As soon as veteran linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill checked his phone last weekend, he noticed the messages had already started pouring in from Hawaii.

The reaction from his home state was understandable considering the way Grugier-Hill flew around for the Vikings in last Sunday’s 34-7 win over the Houston Texans at U.S. Bank Stadium. He got the nod in place of injured linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., and immediately made his presence felt by intercepting a pass.

“That was definitely a confidence booster,” Grugier-Hill said. “Just to get the game rolling like that.”

After hauling in the interception on the first series of the game, Grugier-Hill appeared to forced a fumble on the next possession. Never mind that it was actually changed to an incomplete pass upon further review, the fact that Grugier-Hill was in the right spot was more than enough to garner praise from his teammates.

“Just coming to a new team I’m trying to win the respect of the guys,” Grugier-Hill said. “To have that recognition from them was awesome.”

The performance from Grugier-Hill is exactly what edge rusher Jonathan Greenard has come to expect out of his good friend.

“He’s always been the dude to make plays,” Greenard said. “I know he was waiting on that game. He’s a perfect example of being ready when his number was called. He made the most of it so we expect to see more of him moving forward.”

It appears that Grugier-Hill will be in line for more playing time in this Sunday’s game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Though it might have already been trending in this direction, now that Pace has been ruled out with an ankle injury, Grugier-Hill will be given an opportunity to prove himself once again.

“A guy who hasn’t been talked about a whole lot,” coach Kevin O’Connell said. “He has a huge role. A guy who can walk right into the huddle and command a lot of respect from his teammates with how prepared he is. I know we can really rely on him.”

This is the type of impact Grugier-Hill envisioned himself making when he signed with the Vikings in the spring. He had familiarity with defensive coordinator Brian Flores dating back to their time together with the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, and knew he would be put in a good position to succeed.

“There are a lot of places that don’t use their players to their strengths,” Grugier-Hill said. “It’s the complete opposite with Flo. He’s never going to ask somebody to do something they’re not good at. He’s always getting the best out of everybody on the field.”

Asked to describe his favorite part of playing for Flores, Grugier-Hill mentioned how the defense can feel itself wearing on the offense over the course of 60 minutes.

“You line up and can see the anxiety on their faces,” Grugier-Hill said. “Nobody knows what’s about to happen. They’re looking everywhere. It’s a pretty awesome feeling.”

That exudes confidence from the group as a whole. Not that Grugier-Hill needs much of that when he steps on the field.

“I’m a pretty confident guy,” Grugier-Hill said with a smile. “I always feel like I can do whatever I need to do.”

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