Saints kicker Blake Grupe had a chance to put the finishing touches on a win when he was called on to try a 47-yard field goal with just over two minutes left to play against the Bears on Sunday.
Grupe’s kick would have put the Saints up by 10 points, but he missed and the game remained in doubt until Demario Davis forced a fumble on a sack of Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent. It’s the fifth missed field goal of the season for the rookie kicker, but those misfires aren’t causing the team to rethink its approach at the position.
Saints head coach Dennis Allen said on Monday that he’s “seen some really good kickers that have had some inconsistencies as a rookie” before going on to have success with other teams while explaining why the team has not made any plans to audition possible replacements. Allen did suggest that there won’t be endless chances for Grupe to show the consistency that’s been missing, however.
“This is a grown man’s league,” Allen said in his press conference. “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 is 18-of-23 on field goals and 19-of-19 on extra points.
