MINNEAPOLIS -- Two years into his time as the Minnesota Vikings' handpicked punter, Jeff Locke hasn't found consistency as attainable as it might have seemed when the Vikings made him the highest-picked punter in franchise history.

Locke, who replaced Chris Kluwe before the 2013 season, was 15th in the league in net yards that season, and was 28th in the percentage of his punts inside the 10-yard line, according to ESPN Stats and Information. His second season -- and his first kicking outdoors at TCF Bank Stadium -- still didn't deliver the bump in field position the Vikings thought they'd get by replacing Kluwe. Locke's net average of 39.2 yards per punt was 25th in the league in 2014, and he dropped just 8 percent of his punts inside the 10, which ranked 30th in the league.

Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, though, said he ultimately recommended the Vikings not bring in competition for Locke before 2015.

"We talked a little bit about it, but that wasn’t my recommendation," Priefer said. "I think they’re both very, very good, Jeff is a very good punter, Blair [Walsh] is a very good kicker. Are there things they need to work on and improve on? Absolutely, but the talent is there, the work ethic is there. They’re both young and they both continue to get better."

Priefer said he didn't think Locke would have been affected had the Vikings decided to bring in competition.\

"He’s a pretty mentally tough kid. I don’t think he would have a problem with it," Priefer said.

In the end, it sounded as though the decision was more about a willingness to have patience with Locke. Priefer pushed for the Vikings to draft the former UCLA punter after working him out before the 2013 draft, and it doesn't sound as though the Vikings feel the need to use competition as a source of motivation for the 25-year-old.

Things might be different if Locke doesn't improve this year -- he'd be going into the final year of his contract as the Vikings enter their new stadium in 2016 -- but for now, in one last year outdoors, the job remains his.

"Jeff has to be more consistent," Priefer said. "We can talk about weather until we are blue in the face. It doesn’t matter. The opposing team’s kicking in the same weather and we were out-punted a few times last year, where I felt like we had the better punter. So punting’s got to improve, the snapping needs to improve. Some areas of protection we need to improve on. Coverage was really good last year; we just need to be more consistent. We (need to) do it all the time, not four out of five reps, but every rep."