to say that and think that. And if I no longer trust him (I havent for 2 years really) I would management would feel the same. Some guy who blows the game for you, cant be trusted in key situations. AD is the same mold. Chokes in big games, hes very careless.

Same with Loche. Dont think he was a good holder. I also think he is a crap punter. The front office right there has a lot of work to do just on ST imo.

We dont have to say we forgive and forget. We just have to move on.

And please, no good fan-bad fan stuff. Its going to take me a while to get over this one because we couldnt make a chipshot in the last seconds. I wish I was man enough to say I have nothing but good feelings for Walsh.

Yes, you have every right to feel the way you do.

However, no fan has the right to threaten Blair Walsh, which has been reported. I am NOT saying you've done this. But it has happened, and that is sad. It gives fans of an organization a bad name. I still remember the referee getting nailed with a whiskey bottle after the Staubach-to-Pearson Hail Mary back in '75. We looked SO BAD after that.

And let me ask you this ... are you going to support Blair Walsh going forward, assuming he remains with the team? If you go to a game, are you going to boo him the minute he walks on the field? Is there anything the guy can do to earn your trust again?

No good-fan, bad-fan accusations here. I don't even expect you to answer in this forum. They're rhetorical questions that every fan must ask of himself or herself.

[soflavike]

As the pain of the missed FG fades a bit, I think we all need to reflect on what was a pretty darned good season.

Before the season started, I decided that the Vikings goal should be to earn a playoff spot and challenge for the NFC North title. Mission accomplished. An 11-5 record is nothing to sneeze at, especially for a young team with obvious holes in the roster. Zimmer and his crew (yes, that includes Norv Turner), have done a fantastic job with this young squad. Even with key injuries, they have put a highly competitive team on the field. This is a team that came within a whisker of beating Arizona and Seattle, and a team that beat Green Bay at Lambeau with the Division title on the line. I think the defense and the special teams are top-notch... the offense needs some work.

As for Blair Walsh, upon reflection, I don't think he should be fired for missing this particular FG, but I do think the Vikings need to bring some kickers into camp (and some punters, too). Walsh missed too many short kicks this season to be given a pass. He needs to earn his job. A strong leg is not enough. We need a consistent kicker.

So, it was a good season... about as good as could have been expected at this stage in the team's development. Next year, with a few key roster moves, this team can be a real contender for a Super Bowl run.

[Texas Vike]

Its an interesting thing how cathartic sports can be. We get to invest so much emotion into something that isn't all that important in the end, and in the end we usually discover that all that passion is really stemming from something else. I remember having an epic fit after the cardinals knocked the Vikings out of the playoffs several years ago. Once I calmed down, I was so intensely sad about my Grandfather who had passed that year. I hadn't really dealt with his death, I had been busy, had lots of obligations, couldn't mourn, and boy had I just directed all of that passion and love and sadness into a football game. Once I collected my senses, I mourned my grandfather.

Sounds weird I suppose, but I think what's going on in our lives drives our responses to sporting events.

Great observations.