You can always bank on Brian Asamoah II cranking the boombox in the locker room.
Likewise, you can count on Asamoah handling his business on Vikings special teams units, slapping opponents as hard as "Crossed Out," a hit track by Future and Metro Boomin that is one of his Friday picks.
"I just go out there and do my job," offered Asamoah after lowering the volume, "and people follow."
He's done it again and again, and therefore gained the trust and esteem of teammates and coaches.
"You're gonna hear him," rookie special teams standout Bo Richter shared. "You're gonna hear him talking about it, and he's being about it at the same time. He's a guy that you can trust to do the same thing every day. When he's about it, he's gonna be about it all the time. That's the biggest thing."
Two minutes and one second into the fourth quarter of last Sunday's game, Asamoah laid a lick on Atlanta kickoff returner Ray-Ray McCloud III, jarring the ball loose with a "Peanut punch" at the Falcons 31.
C.J. Ham recovered it, and seven plays later, Minnesota swung a 14-point lead.
It was more evidence that Asamoah, 24, entrenched in his third NFL season, is finding his niche.
"Any time I get to step out on those white lines, man, it's an honor because a lot of people don't get that opportunity," Asamoah remarked. "So I'm just trying to maximize every opportunity I get, which right now is special teams. I'm making the most of it and going out there and trying to dominate every time."
Vikings Special Teams Coordinator Matt Daniels said Asamoah "continues to assert himself as the leader of the pack. I asked our group several weeks ago, like, 'Who's the true pulse of the unit?' "
Third-year safety Theo Jackson has played a team-high 256 snaps on special teams. Kamu Grugier-Hill, a 43-game starter at linebacker in his nine-season career, has logged 251. Asamoah is next at 237 (69.7%), and making his case as a doubly important Viking, amping up teammates with his voice and play style.
Take for instance, in Minnesota's first home game in almost one month (Dec. 1 against Arizona), he hustled more than half the length of the field to square up with Cardinals punt returner Greg Dortch and make a solid solo tackle in the open field. It saved a 7-yard return from becoming potentially worse.
One game before that, Asamoah clutched onto the football after Jerry Tillery's giant left mitt blocked a field goal attempt by Bears kicker Cairo Santos. His alertness shifted into higher gear on the runback – Asamoah went left, cut right, changed speeds, started to roll, stopped and weaved back to his left toward the painted "C" logo at midfield. He made at least five skill position-esque moves during the 22-yard return.
"Why are you trying to cut back?!" Dallas Turner shrieked at Asamoah on the sideline afterwards.
"YOU ARE A LINEBACKER!"
In the calmest, direct-est tone, Asamoah quipped, "No, I'm a running back."
He wishes he scored in hindsight (Asamoah initially looked to have a favorable angle up the Vikings sideline), but the offense happily took care of that assignment on the sixth play of its ensuing drive.
"I actually had a decent amount of yardage and scholarship offers to play running back [coming out of high school]," Asamoah said, smiling confidently. "So I felt that in me when I had the ball in my hands."
Editor's Note: Asamoah isn't kidding. He was a dynamic two-way player at St. Francis DeSales in Columbus, Ohio, rushing for 1,697 yards and 18 TDs on 248 carries (6.8 avg.).
The nucleus of Minnesota's special teams of course includes team captains Andrew DePaola, C.J. Ham and Joshua Metellus. Also, Trent Sherfield, Sr., is deserving of mention – he's an elite gunner on the punt unit and has been receiving votes for the Pro Bowl.
But Asamoah's vibration is irrefutable – and pronounced considering his journey.
Near the conclusion of his rookie season, Asamoah received 20-plus snaps on defense in three consecutive games. He produced, too, with 14 tackles and one forced fumble and recovery. But that was then, and this is now, and Asamoah hasn't played more than a handful of defensive snaps in a meaningful scenario since logging 14 in Week 2 at Philadelphia last year. He's played on defense in two games this season – both occasions happened with the Vikings convincingly ahead of Houston (13 snaps) and Atlanta (11).
No matter, Asamoah's focus has strengthened.
"You've got to enjoy where your feet are at and make the most of the opportunities because they don't come often," Asamoah reflected. "When you get that op, you've got to maximize it and be ready for it."
The performances correspond with Asamoah's growth as a leader.
When "Voice of the Vikings" Paul Allen broached to Kevin O'Connell in this week's X's and O's chat that "ancillary pieces" are embracing roles, Allen led with Asamoah – for the above reasons; he's jumping out.
In response, O'Connell waxed eloquently about the team's 2022 third-round draft pick.
"He has really come into his own," O'Connell told Allen. "Matt Daniels has this expression, he calls them 'Red Dots' – the guys that you're highlighting on your call sheet, the opposing teams are highlighting in the kicking-game phase [and] that you better have an answer for; you better have an understanding of where that guy is. And I think B.A. has become one of those players within our organization.
"The way he's thriving in all four phases, what he does week in and week out," he added. "He's taken on a little bit more of a leadership role. You can feel the way he prepares. You can feel him taking that next step and understanding that every single Sunday he's going to impact the game one way or another."
That confidence and maturity is thematic throughout Asamoah's season.
"Obviously, it goes much deeper than just talking about it," Daniels remarked. "We talk about, all the time, how there's no sound on the tape so you can talk good and say all this and that, but until you put it on tape, none of that truly matters. And so that's what he's been doing on a consistent basis.
"I'm just so appreciative of what he's doing from a practice standpoint," Daniels added, noting Asamoah's physical presence matches the unit's toughness. "And you can see that practice execution turning into game reality, and that's the beauty of it as a coach … you work so hard from a practice standpoint to see all of that – everything that you put into it during the week — show up on game day."
O'Connell likens what Asamoah is doing in 2024 to what Joshua Metellus did in 2022.
"Yeah, everybody sees him now," noted O'Connell. "But his journey really started in those phases."
"His situation is pretty unique," Asamoah said with respect. "But he's not the only one that's been through this type of situation. You can talk about the linebacker, 44, for the Colts (Zaire Franklin), who has been through this; [49ers safety Talanoa] Hufanga did this. I guess it's different for everybody, man.
"Like I said, you've just gotta take advantage of your role – whatever team you're on, whatever it is that you're doing – and then go from there," Asamoah added. "As you continue to stack days, and stack seasons on seasons then you get the opportunity to showcase your abilities on whatever side of the ball you are on, and then you go from there and continue to ball, man, and everything just works out."
One step, one thud, one KOR (kickoff return) snap at a time.
Before knocking the ball out of McCloud's clasp last week, Asamoah perfectly executed a block far away from where Ty Chandler was tackled on a 22-yard kickoff return with 5:06 left in the third quarter. It's the kind of play – and effort – that goes unnoticed because the outcome was ordinary. But Asamoah wasn't.
"The pulse is a good way to describe it," Richter said, nodding to Daniels' question. "He's gonna bring the energy all the time. … I've learned the most from his attitude, because he attacks every day the same."
O'Connell affirmed: "When you see guys assume that role, thriving in that role, you know that the best is yet to come. There's a wonderful future out in front of a guy like B.A. – but he's thriving in his role now which will only help in the future as he continues to ascend within our organization."
Asamoah insists it's just the beginning. His best play hasn't happened yet.
He declared, "I'm not done, man. I love this game. If you love it, it'll love you back."
