One of the stories of the offseason for the New Orleans Saints was Blake Grupe beating out Wil Lutz in a kicker competition, but the latest chapter hasn't been quite as pleasant to watch.
After making all of his kicks other than a 60-yarder in the preseason, Grupe started his rookie season by making his first six kicks as a pro. It was Week 3 where things began to turn with a missed go-ahead kick in the final minutes against the Packers. Things evened out until a disastrous day in Houston when he missed from 52 and 29. There was another miss from 52 against Jacksonville and a PAT off the upright. This past week it was a miss from 47 in the 4th quarter that would've effectively iced the game.
Grupe is now 7-for-11 since Week 6 and the question is being asked: Are kicker tryouts on the agenda, or is the rookie going to be allowed to ride through any struggles?
Dennis Allen said on Monday that nothing was planned in that regard, but he also made something clear.
"This is a grown man’s league, you know what I mean? And so, we’re not worried about anybody’s feelings right now," Allen said. "Look, Blake’s got a job to do. He’s got to kick it through the posts and he understands that."
Oddly, the struggles began cropping up following a Week 5 win in New England where the rookie hit twice from 50-plus and was named the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week.
The miss against the Bears didn't cost the Saints in the end, with the defense holding up. Grupe also nailed a kick from 55 yards out in the game and has shown capable amid some inconsistency. He's 18 of 23 on the year, and 19 of 19 on extra point tries. He's had one miss within 30, two misses from 40-49 and two misses from 50-59. By comparison, Lutz is 13 of 15 on the year, and 15 of 16 on PATs. Lutz has also had a miss from 50-plus and other from 30-39.
One thing the head coach also pointed to was the whole operation from snap to hold to kick as a factor. It's not always just about the kicker. It's also important to have some perspective. The Saints know full well what it's like trying the kicker off the street strategy, having rotated between Aldrick Rosas, Brett Maher, Cody Parkey and Brian Johnson in the 2021 season with Lutz down with injury. Different doesn't always mean better.
Allen also pointed to the history of young kickers struggling and being let go, only to latch on and have success at another stop. Nothing has been ruled out, but the Saints are maintaining their confidence in the rookie kicker with a trip to Minnesota on deck, then a bye week before a pivotal divisional clash against the Falcons. Nothing is planned, but nothing is ruled out, either.
"We have confidence in Blake ... but yet, I think you have to evaluate those things," Allen said. "You have to pay attention to it.”
