Vikings Kicker Ryan Longwell Released Monday Night, Blair Walsh Presumed Starter

The youth movement Rick Spielman has been driving for the Minnesota Vikings continues with the latest veteran casualty being kicker Ryan Longwell, who had been with the team for six seasons. The announcement came Monday evening and was tipped off by a comment from Longwell's Twitter account.

Longwell tweeted:

To all in Viking Nation. Can't thank you enough for your cheers over the past 6 years! You've been awesome to me and my family. God Bless!

He also offered a thank you to his teammates and reacted to fans, saying:

Can't tell you how humbling it is to see all the support from all of you and to hear from so many of my "former" teammates as well. Thanks!!

Coach Frazier released a statement after the announcement broke, showing respect for the 16-year NFL veteran, who spent 9 years with the Green Bay prior to joining the Vikings. While he showed appreciation for the contributions Longwell made both on and off the field, he also commented that the move is what management believe is best for the team.

Although it wasn't a poor overall performance, Longwell's 2011 numbers were the worst in his six years with the Vikings. He posted a 78.6 field goal percentage, which stands lower than his 83.2 career percentage. It is also important to remember these numbers came during one of the worst seasons for the Vikings in recent memory, where the team posted only three wins and had a multitude of problems on both offense and defense.

With the departure of Longwell, the kicking duties are Blair Walsh's to claim. Walsh was drafted by the Vikings in April during the NFL Draft. The 22 year-old Georgia Bulldog's collegiate highlight is a 56-yard field goal in 2011 against Coastal Carolina.