Minnesota Vikings special-teams coordinator Matt Daniels is trying to get the nickname “Will Striker” to stick on rookie kicker Will Reichard. But he’d be OK if everybody’s calling Reichard “Shaggy” by the end of the NFL season.
“He does have a challenge going on, too, just to put the word out there,” Daniels said this week. “So Will does a thing to where he gets his hair cut a week before the first game of the season, and he doesn’t cut his hair again until he misses, so we’ll see if we can get a little shag going for Will.”
After becoming college football’s career scoring leader at Alabama, Reichard joined Minnesota in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on April 27.
In his NFL debut, Reichard made his four extra-point attempts in the Vikings’ 28-6 victory over the New York Giants on Sept. 8. In a 23-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Reichard made two more PATs and his three field-goal attempts.
Reichard’s first NFL field goal opened the scoring when he made a 22-yarder with 4:45 left in the first quarter against the 49ers. He made a 39-yarder on the final snap of the first half and hit a 27-yard attempt to extend Minnesota’s lead to nine points with 3:30 remaining to play.
“Will finally got his first field-goal opportunity,” Daniels said. “And it’s funny because you think, like, 28-yarder or 29-yarder is just a chippy, an easy one — or extra point for that matter. But each and every rep, man, you never know. You see guys all the time miss those short ones, medium ones, long ones, however the case may be. But Will is — I’m happy at where he’s at. He goes into it every day with the same mindset, continues to show that consistency of what you look for. It was good to see him go 3-for-3 and continue to remain perfect on the season from a PAT and field-goal standpoint.”
Daniels said he’s found that Reichard isn’t a typical specialist. He’s got an “aura” and Walmart ads.
“Will kind of has this aura,” Daniels said. “It’s just like where he’s — you look at him and what comes out doesn’t quite match or fit, if that makes sense. It’s like you see this guy, then he starts talking. It’s like, man, this dude got a little swag to him. He’s got just good aura to him. I can’t really explain it, but he connects, really, with any and everybody. He’s not really to himself. He’s not just to a specialist group.
“He understands what goes into this thing in terms of: How do I need to find a way to connect with my teammates? He stays out the way. He doesn’t do too much. He’s not too flashy. Real very simple guy. And he’s got major networking skills and ability. He’s got Walmart, he’s got going, so guys appreciate that. So for whatever reason, but he’s a very marketable guy.”
Daniels said the “marketable” Reichard looked as though he could be back at Hoover High School instead of playing in the NFL.
“He’s a Walmart advocate,” Daniels said. “He’s got some Walmart ads out there. You got to check him out. We’ve put up a couple in the team room, staff meeting room. …
“It was like some back-to-school ads. It’s like he’s promoting because he looks like a high-schooler, so it works out well. So it’s like, ‘Get your back-to-school laptops going,’ and he’s like there cheesing, so it’s pretty awesome. Keep getting that money, Will.”
Reichard and the Vikings will try to stay perfect when Minnesota meets another undefeated team on Sunday. The Vikings and Houston Texans square off at noon CDT at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
