Tag: Blake Grupe

Updated Saints injury report adds yet another DNP on the offensive line

The updated Saints injury report added yet another DNP on the offensive line. They’re going to have a tough time against the Chiefs if these injuries persist:

The New Orleans Saints’ Friday injury report only made matters worse for the already banged up offensive line, as guard/center Lucas Patrick (groin) was added to the list of non-participants today. The potential loss of Patrick for Monday nights’ game in Kansas City, would likely mean that the entirety of the interior starters would be out next week. Already down Erik McCoy (hernia) and likely down Cesar Ruiz (knee) and Shane Lemieux (ankle), it could be an incredibly scary sight going up against All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones in this game. Klint Kubiak and the offensive staff will almost definitely have to pull some tricks out of the hat to cover these blows.

Some other notables were that kicker Blake Grupe (right hip) was back in the lineup after not practicing Thursday as well as tight end Juwan Johnson (forearm) and running back Kendre Miller (hamstring) who were back as full participants after being limited. Tackle Taliese Fuaga (back) added knee to his back injury but was still limited once again. The other notable was that receiver A.T. Perry disappeared from the list, who we found was waived earlier today by the team.

Other than that, it was more of the same with a handful of guys status in doubt. Willie Gay (hand), Taysom Hill (rib) and Payton Turner (knee) were the other non-participants on Friday. It doesn’t look like Willie Gay will be up this week after checking out his recent Instagram post but Hill and Turner could possibly make their way to active status with an extra rest day this week. Dennis Allen said earlier in the week that Taysom does in fact have broken ribs similar to what running back Alvin Kamara was dealing with last week. This could leave the potential for Hill possibly making an effort to get out there on Monday depending on the severity. Only difference is that Hill did sustain the same injury on the opposite side of his body just two weeks ago. Although there’s a chance it is probably safe for the team to be cautious on Hill as it seems they’re a bit of a different team with him available.

Here is the full list of injuries after Friday’s practice:

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Dennis Allen explains his decisions on critical fourth downs vs. Eagles

Dennis Allen shared his thought process on three critical fourth downs against the Eagles. Whether to punt, attempt a long field goal, or go for it:

The New Orleans Saints only attempted one fourth down conversion on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was an Alvin Kamara run that was stopped short of the line of scrimmage. The other two situations Dennis Allen referenced were punts, and he doesn’t regret any of the three decisions.

What about the other two decisions? Those would have asked Blake Grupe to attempt a career-long field goal. Allen chose to not take the gamble of the Eagles receiving good field position due to a miss.

The first attempt would have been a 58-yard field goal, as the Saints were faced with a 4th-and-8. Allen said he “doesn’t know if that’s the down and distance to we’re looking for to potentially go for it.”

That left punting or kicking the field goal as the only viable options. Allen went with the former because of the flow of the game suggested pinning the Eagles in their own territory was the best bet.

On the next drive, Grupe would have been tasked with a 60-yard field goal  try, which Allen said “You certainly aren’t trying to kick.” He just didn’t see the success as consistent enough to risk giving the Eagles great field position. New Orleans considered going for it because they were only 4 yards from the first down. Ultimately, they chose to punt that one as well.

Allen kept it simple on the decision to go for it on 4th-and-1. He called it a “no brainer.”

Allen sees the two punts as plays that worked out for the team and the attempt as a play he’d do every time. It doesn’t seem like he’d change how he handled the situation, but you have to wonder whether Grupe banging his  first field goal in off the uprights played a part in how he approached this phase of the game on Sunday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Blake Grupe ranks among the best kickers in the NFL with this advanced metric

Blake Grupe ranks among the best kickers in the league in this metric from NFL Next Gen Stats:

https://twitter.com/NextGenStats/status/1836773328520138974

The first few weeks of the NFL season have seen a drastic rise in kicker usage, as the quarterback play across the league has seen a pretty significant drop in total yards. This has allowed kickers to take on larger roles than ever, and their advanced metrics have seen a drastic rise to previous seasons.

According to NFL Next Gen Stats, the league-wide field goal accuracy has increased (by field goal percentage over the expected percentage) from +4.5% in 2023 to +11% this season. While the sample size is small so far for 2024, it has risen from -1.7% in 2019, which is a pretty drastic increase.

New Orleans Saints kicker Blake Grupe ranks among the best in this statistic through Week 2, as he has a +33.0% field goal percentage over expected. This puts him at second in the league, behind only Ka’imi Fairbairn who has been off to a massive start this season. Grupe has missed only one kick this season, a PAT, but otherwise has drilled all five field goal attempts with a long of 57, as well as all of his remaining PAT attempts (10). He leads the league through two weeks in PATs scored and attempts as well.

A +23% over league average for Grupe in this analytic shows he is not only making field goals, but making difficult field goals, which is a great sign given he was put into a competition this offseason with rookie Charlie Smyth, which Grupe ultimately won. We will see how this analytic progresses in coming weeks with a larger sample size to look at.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Keeping Blake Grupe came down to dependability and consistency

Blake Grupe won his battle over Charlie Smyth by affirming Dennis Allen’s beliefs from last year

Dennis Allen has full confidence in Blake Grupe as the Saints starting kicker. Grupe won his competition over International Player Pathways rookie Charlie Smyth. Smyth repeatedly showed off his leg strength with multiple field goals of more than 60 yards in practice and in pregame as well. Allen made it clear that wouldn’t decide the battle, though.

When asked about the decision to keep Grupe over Smyth, Allen gave a strong endorsement of Grupe that extends into the previous season. “I like Blake Grupe. I thought this last year. I think it again this year. When he’s gotten into the games, he’s made the kicks he’s needed to make.”

Allen continues by saying, “I think he’s been consistent in practice. I’ve seen an improved player even from where he was at this point last year. I feel very confident about that.”

Allen described everything you’d want in a kicker, a consistent, dependable player. Grupe will need to deliver on this belief. There were some question marks a year ago, but if he can make the kicks he needs to make then he should wipe away doubt that Allen made the right call.

Matthew Hayball showcased leg talent, consistency to win punter battle

Matthew Hayball defeated Lou Hedley in the Saints’ punter battle. Dennis Allen listed three key factors in that decision:

The New Orleans Saints had the potential of major special teams changes going into this season. Lou Hedley and Blake Grupe were both competing for their jobs after questionable first seasons in the Black and Gold.

New Orleans brought two undrafted free agents. Matthew Hayball was brought in to challenge Hedley at punter and Grupe had to contend with Charlie Smyth at kicker. Grupe held on to his spot, but Hayball looked good enough in Saints training camp for the team to make a change at punter.

Dennis Allen explained the decision as coming down these three factors: age, ability and consistency. “Hayball is younger. I think he’s got a little bit more leg talent. Over the course of the last couple weeks of practice, (Hayball) was a little bit more consistent than Lou.”

Through the preseason, Hayball had a better averages in yards per punt and net yardage, which subtracts return yardage from the punt yardage. Hayball also had a longest punt of the preseason.

Most importantly, Allen called the rookie the more consistent player. Allen still believes Hedley is talented and will be “punting in our league again,” but consistency can’t be understated. If you’re more talented and more reliable, the job is typically yours.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

WATCH: Supercut of Charlie Smyth’s first year of field goal tries

It’s a year to the day since Charlie Smyth kicked his first football. Now he’s booting 65 yards for the Saints. Here’s a look at his progress from his trainer:

It’s been a full calendar year since Charlie Smyth kicked his first American football. Now the New Orleans Saints’ rookie kicker is booting field goals from 65 yards and pushing for a job at training camp. That’s impressive no matter how you slice it.

Here’s a look at Smyth’s progress from his trainer, starting with his first try in Northern Ireland back in Aug. 2023 and running up through his training in South Florida to preseason game-winning field goal against the Arizona Cardinals this preseason.

Can Smyth win the job? Maybe so. But there’s more to kicking in the NFL than hitting long-distance field goals. Saints coach Dennis Allen has said he wants to see more consistency from Smyth at moderate ranges inside 50 yards, where the team is more likely to try field goals anyway, as well as on kickoffs. But Smyth has clearly put in a ton of work. If he can finish strong this preseason he just might push Blake Grupe aside just like he displaced Wil Lutz last summer.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Charlie Smyth’s big field goals are impressive, but won’t decide kicker battle

Charlie Smyth is making field goals from 60-plus yards, but Dennis Allen says that alone won’t decide the Saints kicker competition with Blake Grupe:

It’s difficult not to be impressed when a kicker makes a field goal from beyond 60 yards. New Orleans Saints rookie Charlie Smyth seems to be doing it regularly. But head coach Dennis Allen made it clear that while those kicks are impressive, they won’t be the deciding factor when choosing between Smyth and Blake Grupe.

Smyth knocked in a pair of long kicks prior to the first preseason game, and he added another one from 65 yards at Tuesday’s open practice that had room to spare.

By Allen’s count, Smyth made five-of-six field goals from 60 yards or more on Tuesday. Allen said that “it’s nice to know that you can knock one in from 65” but later went on to say “we’re not going to attempt a lot of 65 yarders.” That’s obviously a risk that teams are only choosing to take in select situations.

Instead, Allen is focusing on kicks inside of 50 yards. These are the tries you’ll see more often. Smyth is improving here as well. Allen is looking for a little more consistency but acknowledged how much better Smyth has gotten: “Where he is now from where he was when he first got here, he’s improved significantly.”

There’s one final test coming up in the final preseason game. Last year Grupe displaced Wil Lutz. Could Smyth push him aside this summer? Earning trust on field goals from a more moderate distance is important, but so is nailing his technique on kickoffs. Smyth has put a couple of kickoffs out of bounds at training camp so we’ll be looking for improvement in that phase, too.

Something to keep in mind? Even if he doesn’t win the job, Smyth can stick with the Saints and continue to develop on their practice squad. They’ve been given an extra spot for him as part of the NFL International Player Pathway program.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Countdown to Kickoff: Blake Grupe is the Saints Player of Day 19

Our countdown to kickoff continues with Blake Grupe. The second-year kicker is the New Orleans Saints Player of Day 19:

We’ve got just 19 days left until the New Orleans Saints open up their 2024 regular season against the Carolina Panthers, which makes our player of the day kicker Blake Grupe, the current owner of the No. 19 jersey. Grupe has found himself in a kicking battle for the second year in a row, hoping to come out on top once again.

Let’s give a little bit of a background on the second-year pro and what we can expect from Grupe in 2024:

  • Name (Age): Blake Grupe (25)
  • Position: Kicker
  • Height, weight: 5-foot-7, 156 pounds
  • Relative Athletic Score: N/A
  • 2024 salary cap hit: $915,833
  • College: Notre Dame
  • Drafted: Undrafted in 2023 (New Orleans Saints)
  • NFL experience: 2nd season

Grupe grew up in Missouri, where he attended Smith-Cotton High School in the city of Sedalia. He was a three-sport athlete in soccer, baseball and football where he earned all-state recognition. During his high school football career, Grupe set school records for field goals ultimately earning him an opportunity to play college ball at Arkansas State.

He started out his Arkansas State career earning the kicking job in Week 3 of his redshirt freshman season. In his first year starting, Grupe hit on 14 of his 21 field goal attempts, good for 67%. Grupe would then follow that up with a stellar campaign as a sophomore hitting on 19 of his 22 tries putting him at 86% on the season.

After a down year in 2020, Grupe rebounded in 2021, allowing himself the opportunity to transfer to Notre Dame, one of the most prestigious programs in the country. In his final collegiate season, Grupe knocked down 14 of his 19 field goals with a long of 47, tying the second highest mark of his career.

As the college football season concluded and the NFL draft rolled around, Grupe was regarded as one of the best kicker prospects in the country. After going undrafted in 2023 like most specialists, Grupe signed with the Saints, immediately entering into a kicking battle with former Pro Bowler Wil Lutz. The two competed all through camp until the end of the preseason, where Lutz was traded to the Denver Broncos crowning Grupe as the winner.

In his first season as the Saints’ pllace kicker, Grupe hit on 30 of 37 field goal tries (81%) with his long being 55. Although battling through some inconsistency, Grupe had some special moments in year one. In Week 5, Grupe earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after connecting on two 50-plus yard field goals and hitting on all four of his extra point tries.

Going into the 2024 season, Grupe is in another kicking competition this time with undrafted rookie Charlie Smyth. All throughout training camp the two have been pretty even as far as production which means it will likely go down to the wire when it comes to a decision. This was the case last season when Grupe got his shot, the only difference is now Grupe isn’t the young buck anymore. With one week left in the preseason, the room for error will only narrow meaning Grupe must do everything in his power to hold onto his job.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Saints players try their hands at the viral grip test after training camp practice

New Orleans Saints players tried their hands at the viral grip test challenge after training camp practice. Who has the strongest hands on the team?

A little fun never hurts anybody, especially during the rigors of training camp. And who doesn’t want bragging rights for having the strongest hands on the team?

The New Orleans Saints social media team brought out the grip test after a recent practice session, which allowed for some fun competition for the guys. It’s a viral trend going around the league; the Philadelphia Eagles have also shared their results.

A variety of position groups competed here, starting with many of the defensive linemen all the way to kicker Blake Grupe, which brought some good laughs given his smaller stature. One thing that was interesting was tight end Foster Moreau getting the highest score reaching the 200 number. This surpassed guys like Chase Young, Willie Gay Jr., Carl Granderson and Bryan Bresee who we would assume due to their build and the nature of their position, would receive the higher numbers.

Of this exercise though, maybe the most enjoyable part was the players’ reactions. Hearing many of the guys screaming and yelling like they’re in the weight room is hilarious. Small things like this are what allows players to bond with each other outside of the game, and it’s great to see the many smiles on their faces at such an arduous time of the year.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Charlie Smyth struck while the iron was hot in Saints preseason opener

Charlie Smyth struck while the iron was hot in the Saints’ preseason opener. The rookie kicker came through in the clutch:

What a way to start your career in American football. Not just the NFL — when Charlie Smyth took the field on Saturday night to attempt a 37-yard field goal for the win, he did so on his first kick in the American game. The rookie from Northern Ireland joined the New Orleans Saints through the NFL’s International Player Program this offseason, and he’s been turning heads all summer.

That included during pregame warmups. Smyth booted two tries from distances of 60-plus yards, then watched Blake Grupe go to work for three quarters. When his turn finally came, it was in the game’s final seconds, with the Saints trailing by a single point. And his coaches had full confidence in him in that moment.

“We would’ve kicked it from, I don’t know, sixty. You know? Depending on how much time was left in the game and whether I thought the down and distance was, what we thought the percentages was. So it’s a little bit of a hypothetical,” Allen mused in his postgame press conference.

At about the same time, the Irish rock band U2’s hit single “With You or Without You” could be heard echoing from the celebratory Saints locker room, per Nola.com’s Luke Johnson. Allen continued: “But I felt good about him hitting the distance. Wasn’t worried about that at all. And I thought that was awesome. First kick in not an NFL game a football game, in an American football game. For him to knock it through like that in a pressure situation, that was cool to see.”

That’s not to say Smyth has won the job just yet. He needs to keep up the good work and harness the power in his leg (he pushed a few warmup kicks wide to the right, as has happened at training camp practices) and improve his placement on kickoffs. He’s sent too many of those out of the field of play. But he may just need more experience. You don’t see many players with his raw talent. His status in the IPP has bought some time to better learn the sport, but Smyth just might end up pushing the envelope.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]