Minnesota Has A Stockpile Of Unsung Heroes
Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images
Not every player can be polished and NFL-ready out of the draft, which means every team needs to bring raw talent into the building so the coaching staff can develop and mold those players into effective performers. A prime example is Sam Darnold – who had some success as a starter but always left more to be desired with reading defensive coverages, situational awareness, and decision-making in protecting the rock.
He always possessed great physical tools. Darnold has ideal height, a big body to withstand hits, and effortless arm strength. But entering the NFL at age 21, with just two seasons at USC under his belt, he was raw, and needed to be developed. The New York Jets and Carolina Panthers weren’t the environments to do that, as they lacked the infrastructure to maximize Darnold’s talents.
Kevin O’Connell once summed this dynamic up perfectly when he said “Organizations fail young quarterbacks before young quarterbacks fail organizations.”
O’Connell and the Minnesota Vikings aren’t failing Darnold, and he’s not failing them. After four weeks, the journeyman quarterback leads the NFL in both touchdown passes (11) and quarterback rating (118.9). We’re seeing what happens when a team like the Vikings, with strong leadership, infrastructure, and culture can create an environment where players can maximize their talents.
Darnold is the most obvious of a group of unsung heroes on the Vikings this season, given he was a high-profile draftee in the league and a quarterback. But Minnesota has many other young, raw talents who are taking on increased roles and making a surprising impact this season.
Kamu Grugier-Hill signed in the offseason to a one-year deal worth $1.38 million to be primarily a special teams anchor, with a small bonus of providing depth as a backup interior linebacker. He just came off a season with the Carolina Panthers where he started five games (entirely due to injuries), recording 56 tackles, a sack, and playing 38% of the Panthers’ total defensive snaps.
This season, Grugier-Hill did not log a defensive snap in the first 2 games of the season, playing exclusively on special teams. But when called on to replace the injured Ivan Pace Jr. in Weeks 3 and 4, he rose to the occasion. He has four tackles and has been stellar in coverage, resulting in interceptions in consecutive weeks. For interior linebackers, coverage is generally a daunting task, given all the traffic in the middle of the field. It’s difficult to get the proper depth to defend passing lanes while simultaneously eyeing all the action in front.
But against the Green Bay Packers, Grugier-Hill gives a lesson in how to disguise his defensive assignment by starting at the line of scrimmage, then getting 15 yards downfield to be in perfect position to get in the passing lane to make the interception:
KAMU GRUGIER-HILL INTERCEPTION FOR A SECOND CONSECUTIVE WEEK #skol
pic.twitter.com/LATqTyfskn— SuperHawkeyeFan (@superhawkeyefan) September 29, 2024
Despite a small sample size, Grugier-Hill’s play, specifically in coverage, has been impactful. He owns an 84.5 PFF coverage grade that ranks eighth in the league amongst linebackers. Having a player capable of that kind of performance off the bench is an ace in the hole that Minnesota has rarely had, and it’s helped them win the turnover battle in each of the last two weeks.
Edge rusher Jihad Ward has been another pleasant surprise for a Vikings team that lacked any depth behind Danielle Hunter last season. Now, the edge is a strength for the Purple and Gold. He signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1.79 million contract with no performance incentives. When a 30-year-old is signing for that kind of deal, it tells you what the league thinks he can contribute. Instead of being just a warm body, Ward has become an integral rotational player, playing 114 defensive snaps and getting 12 pressures, which is second on the team only to Jonathan Greenard.
Ward’s pressure hasn’t resulted in any sacks so far this season, but pressures are disruptive by nature against any offense. He’s tied for second in the NFL in QB Hits with the likes of former Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt and Aiden Hutchinson, who has been the best defensive player so far this season. Good company to be in despite playing in nearly 100 fewer snaps.
What has also been impressive is Ward’s discipline executing Brian Flores’ play-calls, which results in others making plays. Ward’s (#52) explosiveness is on full display with two separate stunt plays that ends in a Van Ginkel sack:
#Vikings Run this loop again getting another sack. This time it was 52 Jihad Ward spiking inside to make room for Van Ginkel. It was End of Half so everything was blanketed downfield, but this would probably get home on most long developing plays https://t.co/DGC9gGBS55 pic.twitter.com/oe12vuWARA
— NFL Shock (@NFLShock) September 26, 2024
Even though he doesn’t have a sack that shows up on highlight reels or Twitter feeds, Ward is impacting games with his explosiveness and execution.
Darnold, Grugier-Hill, and Ward are not the only players making unheralded impacts this season (and outproducing their contracts). Patrick Jones II has 5 sacks and Jalen Nailor is averaging 17.1 yards per reception and has scored three touchdowns after having been developing within the system for a few years and finally showing the fruits of their labor.
The system and culture O’Connell is building is creating a dynamic where it nourishes raw potential and maximizes player development. Darnold, Grugier-Hill, and Ward are prime examples of that, but they’re not the only ones. This organizational philosophy and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s skill at identifying personnel to fit his coaches’ schemes is churning out a stockpile of unsung heroes, and this is a trend Vikings fans should expect to continue for years to come.
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