Seahawks sign former Vikings kicker Blair Walsh
Blair Walsh
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The Seattle Seahawks have signed former Minnesota Vikings kicker Blair Walsh to compete with Steven Hauschka. Last season, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Hauschka “had gotten into a little stink with kicking the extra points," with 6 extra points missed or blocked during the 2016 season.
Hauschka has the third-best field goal percentage in NFL history (87.2 percent) and has 4 straight seasons with at least 29 field goals made.
The Vikings cut Walsh on Nov. 15 after he missed his fourth extra point attempt of the season in the Vikings’ 26-20 loss at Washington. Kai Forbath was signed as Walsh's replacement with the Vikings.
Hauschka has the third-best field goal percentage in NFL history (87.2 percent) and has 4 straight seasons with at least 29 field goals made.
Sports therapist Hans Skulstad told Fox 9 when a professional athlete’s performance gets off track, the feeling side of their brain takes over and their body responds emotionally to past mistakes instead of the task at hand.
“What’s going through their mind, whether it’s a conscious process or not, is 'don’t screw up.' That’s like don’t look at the chair. You look at the chair,” Skulstad said.
Blair Walsh's Vikings career
A 6th round NFL Draft pick out of Georgia in 2012, Walsh had made 12 of 16 field goals in 2016 and was 15 of 19 on extra points. Walsh made 133 of 158 (84.2 percent) of his field goals during his Vikings career with a career-long of 56 yards.
The infamous miss
Walsh's 27-yard field goal attempt in the 2015 playoffs sailed wide left with 22 seconds remaining, sending the Seattle Seahawks to the NFC Championship game with a 10-9 win. Walsh shouldered the blame for the loss, but was showered with notes of consolation and encouragement from former Vikings players and elementary school students.