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Whenever the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings have faced each other since 2016, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks has been a wrecking ball, and the Vikings’ inside offensive line has suffered. Tom Compton and Pat Elflein struggled against him. Most recently, it was Dakota Dozier. Hicks has been an intractable problem for these clumsy units. On Sunday, Hicks will face a struggling home again against Dozier, Garrett Bradbury and Ezra Cleveland. These players know the challenge at US Bank Stadium. What can they do about it?
To answer that, I turned to someone with a first-hand perspective. Cameron Lee performed for Chicago in 2017 and 2018 and had his fair share of Hicks Explosions. He told a story where Hicks blew him up so far in the backfield in practice that he stepped on Mike Glennon’s toes, incurring an ear full from his coaches. You can find the full conversation on the Locked On Vikings podcast. He explained to me how unique Hicks is as an athlete:
“Akiem is actually the closest thing a human can be to a literal physical bear. This is not an exaggeration. At one point in my life I was 6 feet 5 inches and 325 pounds. Akiem made me small. He measured 6’7 ”, 375 every bit and had abs.
The NFL’s defensive lines are full of superhumans like Hicks. It is not enough as an offensive lineman to raise your hand and declare Hicks an undefensable athlete. Fortunately, with a player like him in an area diagram, there is a remedy. Zone blocking requires linemen to go to a predetermined location in the field. If they can get there before the defender, they will have a leverage advantage which can help negate a strength disadvantage.
Against a player like Hicks, who is strong enough to override this advantage, linemen should beware of common pitfalls. Lee explained:
“A lot of guys, especially in an area pattern where you’re running and reaching and being so fast they tend to be a bit lifted. This is when a guy like Akiem can kind of ruin your day. … If he puts his hands under you, you have no chance of getting to your point of aim because he can put you in the backfield.
This kind of discipline has been hard to come by in Minnesota and should be the focus of practice this week. Here’s an example of Cleveland letting their pads get too high against Hicks. When it comes time for Hicks to get rid of the blockage, there’s not much Cleveland can do.
But zone plans are designed to help linemen deal with big, bear-like defensive tackles in the race. The advice cannot go much further than “do your job and do it right”. When it comes to password protection, it can be a different issue. Protecting passes is a bit more creative than blocking execution. Linemen have leeway in choosing which technique to use to counter their opponent’s passing rush. Lee had these suggestions for pass protection against a player like Hicks:
“The best thing you can do to beat a defensive lineman as good, strong and quick as Hicks is to catch him off guard. Whether for a quick mix or for a slightly shallower setting. “
One quick set they could use is a “jump set,” as explained here by Geoff Schwartz. Instead of taking the time to set up each foot deliberately, linemen will jump and land both feet almost simultaneously. This would make it harder for Hicks to gain access to all of his strength before the lineman prepares to absorb him. This would encourage Hicks to switch his technique to a faster, but perhaps less powerful technique. When he does this, the guard might switch to a more power-based technique. Varying their defined depth could have the same effect. Lee offered more details on what he would try to do if he had to face Hicks for an entire match.
“With Akiem I would mix punches, with a two handed combo, a one handed combo, just keep him off guard. Have him try to move from side to side. Even though he’s good at it, the more a guy moves from side to side and less straight through me, the better my odds.
There are several hand techniques that linemen can use to try and hit an oncoming passer. They could use an inside strike that reinforces the inside of their position, encouraging Hicks to rush onto the field and pass the quarterback. They could focus on the outside of their stance to move Hicks from side to side, and with that momentum, finish him off with a two-handed strike on the chest plate. The important thing is to mix these strategies up and let Hicks guess.
These changes are not easy. If they were, Hicks wouldn’t have the reputation he has. But if the Vikings are looking to learn how to improve their performance against Hicks, advice from his former training partner is a good place to start.
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