Kevin O’Connell’s Aggressive Playcalling Is a Ringing Endorsement of Jaren Hall
After Kirk Cousins suffered a devastating non-contact injury at Lambeau Field, rookie quarterback Jaren Hall entered the game with a 14-point lead and just over 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Color commentator Jonathan Vilma suggested the Vikings should play it safe with a two-score lead and run the football to drain the clock. “Let’s remember the score.” Vilma said. “That’s first and foremost, up 14. Hall knows the score, and I’m sure Kevin O’Connell is letting him know the score as well. Do not force the issue.”
At first, it appeared the Vikings were content to play it safe. Hall handed the ball off to Alexander Mattison who lost two yards on the play. On 2nd and 12 with 6:37 left in the 4th, Jaren Hall surprisingly fakes the handoff, rolls out to his right and completes his first career pass on the run to K.J. Osborn for a short gain of three yards.
Then on 3rd and 9, with 6:01 left in the 4th quarter, and the ball on the Vikings’ own 12-yard line, Hall gets strip-sacked by Preston Smith and the Packers recover the football in their own red zone. Vilma vehemently disagreed with Kevin O’Connell’s decision to keep passing the ball in that situation.
Fortunately, the Vikings’ defense prevented the Packers from scoring on the following possession, and the offense trotted back onto the field on their own 6-yard line with 4:46 left to go in the 4th. After a short run by Alexander Mattison, the Packers used their first timeout to stop the clock.
Instead of handing the ball off to Mattison, Jaren Hall fakes the handoff, as the Vikings try to get the play-action passing game going. This time it resulted in an incompletion with immediate pressure bearing down on Jaren Hall after Josh Oliver failed to pick up the man in front of him. Once again, Vilma was dumbfounded. “I just don’t get it.” he said. “Why are they running these types of plays in this situation?”
Kevin O’Connell’s Aggressive Playcalling Is a Ringing Endorsement for Jaren Hall
In an interview with Paul Allen, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell explained his thought process: “Backed up there, I’m sure there were a lot of Vikings fans wondering: “Why are we doing this with this player?” I would like to let everyone know I was aware of the information regarding Kirk at the time. With a 14-point lead and a lot of football with where I think we’re headed… So I looked at it as a genuine opportunity to allow him to make a play at that moment like he did.”
While foolhardy, Kevin O’Connell’s deliberate decision to stay aggressive in the passing game is a sign that the Vikings have faith in Jaren Hall. From the moment he was drafted in the fifth round, the Vikings brass was buzzing with excitement.
Director of college scouting Mike Sholiton spoke highly of Hall’s leadership qualities, passing efficiency, and his ability to improvise when a play breaks down during his time at BYU. During his time with the Cougars, Hall threw for over 6,174 passing yards in 31 games and threw 52 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. As a dual-threat quarterback, Jaren also had 181 carries for 796 yards and 9 rushing touchdowns in his collegiate career.
Hall played in a pro-style offense that used a lot of two tight end formations and has a lot of carry-over to Kevin O’Connell’s offensive scheme. In essence, we’re talking about a pro-style quarterback who has plus athleticism and is capable of making plays both within and without the structure of the offense to guide him. Plus, there’s the added benefit of Jaren being in a great situation.
The Vikings have a young and innovative offensive playcaller, one of the best offensive lines in the league, a Pro-Bowl tight end in T.J. Hockenson, an ascending rookie receiver in Jordan Addison, in addition to K.J. Osborn and Josh Oliver.
While the Vikings did trade for Josh Dobbs at the trade deadline, they only gave up a 6th rounder as part of a late-round pick swap to acquire him. Therefore, there’s no obligation for the Vikings to start Dobbs unless Hall struggles mightily in his first start.
One thing worth mentioning is that even before the Vikings traded for Dobbs, the team made it an effort to make Jaren Hall available to the media directly after Kirk Cousins’ injury. The Vikings had no obligation to make Hall speak with the media on such short notice, but they did so anyway. I believe this is the organization’s way of trying to empower Hall, which is a sign that the team is fully invested in his development.
Hall’s first career start will come against a stingy Falcons defense that lost their best player in Grady Jarrett, to a season-ending injury. While that may be a sign of relief for the interior offensive line, Hall will still need to make an effort to go through his progressions and get the ball out quickly against this defensive unit.
That being said, if Jaren Hall can show off his upside while minimizing the inevitable rookie mistakes he’s bound to make, he has a real chance of finishing the season as the starting quarterback. However, if the Vikings make the playoffs with Jaren Hall playing well under center, he could wind up being Minnesota’s new franchise quarterback in 2024 and beyond.
