Don’t Forget About CJ Ham
It’s quite possibly Hammer Time. CJ Ham – Minnesota’s quiet, underrated FB – should be featured more prominently in the Lions game. Don’t listen to what Zim has been saying (or, at the very least, use our Mike Zimmer Injury Translator), the Vikes will be without Dalvin Cook. That reality opens up plenty of touches in the purple backfield.
Vikings writers far and wide have been prognosticating about Kene Nwangwu’s potential impact. It’s easy to see why. The rookie is capable of making game-changing, jaw-dropping plays on specials. Why any special teams coordinator would tell their kicker to kick a returnable ball is beyond me. Seems like a good way to be fired. Alas, I’m not NFL coach, and nor was I meant to be.
Here’s one thing that’s getting overlooked about this return: the entire backfield (apart from Cook) was crucial in making the TD happen.
Nwangwu, of course, is remarkably fast and has great vision. Who were the two blockers immediately in front of him, though? None other than Alexander Mattison and CJ Ham. Just keep your eye on those two. They do a great job of getting themselves between the potential tackler and Nwangwu. In youth football, you’ll hear coaches tell their young RBs to “run to bums.” The basic idea is that you want the blocker to be between the tackler and ball carrier. If the RB (or, as the case may be, kickoff returner) can recognize that his blocker is pushing a man in a certain direction, then it behooves him to run off the blocker’s backside as he takes the ball in the other direction.
So, take a peak at the job Ham and Mattison do. It’s Blocking 101.
Mattison will rightly be leaned on to carry the load in Week 13. Nwangwu will rightly be given the chance to show what he can do on offense. Heck, Zim even confirmed that the team will “find some ways to use him.” All of this makes sense.
Nevertheless, the coaches would be wise to ensure Ham gets his touches.
This is a great play by Ham. It’s a run look since the Vikings are in 21 personnel. The I-formation suggests some sort of power run, and SF responds appropriately by having plenty of bodies near the line of scrimmage. Ham motions before the snap, bringing him into more of a TE alignment. As Cousins bootlegs off of play action, Ham’s job is to throw a cut block before getting back onto his feet for the reception. It went for 16-yards. His pre-snap movement, block, reception, and yards after the catch make this play work.
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I’ve spent more than my fair share of time advocating for the Vikings to lessen the Cook carries. He’s remarkably talented; he’s also injury prone. I’ve therefore advocated for more Mattison, a player who could easily be a RB1 in a different situation. Other writers have done the same.
One thing I haven’t done a good enough job of is emphasizing Ham. He’s an underrated player. True, his speed isn’t game-changing and nor will he break too many ankles. He can provide great versatility, though. He has soft hands and is a good blocker. Generally speaking, third-down backs are built like Nwangwu or Ameer Abdullah: smaller, quicker players. The Vikings have never been shy about ignoring the broader trends; even having a FB that gets used prominently is unusual in today’s NFL. Perhaps Ham’s role could increase by getting involved more on third down. I know it’s a small amount of targets, but Ham has a 84.6 receiving grade on PFF. That’s first among FBs.
With the depth taking on a prominent role in Detroit, expect and hope for CJ Ham to get more looks. He’s a sneaky option in the passing game and a rugged runner. The Vikings should consider looking his way to extend drives and keep the Lions off balance.
