I’ve played golf religiously my whole life and when things are tough, I try to always bring it back to something I know and that’s usually golf. The Spencer Shrader vs Blake Grupe battle is very close and is essentially a coinflip to decide who will win the battle. But to me, there’s one thing that separates the two.
In golf, many guys are great on the range. They stripe the ball and they look like PGA Tour pros out there. Their swing is effortless, the ball flies and it lands on a dime. They can do this over and over again. Then they get to the course, and suddenly the swing tightens up. That effortless motion becomes choppier, the ball starts slicing or hooking, and the player who looked automatic on the range looks completely different when the shot actually counts. The point is simple: some players are just different when the pressure is turned up and the lights get bright.
That is how I look at this Colts kicking battle right now. Blake Grupe has had the better training camp. By the reported numbers, he has made over 90 percent of his kicks, while Shrader has been under 70 percent. In most position battles, that kind of camp gap would be hard to ignore. Practice matters, consistency matters, and Grupe deserves credit for stacking good days in a setting where coaches are evaluating every rep.
The problem is that kicker is not like most positions, and this battle has looked very different once the Colts have gotten into games. Shrader has gone 4-for-4 in the preseason, including makes from 61 and 53 yards. Grupe, meanwhile, is 0-for-2 in game action so far. That does not erase his strong camp, and it does not make Shrader’s camp struggles irrelevant, but it changes the weight of the conversation. Practice tells you who can make kicks in a controlled environment. Games tell you who can make kicks when the operation, rush, timing and pressure all feel closer to what the job actually is.
Kicking and hitting a golf ball are actually quite similar in many ways. Many kickers like to play a draw on the ball, while others like to play a cut. The plant step is crucially important because it sets up the swing of the kicking leg properly. Ideally for kickers, the ball is struck around the middle of the swing of the kicking leg. If a right-footed kicker plants too far in front of the ball, the ball can be blocked and flare out right. If he plants too far behind the ball, he catches it later in the swing and the ball can be pulled left. The swing of the leg works on an arc, almost like a half-moon, and when the timing is clean, everything looks easy.
That is why practice can be misleading with kickers. When you are on the range or taking camp kicks, you can find rhythm and repeat the motion because the setting is controlled. There is no real consequence, no full game pressure, no rush affecting your mind, and no threat of the moment swallowing the technique. It is much easier to focus on the perfect plant step when nothing is closing in on you and the kick does not actually decide anything.
In games, that changes fast. The operation has to be clean, the timing has to hold up, defenders are coming, and the pressure of the moment can pull your mind away from the small details that make the kick work. On a long field goal especially, the slightest change can make all the difference. Plant a little too far in front, and the ball can flare right. Plant a little too far behind, and it can start left. The best kickers are the ones who can keep the same rhythm, same plant, same swing and same focus when the kick actually matters. Many guys can do it in practice and far fewer can do it when the lights are on.
That is why Shrader’s preseason is so important! He has not just made kicks; he has made big kicks. A 61-yarder and a 53-yarder in game settings are not small data points. Those are exactly the types of kicks that tell a coaching staff something about a player’s mind, not just his leg. Shrader has shown that even if his camp has been uneven, he can walk into a game setting and deliver when the rep feels closer/closest to the real thing.
Grupe was great for the Colts last season, and that should not be dismissed. He came in and gave the team good kicking, and his overall resume in Indianapolis is part of the reason this competition is so close. At the same time, kicker is probably the biggest “what have you done for me lately?” position in football. Teams can love your past production, but if the current competition is happening right now, the current kicks have to carry more weight. Last year should matter, but it should be weighted less than what the Colts are seeing in games this summer.
That is where I land on this battle. Grupe has been better in camp, and if this were only about practice numbers, he would have the edge. Once the preseason games are included, Shrader should be ahead. He has been better when the lights are on, and for kickers, that matters more than almost anything else.
This does not mean Grupe is bad, and it does not mean the decision is easy. The Colts would probably love to keep both in the building if they can, because each kicker has made a legitimate case in a different way. Grupe has shown the steadier camp leg, while Shrader has shown the better game leg. The problem is that only one can realistically be the kicker, and if the question is who should be trusted when the kick actually matters, Shrader has given the better answer so far.
Unless something changes before the final decision, Shrader should be ahead, and he should probably be the one the Colts keep.
See More:
* [Indianapolis Colts Analysis](/indianapolis-colts-analysis)
* [Indianapolis Colts Training Camp](/indianapolis-colts-training-camp)