It didn’t take Blake Grupe long to find a job after the New Orleans Saints let him go. It took him even less time to take a shot at his former team.
Now a part of the Indianapolis Colts, Grupe is in a much better position. The Saints have been eliminated from the playoffs, while the Colts are leading the AFC South. Some people are lucky enough fail up, and that’s exactly what Grupe was able to do.
He told media members how it felt “to now be a part of (the Colts) and feel like I'm playing meaningful football. We’re all working towards something here.” Intentionally or unintentionally, that is a shot at the Saints and who they currently are.
Blake Grupe being happy to be away from the Saints is funny
Message vs. messenger. Technically, Grupe isn’t lying, but it’s interesting to hear that narrative from him. The Saints have bigger issues than Grupe, but he certainly wasn’t part of the solution either.
The problem is Grupe’s comments come off as if he was saved from a place where his efforts were being wasted. He didn’t make it to Indianapolis via a trade or free agency. Grupe was cut for poor performance. Saints fans are as happy about the divorce as he seems to be.
Among kickers with at least 20 attempts on the season, Grupe is dead last in field goal percentage. If you drop the attempt quota to 10 attempts, Grupe is second to last. Simply put, he hasn’t been good.
Taking his struggles out of the equation, the back end of his comments are a reflection of the Saints culture. The Saints are objectively not playing meaningful games in the traditional sense. To say they aren’t working toward something, however, feels an indictment of more than record. The Saints are rebuilding, but that doesn't immediately equate to building towards something. Grupe certainly didn't