EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. –Blair Walsh's confidence is strong, and from the look of things, so is his leg.
The Vikings wrapped up day two of organized team activities, during which Walsh got some practice in the Winter Park Fieldhouse. Practice was relocated indoors due to weather.
"I'm ready to go," Walsh said. "I'm excited to get out here – today was our first day doing live reps, and it [was] fun."
Walsh was 5-for-5 in OTAs Wednesday, hitting field goals from distances of 30, 33, 35, 37 and 40 yards. Each attempt – two from the middle of the field and three from the right hash mark – had a good boot, sailing between the uprights with plenty of gusto, straight toward the centered lift that the Vikings use for recording aerial video of practices
It's been roughly five months since Walsh pulled a field goal attempt wide left in the Wild Card game against Seattle. Walsh had made three longer field goals earlier in the game, but his miss in the final seconds left the Vikings one point shy of the win.
Although Walsh's final kick of the 2015 season serves as motivation, he said it doesn't haunt him.
"It's part of my past – it's not going to be my entire career," Walsh said. "I've [made] plenty of big kicks in this league, and I'll continue to [make] plenty of big kicks. Obviously, that's one where I didn't do well and I didn't do my job.
"It's one of those things you just have to move past, and I already have," Walsh added. "I'm excited for this year."
During the offseason, Walsh spent some time going over 2015 and both personal and team successes. The Vikings finished the regular season 11-5, earned the NFC North division title and made playoffs for the first time since 2012.
"When I really went back and looked at it, I felt we had a very good year outside," said Walsh, who led the league with 34 made field goals. "I thought I had one of my better years as a pro. It was really unfortunate, the way it ended, but the nice thing is that it keeps you hungry, keeps you motivated, not that I'm not already. It's just a little extra fuel in the fire."
Walsh has made a number of game-winning field goals for the Vikings, including back-to-back games in 2015 at Chicago and against St. Louis, respectively. After playing two seasons at TCF Bank Stadium, Walsh is looking forward to moving indoors and hopes to have more game-winning field goals in U.S. Bank Stadium this season.
"Conditions-wise, it's always going to be easier to kick indoors," Walsh said. "You can take the elements out of it. You can really focus on your form and your craft, and you can sort of forget about, 'Hey, man, it's minus-10 degrees outside today.' You get to go in there and sort of act like it's a normal day outside."
A number of league connections reached out to Walsh during the offseason, including Sunday Night Football sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka and Cardinals punter Drew Butler. Each had an encouraging message for Walsh. He said the support meant a lot to him, and he told each of them the same thing: "It's one moment. It won't define me."
Walsh's mindset is on 2016, and he can't wait to be back on the field. With day two of OTAs – and five made field goals – in the books, he views each day as an opportunity to work harder and get better.
"You combine the talent and hard work, and you can have success," Walsh said. "I kept my routine the same, my work ethic is the same, and I'm ready to go."
