As soon as the Minnesota Vikings drafted rookie kicker Will Reichard, rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner knew he had to get the word out. They were college teammates at Alabama, so Turner took it upon himself to make sure everybody knew that Reichard was the real deal. "He was like, 'Listen, I trust him with my life,'" fellow Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard recalled.
"That's all it took for us." The results have spoken for themselves. After a near flawless effort throughout training camp, Reichard has carried his consistency into the early stages of this season.
He was 4 for 4 on extra-point attempts in Week 1 against the New York Giants, and 3 for 3 on field-goal attempts in Week 2 against the San Francisco 49ers. "It's beautiful," safety Josh Metellus said. "He has that poise.
Whenever he goes out there, we don't even have to look up, we just know the points are coming. I'm excited for him to keep building." Although the field-goal attempts haven't exactly tested Reichard's leg strength — he converted from 22 yards, 39 yards and 27 yards on Sunday — special teams coordinator Matt Daniels noted that it was good for him to simply see the ball go through the uprights.
"I'm happy with where he's at," Daniels said. "He goes into it every day with the same mindset." As important as his consistency has been in helping Reichard win over the locker room, Daniels noted how his personality shining through has been even more impactful.
Never mind that Reichard is rather unassum.