The Mormon church teaches its followers to “build upon the rock.” They believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its people have successfully weathered the storms of life because of their willingness to “be guided in the right and proper way.”
Helaman chapter 5, verse 12 in the Book of Mormon reads:
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
Many religions and philosophers have used rocks in parables, meditations, and teachings.
- The Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius called for people “to be like the rock the waves keep crashing over” in one of his meditations. “It stands unmoved, and the raging of the sea falls around it.”
- In the Holy Bible, Jesus told a crowd that was trying to punish an adulterer, “Let he without sin cast the first stone.” Even the less religiously inclined know that people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
- Led Zeppelin also wrote a song about a stubborn lady who wanted to buy a large staircase. In it, they warned against being “a rock and not to roll.”
Jaren Hall’s faith is the rock upon which he built his life. He grew up Mormon in Spanish Fork, Utah. The son of former BYU running back Kalin Hall earned a scholarship to Brigham Young University after throwing for 5,109 yards and 52 touchdowns at Maple Mountain High School. However, he spent two years on a Mormon mission before playing college football.
Hall was preternaturally poised as a rookie last year. The Minnesota Vikings took Hall as a project quarterback in the fifth round after he threw for 6,174 yards and compiled a 158.2 quarterback rating at BYU. Hall, 26, says his calm is part of his makeup and belief in his preparation, but it’s likely also the product of being an older rookie and his faith.
“I’m a very chill individual,” he said before his first start last year. “Take the small [coaching points] until you build up to game day, and I think that’s where confidence and calmness come from.”
The Vikings likely didn’t plan on using Hall last year. However, Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in Green Bay a week after his masterful performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football. Nick Mullens was recovering from a back injury when Cousins went down, forcing Hall to finish out the Week 8 Packers game and start in Atlanta a week later.
Still, Hall didn’t seem fazed the week before his first professional start. He looked serene as he told the media that Kevin O’Connell, senior offensive assistant Chris O’Hara, and assistant quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski had prepared him to play against the Atlanta Falcons.
“They’ve done a great job preparing all of us each and every week,” he said. “Making sure that we dot our I’s, cross our T’s, and are ready to play. That’s just the professional approach you take every week, and I pride myself on [my] preparation. Once you get on the field, it’s just a game. I feel like I’m more than capable and ready to do whatever’s asked of me.”
Hall completed five of six passes for 78 yards. However, he suffered a concussion while scrambling near the end zone on Minnesota’s second drive, and his absence launched Joshua Dobbs into orbit. Hall didn’t start again until Week 16 against the Packers, and O’Connell pulled him after he started 5 of 10 for 67 yards and an interception.
“There were some early plays in the game where maybe things were happening pretty quick, and progressions and things like that,” O’Connell said after the game, explaining why he pulled Hall.
“Early third down where the No. 1 progression might have been K.J. [Osborn] working across the field, and we had our eyes in the wrong spot and just things that would’ve been hard to predict. Then, just about the time [that] he found a rhythm on some throws, and we moved the ball a little bit, we took a sack to knock us backward, and [we were] kind of scratching uphill from there.”
Reflecting on the loss, Hall wishes he took better ownership of the moment. In O’Connell’s system, the quarterback must relay a complicated play call in the huddle, check the defense at the line, and call protections before the center snaps the ball. Then, he must go through his progressions, aligning his feet and eyes with his receivers before making the pass.
Like any quarterback, Hall can create serenity in the huddle by clearly stating the play, effectively going through his checks at the line, and progressing correctly from the pocket. Hall’s poise can help steady the players around him, but he must execute from a technical standpoint to put them completely at ease.
O’Connell tried to be process-oriented when he mentioned progression and Hall’s eyes after the Packers game. Still, the Vikings may have held Hall’s results from last year against him. By drafting J.J. McCarthy, signing Sam Darnold, and retaining Mullens, they moved Hall to No. 4 on their depth chart.
However, McCarthy suffered a torn meniscus in the first preseason game, and Hall has seized the moment. He has worked late after practice and produced a perfect passer rating in Minnesota’s second preseason game. Hall started in Philadelphia on Saturday and went 17 for 25 with two touchdowns, leading the Vikings on five scoring drives. Hall sustained a leg injury on his final drive but has done what he can to earn a spot on the roster.
The Vikings could use a rock after a tumultuous offseason in which Khyree Jackson died in a car accident, McCarthy and Mekhi Blackmon suffered season-ending injuries, and Jordan Addison got a DUI. Hall has worked on his foundation by improving his footwork late after practice. He was inconsistent last year, but the coaching staff must also consider how they prepared him and whether they had reasonable expectations for a fifth-round quarterback. Hall also has bona fide weapons around him. Justin Jefferson glitters and is gold.
Hall may not be a perfect quarterback. But he’s a rock who’s willing to roll.
