According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Indianapolis Colts are releasing kicker Blake Grupe, as returning kicker Spencer Shrader has won their kicking job after a strong preseason showing, especially from long distance:
While Grupe, who kicked in relief
of Shrader last season after his season-ending injury, was close to automatic in training camp, he surprisingly struggled during the preseason.
Specifically, Grupe missed a 61-yard attempt wide right against the Patriots in Preseason week 1, a 36-yard field goal attempt wide right against the Falcons (Week 2), and while he was a perfect 2 for 2 against the Lions (Week 3), his 46-yard attempt was only good after doinking off the upright and barely breaking the field goal cross bar.
Meanwhile, Shrader really turned it on when the preseason lights came on, going 2 for 2 against the Patriots in Week 1 of preseason (including makes of 46 and 61 yards), versus the Falcons (featuring makes of 48 yards and 53 yards), and most recently, the Lions respectively (converted from 60 yards).
Looking at both kickers in training camp even up close, Shrader comes in at 6,2”, 201 pounds compared to Blake Grupe’s 5,‘7”, 156 pounds, and while size clearly isn’t everything for a kicker, it appears as though he may have the bigger leg as of late, and it may have just taken him some additional time to come back from the season-ending tears of his ACL and MCL after showing some initial rust in training camp.
One thing to note too that I would be curious about, and which was never revealed publicly but I’m sure the Colts were tracking is which kicker’s ball was traveling with the most velocity, RPMS, or whatever you want to call it. I would think you would want a kicker who drives the ball on his kicks, so it’s not susceptible to being as impacted by the weather elements—as the Colts only play half their games indoors.
Having watched a lot of Colts football, there was a clear difference in say, Adam Vinatieri’s field goal kicks than Rodrigo Blankenship’s for instance, the latter’s whose kicked football tended to float and hang up in the air, but again, that’s just my opinion.
At any rate, congratulations to Shrader for working his way back from a tough injury suffered early last season when he was having such a promising kicking campaign and showing perseverance to win the Colts’ job again.
