Rashod Hill News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/rashod-hill/ Minnesota sports, but different Sun, 10 Oct 2021 21:15:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Rashod Hill News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/rashod-hill/ 32 32 A Win is a Win Even if it Takes a Walk-Off Field Goal vs the Lions https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-vikings/a-win-is-a-win-even-if-it-takes-a-walk-off-field-goal-vs-the-lions/ Sun, 10 Oct 2021 21:15:07 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36519 The Minnesota Vikings entered week 5 of the NFL season with a 1-3 record and in a precarious early-season must-win situation. Luckily for them, they happened to have the worst franchise in NFL history next on the schedule. With Dan Campbell’s winless knee-cap biting Detroit Lions coming to US Bank Stadium, a victory was all but guaranteed, right?

Well, not exactly. The Vikings were (-10) favorites throughout the sportsbook world most of the week while fans and media called for a blowout of the undermanned Lions. But then the game started and outside of one big run in the 4th quarter, Minnesota struggled to get their run game going with Dalvin Cook out. Much of Sunday’s game felt like Kirk Cousins just trying to drag his team into field goal range.

The one that almost got away…

Still, a victory looked well in-hand with the Vikings up 16-6 and only four minutes remaining. That was right before Greg Joseph left a 49-yard field goal short and the Lions made him pay with a quick field goal of their own, cutting the Vikings lead to 16-9.

Zimmer countered with three-straight Minnesota runs t what ended with a Mattison fumble deep in Vikings territory. The Lions made them pay with a touchdown, cutting the score to 16-15. With 37 seconds remaining, Dan Campbell decided to go for two points and what he thought would be a win. Detroit converted, taking the 17-16 lead. But Kirk Cousins and Greg Joseph weren’t ready to call game yet.

With two timeouts in his pocket, Cousins completed two deep completions to Adam Thielen and set Joseph up for a 55-yarder to win the game and redeem himself. And finally, a Minnesota kicker came through when it mattered most.

Kirk and Mike were fired up after, showing emotion we rarely see shared between the two of them. It almost looked awkward…

A win is a win.

Sunday’s victory over the Lions might epitomize an ugly win but the Minnesota Vikings and Mike Zimmer shouldn’t apologize for it. At the end of the week, they will be 2-3 in a division that’s ripe for the taking. Both Detroit and Chicago are done and the Packers might be the worst 4-1 team in football.

You may have wanted the Vikings to win by 30 points today and maybe the best teams would have. But it’s clear the early-season 2021 Minnesota Vikings are not one of the NFL’s best teams… right now. Especially without Dalvin Cook.

Positives

But that doesn’t mean they have nothing going for them and it doesn’t mean they can’t improve. Mike Zimmer may not realize it yet, but Kirk Cousins is currently a top-5 QB in the league and he’s come through just about every time he’s been called upon this season. Many believe a top-10 QB is necessary to win a Super Bowl. If you’re one of those people then Kirk’s play should have you feeling better about this team than you have since Brett Favre retired for the final time.

Oh, and Mike Zimmer’s defense continues to improve with every game. If Dalvin Cook can get healthy, there won’t be a team with better weapons on both sides of the field.

Zimmer’s game management

If Mike Zimmer refuses to give defensive play calling to someone else, maybe he’ll be willing to delegate game management duties. He continues to struggle in that aspect and his lack of trust for Kirk Cousins is infuriating.

Detroit was out of timeouts and needed a stop on 3rd down to keep the game going. Instead of trusting Kirk Cousins to throw a 6-yard completion for the win, Minnesota handed the ball to Mattison and he fumbled while getting tackled at the line of scrimmage.

Zim had better watch out. If Rashod Hill gets benched for good and the Vikings’ offensive line improves, his game management might become the team’s biggest weakness.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Sun, 10 Oct 2021 16:15:11 +0000 Minnesota Vikings Vikings Can and Need to Address O-Line’s Weakest Link https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/uncategorized/vikings-can-and-need-to-address-o-lines-weakest-link/ Tue, 05 Oct 2021 20:19:42 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36473 It took one titillating offensive half of football against the Seattle Seahawks for Minnesota Vikings fans to start feeling way too optimistic about what was once considered their team’s biggest weakness. Kirk Cousins playing behind an offensive line that can’t pass block.

The Vikings improved their record to 1-2 in that week 3 win over Seattle and their offensive line netted one of its best performances in years. But then, the Cleveland Browns came to town a week later and put reality back into perspective. The Minnesota offensive line is what we thought it was and that’s not a good thing.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Minnesota Vikings offensive line allowed 30 total pressures, 7 QB hits and allowed their rushers just 1.1 yards before contact. If you watched the game, you’re not surprised by these horrid statistics.

I almost wrote a blog about Kirk Cousins the MVP candidate after the convincing Seattle victory. Yikes, right? Maybe… but maybe not. If Kirk is protected by an offensive line that doesn’t resemble a crew of Best Buy security guards opening on Black Friday, the future possibilities could be endless.

Historically Bad

You might not be grasping how terrible the offensive line played on Sunday. Maybe my metaphors aren’t good enough. Maybe you need more than three tweeted video clips to form an opinion. Fine, but let’s see if some more advance metrics dug out by Arif Hasan (The Athletic) can portray things in a better light.

Kirk Cousins, according to PFF, was pressured on 55% of his drop backs vs the Cleveland Browns. According to Arif, that’s only happened three other times in Cousins’ Vikings tenure. Not only did the purple lose those three previous games, they haven’t won at all when Kirk gets pressured at a rate higher than 44% of his drop backs.

But this isn’t a Kirk Cousins thing. When the rest of the league’s quarterbacks are pressured on >44% of drop backs, they win just 36.7% of the time. When pressure rates reach 55% or more, teams win just 26.7% of the time. I’m not here to give Arif’s entire article away but I thought these were fascinating metrics that fans can use in the future to judge offensive line play and who might be to blame when the pass game struggles.

It’s no surprise that keeping your quarterback clean is a major key to winning NFL games.

Priority Problem #1

Look, Sunday’s performance against the Browns’ defensive front wasn’t one lineman’s fault. Brian O’Neill, for example, allowed his first pressures of the season on Sunday. And all five offensive linemen took a hit to their PFF grades.

But Rashod Hill’s 39.3 PFF grade through four weeks ranks 71st of 73 qualified NFL offensive tackles. He’s become by-far the biggest weakness on this Vikings offense. His PFF grade makes Garrett Bradbury’s 54.7 (26th of 33 qualified centers) look pro bowl worthy. To exacerbate the situation, Hill plays left tackle so he continually goes up against some of the most talented and highest compensated defensive edge rushers league-wide.

In other words, Kirk Cousins’ blind side is incredibly vulnerable, which is not something the Minnesota coaching staff or front office should take lightly. We’ve seen what Cousins can do if well protected and he’s going to need an MVP-type finish to 2021 if the Vikings are going to return to playoff relevancy.

Some guys are meant to be depth pieces and that’s ok.

Don’t lose your temper on Rashod Hill. He wasn’t supposed to be the Minnesota Vikings starting left tackle in 2021 or beyond. His PFF numbers show it. Hill had easily the best PFF grade of his career in 2020 (72.4), when he played just 11% of offensive snaps. In (4) 2021 games, he’s already more than doubled his snap count from all 16 games in 2020.

Rashod Hill scored a PFF grade under 60 in each of the two seasons he took 50% or more of the offensive snaps. He’s over a 60 grade in years he takes 15% or less. That’s pretty telling and rather incredible.

For this offense to hum, Cousins needs to be kept upright and off the injury report. Just because he’s been overly durable throughout the first half of his career, doesn’t mean anything is promised for tomorrow. One blindside shot could change that healthy reputation in a hurry.

Help on the way?

The starting left tackle for this 2021 Minnesota Vikings squad was supposed to be a 1st round rookie. Instead, Christian Darrisaw saw the practice field for the first time two weeks ago and the playing field for the first time on Sunday vs the Browns. He took one snap, blocking for the only extra point Minnesota kicked.

Admittedly, we have no idea what Darrisaw will look like or how he will handle the right defensive ends he’ll go up against in the NFL. But if he’s really a 1st round talent and healthy enough to play then Christian Darrisaw cannot be worse than Rashod Hill. If he is,.. then the Vikings are in big trouble.

I’m not typing this blog to say that the Vikes are one competent left tackle away from a really good offensive line. But in the middle of a season, fixing the entire front-fence isn’t feasible. You need to pick and choose the spots that need fixing the most. In the case of this Minnesota offense, that’s at left tackle.

Klint Kubiak may have given him a vote of confidence last week but he was proven wrong. Rashod Hill needs to go (to the bench for more limited work). The Vikings coaching staff has to get Darrisaw ready to play immediately, before it’s too late. And “too late” is getting dangerously close to current reality.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Wed, 06 Oct 2021 09:16:01 +0000 Uncategorized Klint Kubiak Gives Rashod Hill Vote of Confidence https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-vikings/klint-kubiak-gives-rashod-hill-vote-of-confidence-minnesota-vikings/ Thu, 30 Sep 2021 20:36:55 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36429 The 2021 NFL season is three weeks old and the Minnesota Vikings are still shrouded in mystery. They hold a losing 1-2 record and sit near the bottom of the NFC North. But as Mike Zimmer loves to point out, the sum of their two losses totals just four points. Optimists believe the Vikings are one shanked 37-yard field goal away from being 2-1 and one Dalvin Cook fumble away from having a kicker’s chance at 3-0.

Right now, this is a football team being propped up by their often vilified QB Kirk Cousins, who’s being protected by an offensive line that’s been much better than what we’ve seen in recent Vikings history. Four of five starting offensive linemen have shown measurable improvement and (RG) Oli Udoh is flashing early signs of an o-line staple for years to come.

But there’s one ugly sore-thumb sticking out of the far left side of that o-line. The 29-year-old (6-year veteran) Rashod Hill has struggled throughout the 2021 campaign and his PFF grade shows it.

“Rashod’s our guy”

Hill’s grade of 42.7 is by-far the worst on the offensive line and ranks 72nd among 74 qualified NFL tackles. Center, Garrett Bradbury’s undesirable 53.6 grade doesn’t look so bad when Hill’s is included in the graphic. This is why the Vikings targeted a left tackle early in the 2021 draft. That draft pick, Christian Darrisaw, is now cleared medically and practicing with the team. But that doesn’t mean Hill’s job is in jeopardy.

Offensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak, spoke with reporters on Thursday as part of his weekly OC duties. He put in a vote of confidence for his starting left tackle, Rashod Hill, calling him “our guy”. In the next sentence, Kubiak talked about the long road Christian Darrisaw has to actually finding his way into the o-line rotation.

It feels like weeks, if not months, until Darrisaw is an actual threat to take the starting left tackle job from Rashod Hill, no matter how poor Hill plays.

“Rashod [Hill]’s our guy. It’s good to have Christian [Darrisaw] back in practice. He’s getting better. He’s only had a few days so you have to build him up and do it the right way and I’m really pleased with his progression.”

Klint Kubiak (above video)

Kirk on Fire

The Minnesota Vikings will have to ride or die with Rashod at left tackle into the foreseeable future. How long that will be remains to be seen but, if you trust Klint’s tone, we shouldn’t hold our collective breaths. There was no hesitation by Kubiak when asked about Darrisaw as possible LT competition for Hill. He’s not.

Still, a semi-competent Rashod Hill might be all a smoldering Kirk Cousins needs to stack a few wins at home. Even with the injured ankle of Dalvin Cook and the lackluster week-by-week performances from their left tackle, the purple and gold offense has been humming behind Cousins’ right arm, posting 425 yards and 29 points per game.

If you noticed in the graphic near the top of this blog, Kirk is sporting a ridiculous 89.1 PFF grade through three weeks, good for 3rd in the league. Nobody (other than me) saw Kirk Cousins confidently leading the Minnesota offense to the tune of 800 yards, 8 touchdowns and 0 interceptions through three games.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Thu, 30 Sep 2021 15:36:59 +0000 Minnesota Vikings Offensive Line Play, Not Vax Status, Will Determine Vikings Fate in 2021 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-vikings/offensive-line-play-not-vaccine-status-will-determine-vikings-fate-in-2021/ Thu, 09 Sep 2021 12:00:00 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=36178 It’s been nearly a decade since the Minnesota Vikings have had a competent offensive line able to protect its quarterbacks from being pulverized at every drop back. And beyond a newly extended Brian O’Neill, questions surrounding those five offensive trench positions are more bountiful than ever.

Many in the media, however, would rather sell vaccination status storylines that pin the fate of the Vikings’ season on NFL rules that don’t always follow the science of how COVID-19 spreads. Data tells us that vaccinated people can contract and spread the virus (fully vaccinated countries are hitting record highs in cases) too, yet the league has MUCH stricter quarantine and mask-wearing procedures for their unvaccinated players. Why?

Then, those same media members (with plenty of help from Mike Zimmer) want to turn that vaxxed vs unvaxxed fight into locker room consternation that we don’t know exists. Yes, we know the head coach wants everyone vaccinated. He doesn’t want to worry about unfair rules effecting the availability of his unvaxxed players. But beyond what Zim has expressed in press conferences, we don’t actually know if the vaccination status of certain guys is stirring up controversy within TCO Performance Center. More importantly, the Vikings locker room.

What we should worry about

We do know the Minnesota Vikings offensive line was bad again last year. We also know that one of their two competent offensive linemen, Riley Reiff, now plays for Cincinnati. So, he’ll be on the field Sunday but not in a Vikings uniform. His replacement plan, 1st round draft pick Christian Darrisaw, hasn’t taken a practice snap yet because of a lingering injury.

Unless a miracle has unfolded during training camp, suddenly turning Oli Udoh and Rashod Hill into the starting-caliber offensive linemen that they’ve never been, the vaccine status of Kirk Cousins isn’t going to matter. He’ll be at home with broken bones and we’ll be stuck watching a 4-13 football team led by Sean Mannion.

So let’s focus on the things that realistically have a shot at torpedoing the 2021 Vikings. Panicking over the vaccine status of Kirk Cousins or other stars along the offense and defense makes no sense. But then again, neither does writing fluff pieces on Rashod Hill and Oli Udoh, who we all hope play as few downs as possible, vs hit pieces on a QB you can’t win without.

Welcome to 2021.

Anything can happen

This blog isn’t refuting anything written about “what could happen” if Kirk Cousins were to become a “close contact” or contract COVID-19 during the season. If that were to happen, he’d be forced to sit out of team activities for a longer period of time than someone who’s vaccinated. Yes, that could happen. But if we’re that upset about it, shouldn’t we also be questioning the premise behind the rules, especially if those rules don’t make sense?

Missing a week or two because of COVID-19 isn’t going to doom the Minnesota Vikings season anyway. I’m not going to speculate about a playoff or super bowl COVID absence. And it’s worth mentioning again: we’ve seen elsewhere in the NFL and around the world, vaccinated people can contract and spread the virus too. We have no idea what next week will look like in this world, let alone multiple months from now.

Much like an injury to the wrong player at the wrong time, COVID could impact the Vikings’ season. But the likelihood of it happening in a large way is being unsurprisingly overblown. If you want to look for something that could derail the season, look in a familiar spot: the offensive line.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> Thu, 09 Sep 2021 08:22:09 +0000 Minnesota Vikings The Slump-Buster Spielman Needed; Rashod Hill Re-Signs with the Vikings https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-vikings/the-slump-buster-spielman-needed-rashod-hill-re-signs-with-the-vikings/ https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-vikings/the-slump-buster-spielman-needed-rashod-hill-re-signs-with-the-vikings/#respond Sat, 21 Mar 2020 01:22:28 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=22897

via GIPHY

It’s true. The Vikings actually re-signed someone. This tweet from his agent confirms it. I know… I’m as surprised as you. Rashod Hill played in 15 games for the Vikings in 2019… but only started one.

So, is the Hill signing significant? Ummmm…… kind of? We needed to stop the negative momentum. I guess Rashod Hill is the Vikings offseason slump-buster. Spielman was on a losing streak that continued today, when Everson Griffen decided he wasn’t coming back.

Sometimes, it isn’t about finding the most attractive in the room. I’ve seen the bottom of the barrel scraped when absolutely necessary. Whatever it takes to kill that losing streak.

And Rashod is better than that. He’s a decent swing tackle, who provides good depth. Any good… or average (in the Vikings case, bad) offensive line needs a Rashod Hill.

In fact, I’d take a Rashod Hill-caliber slump buster any day of the week. Now, lets see if Rick can work any miracles with what remains of the cap (pretty much nothing).

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

]]> https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-vikings/the-slump-buster-spielman-needed-rashod-hill-re-signs-with-the-vikings/feed/ 0 Fri, 20 Mar 2020 20:22:34 +0000 Minnesota Vikings