The Seattle Seahawks are probably the NFL’s most boisterous, in-your-face team, and new kicker Blair Walsh is already fitting right in.

Walsh, who was released by the Vikings last season and signed with Seattle in the offseason, nailed two 52-yard field goals against his former team in Friday’s preseason game and pointed toward the opposing sideline after both.

Many people initially assumed Walsh was pointing at coach Mike Zimmer, who gave him the boot last fall, but after the game he said he was gesturing toward is ex-teammates, who were taunting him. Via ESPN:

“I felt like it was nothing that was serious or meant to be hurtful, but I wanted to let them know that it just wasn’t going to roll off,” Walsh said. “I didn’t say anything though. Just looked at them.”

Asked what the Vikings were saying to him, Walsh said, “Nothing I can repeat here. That’s for sure.”

“I simply was just responding to getting taunted,” Walsh said. “I didn’t say anything. When you’ve got guys who were your teammates for five years yelling at you when you’re trying to kick, it’s just odd. And I hope they were in jest. And I hope they didn’t mean it because I didn’t mean anything with mine, but it was definitely not out of nowhere.”

Walsh’s story was backed up by his new coach:

Added Seahawks coach Pete Carroll: “I’m fired up for Blair. …They were giving him a hard time. They were razzing him a little bit and all that. He was just having a little fun with it. He’s a really good competitor. I like his mentality, and I think we are very fortunate to have him.” 

It’s only the preseason, but clearly Walsh has his competitive juices fully flowing already. And now everyone in the NFL is on notice: If you mess with Blair Walsh, he will drill some long field goals on your ass and then stare you down.

[ESPN]

About Alex Putterman

Alex is a writer and editor for The Comeback and Awful Announcing. He has written for The Atlantic, VICE Sports, MLB.com, SI.com and more. He is a proud alum of Northwestern University and The Daily Northwestern. You can find him on Twitter @AlexPutterman.