Colts kicker battle flips: perfect Shrader outkicking camp-dominant Grupe
The most reliable battle in Colts camp belongs to the kickers, and the script just got flipped. All August, Blake Grupe has been the more accurate leg in practice — and all preseason, Spencer Shrader keeps making his kicks count when they…
The most reliable battle in Colts camp belongs to the kickers, and the script just got flipped. All August, Blake Grupe has been the more accurate leg in practice — and all preseason, Spencer Shrader keeps making his kicks count when they actually matter.
Colts ST coordinator Brian Mason is going to have a tough decision. *Spencer Shrader 32/46 (69.6 pct) in camp; 4/4 in 2 preseason games. *Blake Grupe 41/45 (91.1 pct) in camp, 0/2 in 2 preseason games. My gut tells me they're keeping Shrader.View on X →
Mike Chappell (@mchappell51): Colts ST coordinator Brian Mason is going to have a tough decision. *Spencer Shrader 32/46 (69.6 pct) in camp; 4/4 in 2 preseason games. *Blake Grupe 41/45 (91.1 pct) in camp, 0/2 in 2 preseason games. My gut tells me they're keeping Shrader.
Saturday's loss to Atlanta sharpened the contrast. Grupe, dominant through three weeks of camp practice, pushed a 36-yard attempt wide right to fall to 0-for-2 across two exhibition games. Shrader, meanwhile, connected twice more — including from 53 — to run his game tally to four makes on four tries.
OK. Colts kicking competition getting interesting. Blake Grupe, who has been dominant in camp, pushes 36 FG wide right. Spencer Shrader, who has had an inconsistent camp, in 4/4 in 2 games, 2/2 todayView on X →
Mike Chappell (@mchappell51): OK. Colts kicking competition getting interesting. Blake Grupe, who has been dominant in camp, pushes 36 FG wide right. Spencer Shrader, who has had an inconsistent camp, in 4/4 in 2 games, 2/2 today
The splits tell the whole story: Shrader converted just 69.6 percent of his camp attempts (32-of-46) against Grupe's 91.1 percent (41-of-45), yet the preseason scoreboard reads 4-for-4 versus 0-for-2. Special teams coordinator Brian Mason now has a genuine decision on his hands before next Sunday's cutdown, and longtime Colts reporter Mike Chappell's gut says Indianapolis keeps Shrader.
For a Colts team that spent Saturday getting blown out at home and searching for anything positive, a settled answer at kicker would at least be one box checked. Whether that means carrying the hot game leg or the hot practice leg is exactly what the next few days will decide.