The Indianapolis Colts have less than a week until cutdown day, and their kicking competition is still neck-and-neck between Blake Grupe and Spencer Shrader. It’s an absolute grind for a roster spot, and special teams coordinator Brian Mason admits he feels pretty good about both guys. “I don’t think we could really go wrong,” Mason said, “I think we have two really good kickers that are talented that can get the job done for us, and I think whichever one we go with is going to be really, really good for us.”
Game Vs. Practice: A Tale of Two Kickers
Here’s the rub: Grupe’s apparently been a beast in training camp practices. He’s been the more consistent one on the field. But when the lights come on for preseason games, it’s Shrader who steps up big. He drilled a monster 61-yard field goal against the Patriots, which is just insane. Then he backed that up with a 48-yarder and a 53-yarder against the Falcons. Those are some serious kicks under pressure, man! Shrader definitely shows up when it counts in live action.
The Pressure Is On After a Costly Miss
Meanwhile, Grupe had a rough outing against the Falcons, missing a 36-yard field goal. That’s a gimme, folks, and that’s exactly the kind of kick that can cost you a job in the NFL. Mason himself said that kicks under game conditions are what matter most. The Colts are gonna throw both kickers into some high-pressure situations in practice this week before the preseason finale, just to see how they handle it. Mason’s still talking them up, saying, “We have two really good kickers. We’re not going to judge somebody on one day or judge somebody in the first.”
But you gotta wonder, can they really ignore Shrader’s big game kicks and Grupe’s big miss? This competition is going down to the wire. The Colts need to pick their guy before the regular season kicks off, and it feels like Shrader might have the edge heading into that final week of practice and the preseason finale.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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