Tag: hot rod colts

Former Georgia star ‘Hot Rod’ tops Pro Bowl voting among AFC kickers

Former Georgia Bulldogs star K Rodrigo Blankenship leads AFC kickers in Pro Bowl voting. Hot Rod has played well for the Indianapolis Colts

Former Georgia Bulldogs star kicker Rodrigo Blankenship leads AFC kickers in Pro Bowl voting. ‘Hot Rod’ went undrafted, but has been a standout after winning the starting job for the Indianapolis Colts.

Blankenship got off to an excellent start for the Colts. He has not been scoring as much recently. The University of Georgia great did make a game-winning kick against the Green Bay Packers to win 34-31 in overtime.

His heroic efforts make him worthy of a Pro Bowl vote this year. Blankenship along with fellow Georgia Bulldogs Justin Houston, Roquan Smith, Ben Jones, David Andrews, and more are deserving Pro Bowl candidates.

On the year, Rodrigo Blankenship has made 24 out of 27 field goal attempts. He has connected of 27 out of 30 extra point attempts as well. Blankenship has made the fourth most field goals of any kicker in the NFL. He ranks fifth in the NFL in points with 102.

Blankenship is a key reason why the Colts are 8-4 this season and in the AFC Playoff hunt.

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, the 2021 NFL Pro Bowl will not be played. As an alternative, the Pro Bowl will be held virtually and the contest will be streamed via Madden NFL 21. The game was originally scheduled to be played at brand-new Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 31. 
Voting continues through Dec. 17.

Fans can vote for Rodrigo Blankenship by Retweeting this:

[vertical-gallery id=37980]

Rodrigo Blankenship hits game winning FG for Colts

Former Georgia football K Rodrigo Blankenship hits game winning 39-yard FG for the Colts in overtime.

It has been quite the rookie NFL season for former Georgia kicker Rodrigo Blankenship.

After being passed on in the 2020 NFL Draft, Blankenship signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent.  The Georgia legend is now starting to make a name for himself around the NFL.

Hot Rod drilled a game winning 39 yard field goal against the Packers on Sunday to secure a 34 – 31 victory in overtime.

Blankenship has been money all year, going 19/21 (90.5%) on field goals and 23/25 (92%) on extra points so far.  He leads the NFL in points scored with 94 total points.  That’s pretty good for the walk-on, undrafted free agent out of Athens.

The NFL has officially been put on notice.  It’s time to start respecting the specs.

Hot Rod off to a historic start for Indianapolis Colts

Former Georgia Bulldog kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is off to a historic start for the Indianapolis Colts.

Former Georgia Bulldog kicker Rodrigo Blankenship is off to a historic start for the Indianapolis Colts. Blankenship signed an undrafted free agent deal with Indianapolis following the 2020 NFL Draft.

Blankenship won the Lou Groza award at UGA last season.

‘Hot Rod’ has made 12 of 14 fields goals (85.7%) to start the 2020 NFL season. 12 made field goals through four games as a rookie is topped by only three other kickers in NFL history. Additionally, Blankenship is 9 for 9 on extra point attempts. Note that the NFL has a much longer extra point than college.

Overall, the former Georgia kicker has scored 45 total points through his first four games. This is another historic figure. Three players (Harrison Butker, Jeff Reed, and Richie Cunningham) have scored over 45 points as a kicker to start their careers.

Hopefully Blankenship is able to continue his historic start. The Colts will look to move to 4-1 this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns.

Look for Hot Rod to be challenged even more throughout the season. Thus far, Blankenship has a long of 44 yards and hasn’t attempted a kick over 50 yards. That will change. Indianapolis has been a defensive-minded team to begin the season and Blankenship’s points have been key for them having a 3-1 record and one of the AFC’s better records.

Stats are per an Andrew Walker Tweet:

Contract details: Rodrigo Blankenship’s UDFA deal with Colts

Georgia Bulldog legend and Lou Groza Award winner Rodrigo Blankenship signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts

Georgia Bulldog legend and Lou Groza Award winner Rodrigo Blankenship fell into the Indianapolis Colts’ lap as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft.

Blankenship will not have an easy path to starting for the Colts. However, he was able to haul in more money than the average undrafted free agent:

Blankenship had a distinguished career at the University of Georgia. He was a fan favorite after hitting a game-winning field goal at Kentucky in 2016. Now, he’ll look to replace an NFL legend in former Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri.

Blankenship’s landed a $20,000 signing bonus according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Hot Rod will have to compete with Chase McLaughlin to win Indianapolis’s starting job at kicker.

Blankenship is one of the best kickers in Georgia history, and one of the greatest to ever do it in the SEC. He made 82.5% of his kicks and all 200 of his career extra points at Georgia.

Sep 9, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Georgia Bulldogs kicker Rodrigo Blankenship (98) kicks the game winning field goal in the fourth quarter against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium. Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

[lawrence-auto-related count=1]