September 15, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA. Green Bay Packers linebacker Jadarius Smith. Compulsory Credit: Benny Sue-USA Today Sports.
When it comes to the NFL, there are several different types of players. You have them that are somewhat reserved and get excited when something exciting happens. Then, some people bring excitement with them every day.
If you’ve been watching the Vikings play for the last few years, you’ve probably missed the latter. Before the 2020 season there were two hype men, Stephen Diggs and Everson Griffin. But the Vikings have lost both of them. They traded Diggs to the Bills in 2020 and Griffin is battling mental health issues.
You wouldn’t think that NFL teams need these kinds of guys. After all, they’re all professional players, aren’t they? They should be inspired a lot and bring their own juices. For this they get paid.
However, that is not always the case. Hype men are needed to bring strength to the team. It couldn’t have been clearer than this when there were no fans on the stand after the first game in 2020.
Kirk Cousin infamously said they lacked the energy they needed. He said it was hard without the fans. If the Vikings had Dig in the team, the power would have been completely different. There was only that personality about him – that contagious force.
The Vikings have lacked this strength for two years now. They need someone who can come and infect everyone with positive energy and be a hype man. Well, the Vikings Finally Again they have Hype Man.
J’Darius Smith brings juice to the Vikings
J’Darius Smith was the best free-agent signing off-season for the Vikings. He injected some much needed talent into the defensive front. If he and Daniel Hunter can stay healthy, the Vikings have the best pass-racing pairing in the league.
However, Smith genius is much more than an injection. He is an injection of energy. If you watch his interviews or clips from OTA, you can feel this power through the camera.
There aren’t too many people who can fire you through the camera. However, Smith is one of those boys. And if he can get you hyped up, what kind of energy injector is he in that locker room?
In a recent interview, Dalvin Cook spoke of that power. “She’s crazy,” Cook said. The exercises are fun. He will be one of those players who makes our whole team better, just brings that strength. It’s just scary to have Z on the other side of Daniel. “
Such energy has been missing since the last two seasons. Of course, Zimmer has something to do with it. However, the Vikings clearly lost a hype man.
Now, the Vikings have Jaderias Smith as their hype man. It’s going to be a fun season with him at Purple. September may not come too soon.
Mitch Massman is a lifelong fan of the Vikings. His first heartbreak was playing in the 1998 NFC Championship. His full-time job as an economic development professional in rural Minnesota. He imagines the Vikings winning the Super Bowl one day, but until then he will write about the Vikings. Follow him on Twitter skol_vikings3
