Zimsu sees gains in ‘physicality and demeanor’ for second-year tackle O’Neill

[purplefaithful]

EAGAN — The Minnesota Vikings have spent their offseason talking about the improvements made in offensive scheme with the hiring of Kevin Stefanski and addition of Gary Kubiak along with added talent in first-round pick Garrett Bradbury and free agent Josh Kline.But the biggest step the Vikings could take in protecting quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2019 could come from second-year right tackle Brian O’Neill making a jump from impressive rookie to top-notch starter in his sophomore season.

“I think he really improved with the physicality and his demeanor,” head coach Mike Zimmer said on Monday. “That really showed up toward the end of the year. He was much more physical and aggressive. They are all going to have to get better in pass protection but he has great feet and recovery so the more he can continue with his technique. I think he’s got a chance. He’s got great length and size.”
O’Neill did not win the job out of camp last year but following injuries on the offensive line he ultimately was given the starting position over Rashod Hill and played a total of 800 snaps.
Being that he was thrown into the mix, the Vikings may not have been table to take full advantage of his athletic abilities. At the NFL Combine, he ran a 40-yard dash in the 98th percentile (according to Mockdraftable). Utilizing his quickness appears to be in the cards for an offense predicated on moving linemen horizontally.
“[O’Neill] brings great athleticism to that position,” offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski said. “He has showed up in great shape, he’s running around. It was great to be in pads yesterday, he was hustling down the field and that’s just a big man running who’s got the athleticism being a former tight end. I think he showed up to camp in great shape and I’m really looking forward to what Brian is going to put on tape this year in his second year.
”https://www.skornorth.com/vikings-2/2019...le-oneill/

[Guest]

Played at 297 last year...he put on some weight...Zim said he needs another 10...I'd lean towards staying lean...

[Guest]

Putting on weight is fine, but adding extra strength goes a lot further as tackles go...

[Guest]

@"BarrNone55" said:
.Zim said he needs another 10...I'd lean towards staying lean...

Sure, I'd take physique advice from this guy... B)

[Guest]

My only worry IMO is that O'Neill is still built like an over pumped TE. As Z mentions, he still needs to add bulk weight. He doesn't have that thickness in the waist, butt and thighs for anchoring that the really good ones have. Hopefully he keeps developing. 

[Guest]

Brian O'Neill looks to beef up Vikings offensive line

He was a 240-pound tight end converted to offensive tackle four years ago when he woke in the middle of the night to eat — “That’s when I was trying to gain like 50 pounds in a couple of months.”
Growth is more gradual these days. O’Neill says he’s only halfway toward his muscle-building goal. He wants to add another five to six pounds.
Weight should complement O’Neill’s impressive foot speed — he was a center for a Delaware state title-winning basketball team — and recovery time. So Vikings coaches want O’Neill to spend a lot of time with the squat rack, which remains a work in progress, according to head coach Mike Zimmer.
“We’re always trying to push that number up a little bit,” O’Neill said of his 301 pounds. “It’s not terribly hard, but it’s something I have to be aware of and focus on every day.”
A distant memory is O’Neill being a healthy scratch for last year’s Week 1 win against San Francisco. The sputtering start to his NFL career turned into a fine rookie season, during which O’Neill was one of a few offensive tackles to not allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus, despite facing Chicago’s Khalil Mack and New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan.
“He really improved with the physicality and his demeanor,” Zimmer said. “That really showed up toward the end of the year. He was much more physical and aggressive.”
O’Neill credited one of the only Vikings players who can nearly see him eye-to-eye. Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter is his daily test in practice. Those one-on-one battles are some of the most compelling scenes in training camp.
When Hunter wins, O’Neill comes after him with questions.
“That’s something I really like about him,” Hunter said. “Not many times you’ll see O-linemen ask a defensive end what they did wrong.”
When Hunter bull rushes through O’Neill, he comes back questioning why Hunter chose that move — not just how to defend it. So Hunter says O’Neill’s hands were too far apart, exposing his chest. If O’Neill is beaten with an inside move, Hunter says he leaned on his outside foot. Should O’Neill square up perfectly, Hunter warns he’ll grab and jerk him around to get him to stop his feet.
“You can tell he doesn’t want to get beat how he normally gets beat,” Hunter said. “He wants to get better, so he’ll find a way.”
O’Neill, who turns 24 next month, has found a sharpening stone in the Vikings’ All-Pro pass rusher.
“Honestly, I can’t say enough about how much he helps me and helped me last year,” O’Neill said. “It’s really, really good work and I’m really appreciative of it. He doesn’t slow down, it’s 1,000 miles per hour.”
http://www.startribune.com/brian-o-neill...513869032/

[Guest]

[ love this approach--- not a got my ass handed to me pissed off attitude.  Instead asks questions to improve his game and relish the challenge of playing against a probowl caliber player.

[Guest]

@"purplefaithful" said:


Brian O'Neill looks to beef up Vikings offensive line

He was a 240-pound tight end converted to offensive tackle four years ago when he woke in the middle of the night to eat — “That’s when I was trying to gain like 50 pounds in a couple of months.”
Growth is more gradual these days. O’Neill says he’s only halfway toward his muscle-building goal. He wants to add another five to six pounds.
Weight should complement O’Neill’s impressive foot speed — he was a center for a Delaware state title-winning basketball team — and recovery time. So Vikings coaches want O’Neill to spend a lot of time with the squat rack, which remains a work in progress, according to head coach Mike Zimmer.
“We’re always trying to push that number up a little bit,” O’Neill said of his 301 pounds. “It’s not terribly hard, but it’s something I have to be aware of and focus on every day.”
A distant memory is O’Neill being a healthy scratch for last year’s Week 1 win against San Francisco. The sputtering start to his NFL career turned into a fine rookie season, during which O’Neill was one of a few offensive tackles to not allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus, despite facing Chicago’s Khalil Mack and New Orleans’ Cameron Jordan.
“He really improved with the physicality and his demeanor,” Zimmer said. “That really showed up toward the end of the year. He was much more physical and aggressive.”
O’Neill credited one of the only Vikings players who can nearly see him eye-to-eye. Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter is his daily test in practice. Those one-on-one battles are some of the most compelling scenes in training camp.
When Hunter wins, O’Neill comes after him with questions.
“That’s something I really like about him,” Hunter said. “Not many times you’ll see O-linemen ask a defensive end what they did wrong.”
When Hunter bull rushes through O’Neill, he comes back questioning why Hunter chose that move — not just how to defend it. So Hunter says O’Neill’s hands were too far apart, exposing his chest. If O’Neill is beaten with an inside move, Hunter says he leaned on his outside foot. Should O’Neill square up perfectly, Hunter warns he’ll grab and jerk him around to get him to stop his feet.
“You can tell he doesn’t want to get beat how he normally gets beat,” Hunter said. “He wants to get better, so he’ll find a way.”
O’Neill, who turns 24 next month, has found a sharpening stone in the Vikings’ All-Pro pass rusher.
“Honestly, I can’t say enough about how much he helps me and helped me last year,” O’Neill said. “It’s really, really good work and I’m really appreciative of it. He doesn’t slow down, it’s 1,000 miles per hour.”
http://www.startribune.com/brian-o-neill...513869032/

Easy kid to root for. If he can ever get to 310 lbs and stay there, that'll be ideal.

p.s. I've also read that Kline has been starting strong at RG.