Dennis Allen’s decision to go with a rookie kicker might come back to haunt him. Blake Grupe has hit a tough patch for the New Orleans Saints — the first-year pro leads the NFL in field goal tries (23) going into Week 10, but he ranks third in missed kicks (5) around the league. He’s had misfires from distances of 52, 51, 47, 46, and 29 yards.
And Allen isn’t ready to consider an alternative. He acknowledged Grupe’s struggles on Monday but downplayed the need to bring in free agent kickers for tryouts, saying: “That’s not our plan as of right now. Typically we’ll discuss all those things (Monday) afternoon.” Players are away from the facility on Tuesdays during a typical week, which is when free agents often work out in front of coaches.
When asked whether this was about protecting Grupe’s confidence, Allen replied, “This is a grown man’s league. We’re not worried about anybody’s feelings right now. Blake’s got a job to do, he’s got to kick it through the posts, and he understands that.” Allen pointed to the other factors at play on a field goal try like the snap and hold and protection that could impact the success of a kick.
He added that he’s seen other teams bail on inexperienced kickers only for the players to land elsewhere, figure some things out, and make long careers for themselves. Allen made the choice to go with Grupe rather than an experienced veteran in Wil Lutz (who, by the way, is 13-of-15 on field goals through eight games in Denver, with misses from 55 and 38 yards), and he’s going to stick with his chosen kicker.
“We’ve got confidence in Blake, but yet you have to evaluate those things. You have to pay attention to it,” Allen finished. We’ll see if the rookie can rebound this Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings and go into the bye week with some momentum. Another down performance could lead to changes during the break, but as Allen said, that isn’t currently in the plans.
