With rookie kicker Blake Grupe continuing to struggle, some pundits have wondered if the Saints could make a change at the position. However, coach Dennis Allen gave his kicker a vote of confidence this week.
Per Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com, Allen explained to reporters that he’s seen plenty of rookie kickers struggle before ultimately figuring it out. The coach also noted that the Saints haven’t auditioned potential replacements.
Of course, the Saints aren’t necessarily willing to tolerate Grupe’s growing pains for the rest of the 2023 campaign. While the team is giving the rookie time to break out of his slump, they’re also not going to give the player endless opportunities to do so.
“This is a grown man’s league,” Allen said. “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. It’s the whole operation. There’s a lot of things that go into it. . . . We’ve got confidence in Blake, but yet you have to evaluate those things. You have to pay attention to it.”
Grupe got off to a hot start, connecting on 11 of his first 12 field goal attempts in the NFL. However, he’s taken a step back over the past month, converting only seven of his 11 attempts over his last four games. Only two of those four misses came from beyond the 50-yard line.
Of course, there’s plenty of reason to stick with the rookie. He clearly doesn’t have the yips, as Grupe has connected on all 19 of his extra-point tries. Further, despite going undrafted in this year’s draft, he had a productive college career, connecting on 78 field goals across five seasons with Arkansas State and Notre Dame. The rookie won a kicking competition during the preseason over veteran Wil Lutz, who spent the previous seven seasons as New Orleans’ kicker.
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