June 13, 2024 • 26 mins
Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Dalton Risner joins the show!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
I am pleased to be joined by Minnesota Vikings offensive
linemen on this Minnesota Tim podcast today. Dalton, Riisner, and Dalton,
thank you so much for taking time out of your
busy schedule to join the podcast today.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Thank you, man, I sure appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Bro, happy to be on, happy to be a Viking brother,
So no problem at all.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I think one thing that we both have in common
just preparing for this interview is finding our identity in
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And I know
you to be a believer in God, in Christ, and
I just, you know, to open up this podcast, I
want to give credit where credit.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Is due and glorify the name above all names.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
And I just want to hear a little bit about
your story and your relationship with the Lord, if that's
all right with you. When did you come to know
Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah? Well, first off, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Man. You can see with the shirt if you look
closely at all my tattoos, it's Bible scripture.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Cool my legs as well.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
That's where my strength begins, and that's where my strength ends, man,
is in Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I have known about Jesus.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
My whole life was raised in a household that we
went to church and I was told about.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Jesus, but I truly.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Didn't get to know who Jesus was until about college.
I believed it in my whole life. I've accepted him
into my heart. But the last ten years of my
life has been really where I've been seeking Jesus and
getting to know Jesus and building that relationship and having
faith be the centerfold of my life and my marriage.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So I keep it near and dear to my heart.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It's the most important thing to me about above everything
in my life. And I'm so grateful for Christ and
what He's DoD on across for us. I'm grateful that
I can wake up every day and feel worthy in.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Jesus and feel enough.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
And I hope to anyone listening that if you don't
feel enough, if you feel unworthy, if you wake up
and you don't feel like you're anybody or somebody, I
promise that you're somebody and anybody to.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
God, and you are worthy and you are enough.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And even if you feel like no one else loves
you on this earth, and this earth can make you
feel like that at times.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Jesus always loves you.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Man. So that's why I love Jesus Christ so much,
because I can count on them every single day.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Amen? Did that?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Brother?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Our first Peter four tenth says this, each of you
should use whatever gift you have received to serve others
as faithful stewards of God's grace. And according to a
little research that I did, this is your life first.
Why is first, Peter four ten, your life first?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Wow? Good for you on the research, man. Thank you
just can't see it, but let's see. Let's see it first,
Peter four ten.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Do you see right? Look at that boom?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
First, Peter four ten, I got it up and down
my arm. It's a picture of a hand helping someone else.
It's my life first. Because everyone was born with a gift.
Sometimes we figure out our gifts. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes
it figured out that young kids. Sometimes we don't figure
it out until we're eighty. Sometimes we have more than
one gift, but we're all born with gift. It could
be the gift of love, compassion, sympathy, empathy, kindness, competitiveness,
(03:06):
you name it.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
And I believe that our job is to figure.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Out how can we use that gift to glorify Jesus
and by helping others by being faithful stewards.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
From the grace that we get from God in its
variety of ways.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
So when I think about life, I don't think about
collecting awards or Super Bowl rings or money or anything
like that and say that I've made it. I view
life not as a rat race like the world, in
my opinion use it today. But I viewed the world
more of as how can I impact people around me?
How can I glorify Jesus every single day? And yeah,
(03:42):
I might do it through my work. A gift I've
received is football, and how can I use the sport
of football to glorify people? To help people around me
through glorifying Jesus. So that's kind of why I call
it my life verse. I feel like it's all encompassing.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
How many Super Bowl rings can Tom Brady to him
in the afterlife?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Right here? Bro right here man.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
People don't get me wrong, but you can't take this
stuff with you right.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Right, And so I just wanted to focus on the
thing that's most important to start this podcast. So thank
you for sharing your thoughts on Jesus and your relationship
with him and your testimony a little bit, a little
bit down that road, a little bit, but going down
a different avenue.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
You know, there's so much pressure with football.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Fans complain about Kirk Cousins taking a day off during
the week for a sabbath, to take a little time
away from the game, and pants are just all up
in arms that he's not studying game tape twenty four
to seven. So how do you balance the pressures of
football and time with Jesus, time with your wife? How
do you how do you how do you take those
(04:50):
those two things and kind of separate them.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
It's really important.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
It's really when you're at this profession and you do
this and you have this read of football and this
time asked of you at a very demanding rate.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
You have to be able to prioritize your day. You
have to be able to prioritize your.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Year, your week, your time, and you got to be
able to have priorities and say, you know, I need
to make sure I have time with my wife, or
I need to have time for my faith and time
with Jesus Christ. And in the off season, I need
to do these certain things because this is a sport
and a career that you can never truly study enough,
you could never truly hone in on your skills enough.
You're never quite perfect and you always can be better.
(05:30):
So there's always room for growth. And you got to
find that fine line of how much am I working
towards my goals with football and staying on top of things?
But at the same time, how am I being as
a father? How am I being as a husband? Am
I taking time out for my faith? I have games
on Sunday so I can't go to church. Am I
still and I still doing devotionals with my wife? Am
I still trying to tie am I still trying to
(05:51):
incorporate Jesus into my life.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
While I'm at the facility?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Am I you know using my locker room as a mission?
Am I you know praying after practice?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I mean this what?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
There's so many things to try to stay on top of,
But for me, I'm very list organized. I try to
keep myself reminded as to what's important. And sometimes it's
a list. That doesn't mean it's not important to me.
It just means sometimes you can get caught up in
the you know, monotonymy monotonymy and how hard everything is
with football to try to remember what to do.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Mm hmm, totally.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, thank you for sharing those things, and yeah for
making you know your family life in Jesus a big
focal point of your life, even with the pressures that
come with playing in the NFL. So don't I want
to shift gears a little bit just to talk about
you and your process and free agency. I signed with
the Minnesota Vikings early on in the season last year
after playing your first four years with the Denver Broncos,
(06:40):
and you had a heck of a year.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I was looking up the stats.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Seven hundred and forty five so now has played a
big old fat zero in sacks allowed last season. Yet
you weren't resigned by the Minnesota Vikings right away yet,
Yet it didn't seem like you were super coveted by
other teams around the league.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
How frustrating was that for you?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Oh? Frustrating man. You know, football isn't about stats, and
there's a lot that goes into it.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
But at the end of the day, you know, I
felt like I poured my heart and soul into this game,
and I have tried to be the best version of
myself and I've really you know, sent it last year,
and I felt like it was one of my better
years in the NFL, amongst a lot of trying and
difficult times in terms of showing up in September and
having to earn a spot and get on the football
(07:26):
field and kind of having not been through a training
camp or OTAs or mini camp or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
So yeah, it has been very, very frustrating for me
two years in a row.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
However, I'm very grateful to be in the NFL going
into my sixth year and to be in Minnesota Viking.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And I have no answers. I wish I had answers.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I wish I could, you know, find someone who looked
me in the eye and tell me exactly, you know,
what it is.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
You know, because I'm the type of guy that wants
to fix it.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I want to be better. I don't I don't know
if it. Am I too open about my faith? And
do I you know, as an offensive lineman, am I
supposed to just shut up and be quiet?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
You know? And I'm not that type of guy. You know.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Some want to say it's my run blocking, and I
get that I'm not perfect, right, but but you look
at it and the guy the.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Time last year.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah, and like I've started five years in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
So one might say, okay, well, you're not a you know,
you're not a twenty million a year top guard in
the NFL. But but I mean, I'm also signing close
to league minimum contracts, you know, this year and last year,
and that that that that's a hard pillow swallow, man.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
But you know, I'm also a believer in attitude.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
And like I said, I'm grateful the Minnesota Vikings wanted
to be on their football team. Uh, no one else
had picked me up. I switched agents. Uh my previous
agent I have a lot of respect for decided I
needed something new, and I moved on and worked with
worked with Drew Rosenhaus and I respect him a lot,
and that's been a great relationship. But you know, at
(08:54):
the end of the day, it's it's it's it's it's
a really tough deal. But you know, you can't look
at your situation for what it should be. You got
to look at your situation for what it is. And
if you constantly in life look at your situation and
look at your life as to what it should be,
ninety nine percent of people would talk about it being unfair,
because life is unfair and not everyone gets a fair shot.
(09:16):
And what I have to do is say, let me
look at my situation for what it is.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I'm going into my sixth year in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
I'm grateful for that, and I'm making really good money
to play a sport that I love and be around
great teammates and be a part of a great organization
and a great football team with great teammates, rather than
looking at it as oh, I should deserve a better contract.
What's going on? Why have I not been picked up?
You know, poor poor me? Life should be better. I
got everything I need. Man, when you're grateful for when
(09:47):
you're grateful for what you have, you have.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Everything you need. And that's a that's the saying I
love to live by.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You were a second round pick back when you were
drafted several years ago, so it's not like a round
pick or undrafted guy that's trying to make the team.
But throughout this process, throughout the free agency process, and
through all the you know, tough mental situations that you've
had to go through with not being signed right away
and signing these smaller deals, do you embrace the underdog?
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Mentality.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
I guess that's what it is, Tim, you know, and
I mean this from the bottom of my heart, but
I wish I could find someone that was honest with me.
Everyone I talked to says how much they love me. Well,
you can't love me that much, you know what I mean.
That's that's my answer to most of the NFL.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Is you can't.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
You can't love me that that much. I wish I
could get some real answers, but I must just be
an underdog. I must not be as good as I think.
The NFL must not value me. They must, you know,
they must not view me as a guy that anyone
wants to.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Pay which is okay man. Like I said, it's not
an attitude of let me lay down and give up.
It's an attitude of I'm going.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
To continue to work to show that I am and
I take pride in that. So I've been an underdog
my whole life, coming from Wiggins, Colorado, eight hundred people
in my to get in a scholarship to go play
at Kansas State. And I wasn't underdog in the draft,
being drafted second round, you can't really say that's underdog story.
But ever since I was drafted second round. I feel
like I've kind of went back to that underdog route,
(11:12):
and it's something you have to embrace.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
It's something you have to embrace.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Don't be ugly about it, don't be rude, don't let
it change you, don't let it make you an awful person.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Let it fuel you.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
But also let the people that believed in you your
whole life fulia as well.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
So that's kind of the way I like to look
at it.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I don't want to sit up here and be a
ten that was a guy that supported you on the
Minnesota Vikings from the get go, because when I analyze
the situation, I'm just being straight up honest with you.
I was like a guy that wasn't signed in the
free agency all last year, and now the Vikings are bringing
them in a week two, Like how valuable is he
gonna be? But then when he got on the football
field and replaced Ezra Cleveland who got hurt, then they
traded him on like this guy can play zero sax all.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
I was wrong.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
So I'm just gonna be straight up real with the adult.
And I wasn't a believer in you right away and
you change my mind.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Oh well, man, I appreci sh that. Bro.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Listen, if I could count, you know how many times
I've been doubted in my life, It's too many to count, Bro,
And I'm not mad at you for it at all.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
I wasn't picked up till September, And what is that? Show? Teams?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Why is why am I not picked up? I mean,
no one wants them, right, Why would we want? Why
would we pick them up? Week two? We're you know,
you guys were you know, doing good. You guys had
good players, And that's just.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Kind of the story. That's just kind of the story.
So I got to continue to go down my road
of I got to handle.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
My business and do what I can can do and
control what I can control because the rest of us
out of my grasp. And that's a big reason why
I signed earlier this year. You know, we could have
prolonged the process and maybe negotiated more.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Or whatever it was. But I don't want to be
available in September because of exactly what you just said.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
You know, I don't want that monster to be that
I'm a difficult guy to work with, or it's hard
to sign me, or I don't want to be in
training camp because none of that is true. I've just
been trying to find this line of like, why am
I starting? Why do I feel like I'm playing well?
Why do I have coaches and you know, not just
off intive line coach, but head coaches, general managers? Why
do I have people like that tell me I had
(13:05):
a great season and then I turn around and don't
get picked up again.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Those are the most frustrating answers. But whenever you we.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Could talk about it now, but when I walk into
training camp, that's gone. It's about how can I be
a great teammate, How can Dalton Reiser make the Minnesota
Vikings better? There is no more worry about what happened,
There is no more poor for me. It's and truthfully
that's gone. I mean I'm sharing that with you now.
But now that I'm a Viking's, it's time to how
can I help this team win football games?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
And whatever shape or form that is.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Kevin O'Connell recently joined The Rich Eisen Show and he
received a question about you, and I just want to
read this quote. It says, we bring back Dalton Ryanser,
who's going to compete like crazy at the guard spot
with both Ed Ingram and Blake Brandle. So with that,
when did he go on the Rich Eisen Show earlier
this week?
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Whose Tuesday?
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Who asked the question?
Speaker 4 (13:57):
I don't know? Was it Rich Eisen? I think it
was Rich Eisen.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Rich Eisen's my guy? So what did he ask?
Speaker 4 (14:03):
I guess I don't know exactly what the question was, but.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Will you will you email me and let me know?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah, I would love to know who asked and what
was asked, because if it was rich I'll have to.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Hit him up because I love rich Man. That's that
guy's a good dude.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah yeah, I'll definitely find that and get that back
to you for sure.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
All right, that's what you're asking? Sorry about that?
Speaker 4 (14:24):
No, no, no, no big deal.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
So with that quote about you look competing like crazy
with Blake Brandle and Ingram, what's your approach and mindset
going to be as you entered training him because you
want to make your teammates better and no one want
technically roots for other guys to fail, right, But like, at.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
The same time, if I've learned, if I've learned anything
to him, you can't root for other guys to fail.
And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
But you're a realist and what you're saying is true.
I'm not going to sit on this podcast and tell
you I don't.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Want to start right. I don't. I don't play this
game of football to sit on the sideline, right. But
I'll tell you this out of honesty.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
I got a lot of respect for Ed Ingram and
I got a lot of respect for Blake Brandle. If
you knew both of their stories and everything about them, man,
you would respect them too. And maybe you already respect them,
but I want to get that on the record.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I have the utmost.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Respect for Ed Ingram and Blake Brandle. Those dudes are awesome.
They're pros. Whenever I come in, they welcome me with
open arms. It's not a they know it's a battle,
but they're They're not treating me different. So I got
a lot of respect for those cats. My approach is
I want to go in there and.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Help the Minnesota Vikings win. That doesn't mean I'm.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Not going to give every ounce of my effort to
prove what Dalton Reisner is about. I want to be
a starter for the sixth year in the NFL, but
I have to realize that it is not my call
at the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
So whatever is decided, whether Chris Cooper.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Decides it, Kevin O'Connell, quasi, whoever decides who the guards
are this year, I have to respect that right. So
I can't go in and say this is what's going
to happen, this is what I know is going to happen.
All I can tell you is I left that for
facility four months ago as the starter, and I'm a
second string now. And I'm unfortunately I'm used to being
(16:06):
a second string because I showed up last year and
I was a second string.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
So I have to handle that. I have to be
a man about it.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
I have to realize that I'm late to the party
and those guys have earned dibbs to get those shots
with the ones. So I'm gonna put my head down,
I'm gonna be a good teammate. I'm gonna work hard,
I'm gonna see what happens at the end of the day.
And if it started great, let's go kick some ass
and have a great year and do our thing. If
it's not a starter, it's the same mentality. Next man
up out last year Chicago bears Ezra Cleveland goes down,
(16:36):
I need to fill in. I go in and I
start the rest of the year. I need to be
prepared to do the same thing this year. So that's
where that's kind of where I put my head.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
And you perform so well last year when you did
step in for Ezra that the Vikings sold comfortable sending
him to the Jacksonville Jaguars and trusting you with that
guard spot. So as you enter this training camp as
the second string guy, how do you stay ready when
your time is called for that moment?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (17:00):
You know, well, you know, entering as a second string
is never you know, as as fun because you're not
getting those reps with the one groups. You know, you're
not getting the reps with Brad Berry or daris A
or Brian O'Neill.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
You know, you're.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
You know, you're getting them the reps with the two.
So that's gonna definitely be a different experience for me.
But at the same time, I need to be prepared
for Hey, I've played with these guys.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
I know what it's about. Let me be dialed in mentally.
If I'm not.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Taking the physical reps with the ones, I'm me be
watching practice making sure i'm in tune with everything.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
It's gonna be a grind.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I'm probably gonna be playing in preseason games more than
I'm used to, and I truly, at this point in
my life, I'm going bald, Tim.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
You know, you never know, You never know how much.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
I know some someday, Bro, when my wife approves it, Man,
my wife, my wife approves it, I will.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
But you know, you never know how many more years
he got.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So I have the mentality of if if someone goes down,
I'm ready to do the exact same thing as last year.
Fans will love you one day and they won't be
able to stand you the next.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
No, you can't do it for fan love.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
You can't do it for anything other than yourself and
some people around you.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
So, going into my six year in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
I'm doing it for young little Dalton, the kid that
used to dream of doing this.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I'm doing it for Jesus. I'm doing it for my wife.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I'm doing it for people in my life that love
and support me unconditionally.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
How does it make you feel as an offensive lineman?
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You know, typically when you're recognized, unless you're like the
greatest offensive lineman ever, it's typically because he got beat
and he allowed the quarterback to get sacked. Yet when
you're doing your job, no NFL fan looks at Dalton
rise dur and says, you know, that guy did his job.
He protected Kirk Cousins or whoever the quarterback is, and
he allowed him to throw the ball to Justin Jefferson
(18:46):
for a sixty yard touchdown. How does it make you
feel to be recognized when he suck but when he
does something great?
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Crickets.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Yeah, it's a selfless job.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Being an offensive lineman in the NFL is one of
the most helpless positions. You literally give up your body
and your work and your grind every single play so
other people can shine. That's literally the description of our
job is to, you know, give everybody time around us
to make plays, to be superstars and to do their thing.
And being a follower of Jesus Christ and being the
(19:18):
type of man I am, being selfless is a trait
that I want to continue to work on. It's a
trait that isn't easy for the human race. Everyone naturally
wants to be known, appreciated, and loved. At the same time,
offensive line, even though you may not be being noticed.
I think it's a huge life skill and life lesson that.
(19:39):
You know, sometimes you're going to put in a lot
of work and you're going to do everything that's asked
of you, and people will still find a way to
pick you apart. Sometimes they'll do everything that's asked of you,
and other people will shine around you and you'll fly
underneath the radars.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
So that's one thing I've.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Always loved about football, is it teaches you a lot
about life, man, because as everybody knows that's listening, man,
life has a find a way of bringing us all
down at points, or hitting us hard or throwing obstacles
in our way. And it's not a matter of if,
it's a matter of when, and it's not a matter
of you know, what we do about it, but how
(20:13):
we act when it happens.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
There are pictures of the offensive lineman dressing up like
justin Jefferson last week at Ota is were you part
of that?
Speaker 2 (20:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (20:24):
I was there for the day brad Berry and O'Neill
and Brandle and the guys were getting swagged out.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I'm a type of guy that I just I keep
it right where I'm.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
At, man, I don't I don't have too much swag.
So I just went out there like normal.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Well, why do you think they did that for Justin Jefferson?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Would you say, sorry, why do you think they.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
Did that for Justin Jefferson? Why do you think they
dressed like him?
Speaker 3 (20:46):
I don't know, show support, bro, let him know, like, Hey,
you know, we appreciate that you signed this huge deal
and you deserve it, and we're behind you, and we
want you to let you know that we love your stole,
we love this type of person than you are. And
I've only been there for about ten days, so also
out of the loop with everything, man, But that's really
that's really really cool. I'm guessing that's the reason behind it.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Sure, Yeah, I just wanted to ask because, like, Justin
Jefferson's talking about this leadership that he wants to take
on and and he's you know, talked about that in
his conferences, and you know, sometimes when the players get paid,
some of that kind of goes by the wayside. But
it seems like he's trying to step up his game
in that regard.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Yeah, which you gotta respect.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
I mean, Justin Jefferson is not only a tremendous athlete,
but he's a really good person. He's humble, he's got
good roots. He's a guy that when you pay him.
I think that he, you know, pays his respect to
the team, and he's going to step up as even
better leader. He's going to show up for his guys
and continue to work even harder.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
He's not a guy that checks out as soon as
he gets a deal like that.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
So I think the Minnesota Vikings made a really great
decision by keeping one of the best wide receivers in
the NFL around.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
So kudos to him for that. Man, I got a
lot of respect for JJ.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
I know you have only been there for you know what,
the ten days that he talks about. Have you gotten
an eye on watching rookie Jajon McCarthy and what stood
out to you about him?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Uh? You know.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I didn't get too much time with JJ, but I
was able to have a few conversations with him and
just see like, Okay, you know, this kid's got his
head on straight. I think that he's going to be
the future of the Minnesota Vikings football.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
I think that's why they drafted him.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
I think they want to give him time to become
the type of player they know he can be. But
he seems like a really good dude, seems like he's
eager to learn, eager to be great, and seems like
he's a good teammate. So for him at this point
in his career, I think those are some pretty intangible,
you know, positive things.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
And I must ask you about Sam Darnold as well,
because people have been seeing the praises of him in
camp and you know, he's bounced around the league from
the Jets of the Panthers to the Fortnites. But yeah,
think about those first two teams, as you know, not
the greatest franchises to start an NFL career with. So
the media has just been glorifying him making throws that
they didn't think he could make.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Have you seen some of those throws?
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Man, Sam's an awesome dude too. He's one of those
guys that gets along with the offensive line real well.
He's one of those guys that you think he was
at the facility or a Viking for the last two
or three years, by the friends that he has and
by the way he carries himself and he holds himself
to a good standard. But yeah, he's made some great
throws just in my short time of being there, it
(23:18):
looked like he had this system down and he was
gonna be a guy that everyone could count on.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Man.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
So I'm excited about Sam, but I think everyone in
Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the Twin Cities should be
as well.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And for my last question, maybe the most important question
besides the faith, the one, of course, who is the
best superhero?
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Ooh, the best superhero man? So I'm not gonna lie
to you, not the biggest superhero guy. I don't watch
a ton of Marvel or anything like that, but I
know of a bunch of the super question.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
I'll rephrase the question to a different I'm a big
breakfast guy.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
I like breakfast.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Now you're speaking my language.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
Hey, let's go.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I can go with the glow omelet. This morning
I had some over easy eggs and some toes. Tick
that overas the eggs, put on the toes and kind
of eat like a sandwich bacon. I mean, oh, man,
So what you're sitting down for a great meal. It's
a breakfast time. What is that meal? And what is
(24:19):
in that glass right next to your meal?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Ice ice water with lemon, and then an iced coffee
with cream and sugar, I want the color to be tan.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
I don't want the color to be black. I want
it to be tan.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
Are you orange juice?
Speaker 2 (24:37):
No? I like orange juice.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
Orange juice I only drink probably four or five times
a year. But apple juice is like almost every breakfast thing.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
It's just got so much sugar. I try to stay
away from some of those juices.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
But yeah, so I'm a big drink guy.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
So I have a water with lemon, probably an apple juice,
or really an apple orange juice, Oh my gosh, that
would be ideal, or like an apple orange pineapple juice.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Maybe we can even add the mango regardless.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
I love all those fruit juices.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
That sounds sugar free to me.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah, I know, right, bro, with the iced coffee.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
And then for breakfast, man, I want some flapjacks like
butter around the rim, like you know, really crispy on
the ends, like uh, got it nice and buttered up.
That's how I like my flapjacks with some peanut butter.
And then I want some pork sausage patties, maybe.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Some crispy maybe some crispy bacon, and some scrambled eggs
with cheese on top.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Man, flapjacks. Are these pancakes?
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Okay, google flapjacks and I don't know what they were
at first.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Yeah, they're just pancakes. Man, I just like calling them flapjacks.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Are you a steak and eggs guy? Do you like
steak and eggs?
Speaker 2 (25:47):
No? No, no, I sure don't antak. I'm I'm anti steak.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
In the morning, anti steak in the morning.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Okay, yeah, like I don't want I don't want a
breakfast burrito with steak, or I don't want steak and eggs.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
But I love steak, Bro, I'll eat steak.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
I mean, I'm a big beef guy, so okay, not
anti anti steak in the morning.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I feel like you should start your own podcast with food.
That'd be great.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
I know, Bro, I love food. Man. If I had
some more time in the day, I sure.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Would Dalton Reisner's Diner podcast huh right, there you go.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
I'll nit you up if I decide to. You can
help me get it going.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
I appreciate it. Yeah, that'd be great. But anyway, just
not of the giggles. But that was great.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Thank you so much for taking the time to join
the podcast today. And I'll be following you closely and
I'm excited to watch you eventually start for the Minnesota
Vikings this year. I'm gonna I'm gonna predict that. Just
to just to throw that out there, well.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
I really appreciate it. Tim. You have a great day, man,
God bless go Vikings.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Skull baby, baby, let's cool.
I am pleased to be joined by Minnesota Vikings offensive
linemen on this Minnesota Tim podcast today. Dalton, Riisner, and Dalton,
thank you so much for taking time out of your
busy schedule to join the podcast today.
Speaker 2 (00:16):
Thank you, man, I sure appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Bro, happy to be on, happy to be a Viking brother,
So no problem at all.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
I think one thing that we both have in common
just preparing for this interview is finding our identity in
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. And I know
you to be a believer in God, in Christ, and
I just, you know, to open up this podcast, I
want to give credit where credit.
Speaker 4 (00:37):
Is due and glorify the name above all names.
Speaker 1 (00:40):
And I just want to hear a little bit about
your story and your relationship with the Lord, if that's
all right with you. When did you come to know
Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior?
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Yeah? Well, first off, I appreciate it.
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Man. You can see with the shirt if you look
closely at all my tattoos, it's Bible scripture.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Cool my legs as well.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
That's where my strength begins, and that's where my strength ends, man,
is in Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I have known about Jesus.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
My whole life was raised in a household that we
went to church and I was told about.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
Jesus, but I truly.
Speaker 3 (01:14):
Didn't get to know who Jesus was until about college.
I believed it in my whole life. I've accepted him
into my heart. But the last ten years of my
life has been really where I've been seeking Jesus and
getting to know Jesus and building that relationship and having
faith be the centerfold of my life and my marriage.
Speaker 2 (01:31):
So I keep it near and dear to my heart.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
It's the most important thing to me about above everything
in my life. And I'm so grateful for Christ and
what He's DoD on across for us. I'm grateful that
I can wake up every day and feel worthy in.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Jesus and feel enough.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
And I hope to anyone listening that if you don't
feel enough, if you feel unworthy, if you wake up
and you don't feel like you're anybody or somebody, I
promise that you're somebody and anybody to.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
God, and you are worthy and you are enough.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
And even if you feel like no one else loves
you on this earth, and this earth can make you
feel like that at times.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Jesus always loves you.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
Man. So that's why I love Jesus Christ so much,
because I can count on them every single day.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Amen? Did that?
Speaker 4 (02:15):
Brother?
Speaker 1 (02:15):
Our first Peter four tenth says this, each of you
should use whatever gift you have received to serve others
as faithful stewards of God's grace. And according to a
little research that I did, this is your life first.
Why is first, Peter four ten, your life first?
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Wow? Good for you on the research, man. Thank you
just can't see it, but let's see. Let's see it first,
Peter four ten.
Speaker 4 (02:38):
Do you see right? Look at that boom?
Speaker 2 (02:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
First, Peter four ten, I got it up and down
my arm. It's a picture of a hand helping someone else.
It's my life first. Because everyone was born with a gift.
Sometimes we figure out our gifts. Sometimes we don't. Sometimes
it figured out that young kids. Sometimes we don't figure
it out until we're eighty. Sometimes we have more than
one gift, but we're all born with gift. It could
be the gift of love, compassion, sympathy, empathy, kindness, competitiveness,
(03:06):
you name it.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
And I believe that our job is to figure.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Out how can we use that gift to glorify Jesus
and by helping others by being faithful stewards.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
From the grace that we get from God in its
variety of ways.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
So when I think about life, I don't think about
collecting awards or Super Bowl rings or money or anything
like that and say that I've made it. I view
life not as a rat race like the world, in
my opinion use it today. But I viewed the world
more of as how can I impact people around me?
How can I glorify Jesus every single day? And yeah,
(03:42):
I might do it through my work. A gift I've
received is football, and how can I use the sport
of football to glorify people? To help people around me
through glorifying Jesus. So that's kind of why I call
it my life verse. I feel like it's all encompassing.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
How many Super Bowl rings can Tom Brady to him
in the afterlife?
Speaker 2 (04:03):
Right here? Bro right here man.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
People don't get me wrong, but you can't take this
stuff with you right.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
Right, And so I just wanted to focus on the
thing that's most important to start this podcast. So thank
you for sharing your thoughts on Jesus and your relationship
with him and your testimony a little bit, a little
bit down that road, a little bit, but going down
a different avenue.
Speaker 4 (04:26):
You know, there's so much pressure with football.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
Fans complain about Kirk Cousins taking a day off during
the week for a sabbath, to take a little time
away from the game, and pants are just all up
in arms that he's not studying game tape twenty four
to seven. So how do you balance the pressures of
football and time with Jesus, time with your wife? How
do you how do you how do you take those
(04:50):
those two things and kind of separate them.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
It's really important.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
It's really when you're at this profession and you do
this and you have this read of football and this
time asked of you at a very demanding rate.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
You have to be able to prioritize your day. You
have to be able to prioritize your.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Year, your week, your time, and you got to be
able to have priorities and say, you know, I need
to make sure I have time with my wife, or
I need to have time for my faith and time
with Jesus Christ. And in the off season, I need
to do these certain things because this is a sport
and a career that you can never truly study enough,
you could never truly hone in on your skills enough.
You're never quite perfect and you always can be better.
(05:30):
So there's always room for growth. And you got to
find that fine line of how much am I working
towards my goals with football and staying on top of things?
But at the same time, how am I being as
a father? How am I being as a husband? Am
I taking time out for my faith? I have games
on Sunday so I can't go to church. Am I
still and I still doing devotionals with my wife? Am
I still trying to tie am I still trying to
(05:51):
incorporate Jesus into my life.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
While I'm at the facility?
Speaker 3 (05:53):
Am I you know using my locker room as a mission?
Am I you know praying after practice?
Speaker 2 (05:58):
I mean this what?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
There's so many things to try to stay on top of,
But for me, I'm very list organized. I try to
keep myself reminded as to what's important. And sometimes it's
a list. That doesn't mean it's not important to me.
It just means sometimes you can get caught up in
the you know, monotonymy monotonymy and how hard everything is
with football to try to remember what to do.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Mm hmm, totally.
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Well, thank you for sharing those things, and yeah for
making you know your family life in Jesus a big
focal point of your life, even with the pressures that
come with playing in the NFL. So don't I want
to shift gears a little bit just to talk about
you and your process and free agency. I signed with
the Minnesota Vikings early on in the season last year
after playing your first four years with the Denver Broncos,
(06:40):
and you had a heck of a year.
Speaker 4 (06:42):
I was looking up the stats.
Speaker 1 (06:43):
Seven hundred and forty five so now has played a
big old fat zero in sacks allowed last season. Yet
you weren't resigned by the Minnesota Vikings right away yet,
Yet it didn't seem like you were super coveted by
other teams around the league.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
How frustrating was that for you?
Speaker 2 (06:59):
Oh? Frustrating man. You know, football isn't about stats, and
there's a lot that goes into it.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
But at the end of the day, you know, I
felt like I poured my heart and soul into this game,
and I have tried to be the best version of
myself and I've really you know, sent it last year,
and I felt like it was one of my better
years in the NFL, amongst a lot of trying and
difficult times in terms of showing up in September and
having to earn a spot and get on the football
(07:26):
field and kind of having not been through a training
camp or OTAs or mini camp or anything like that.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
So yeah, it has been very, very frustrating for me
two years in a row.
Speaker 3 (07:38):
However, I'm very grateful to be in the NFL going
into my sixth year and to be in Minnesota Viking.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
And I have no answers. I wish I had answers.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
I wish I could, you know, find someone who looked
me in the eye and tell me exactly, you know,
what it is.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
You know, because I'm the type of guy that wants
to fix it.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
I want to be better. I don't I don't know
if it. Am I too open about my faith? And
do I you know, as an offensive lineman, am I
supposed to just shut up and be quiet?
Speaker 2 (08:01):
You know? And I'm not that type of guy. You know.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
Some want to say it's my run blocking, and I
get that I'm not perfect, right, but but you look
at it and the guy the.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
Time last year.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Yeah, and like I've started five years in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (08:16):
So one might say, okay, well, you're not a you know,
you're not a twenty million a year top guard in
the NFL. But but I mean, I'm also signing close
to league minimum contracts, you know, this year and last year,
and that that that that's a hard pillow swallow, man.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
But you know, I'm also a believer in attitude.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
And like I said, I'm grateful the Minnesota Vikings wanted
to be on their football team. Uh, no one else
had picked me up. I switched agents. Uh my previous
agent I have a lot of respect for decided I
needed something new, and I moved on and worked with
worked with Drew Rosenhaus and I respect him a lot,
and that's been a great relationship. But you know, at
(08:54):
the end of the day, it's it's it's it's it's
a really tough deal. But you know, you can't look
at your situation for what it should be. You got
to look at your situation for what it is. And
if you constantly in life look at your situation and
look at your life as to what it should be,
ninety nine percent of people would talk about it being unfair,
because life is unfair and not everyone gets a fair shot.
(09:16):
And what I have to do is say, let me
look at my situation for what it is.
Speaker 2 (09:21):
I'm going into my sixth year in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (09:24):
I'm grateful for that, and I'm making really good money
to play a sport that I love and be around
great teammates and be a part of a great organization
and a great football team with great teammates, rather than
looking at it as oh, I should deserve a better contract.
What's going on? Why have I not been picked up?
You know, poor poor me? Life should be better. I
got everything I need. Man, when you're grateful for when
(09:47):
you're grateful for what you have, you have.
Speaker 2 (09:49):
Everything you need. And that's a that's the saying I
love to live by.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
You were a second round pick back when you were
drafted several years ago, so it's not like a round
pick or undrafted guy that's trying to make the team.
But throughout this process, throughout the free agency process, and
through all the you know, tough mental situations that you've
had to go through with not being signed right away
and signing these smaller deals, do you embrace the underdog?
Speaker 4 (10:16):
Mentality.
Speaker 3 (10:17):
I guess that's what it is, Tim, you know, and
I mean this from the bottom of my heart, but
I wish I could find someone that was honest with me.
Everyone I talked to says how much they love me. Well,
you can't love me that much, you know what I mean.
That's that's my answer to most of the NFL.
Speaker 2 (10:31):
Is you can't.
Speaker 3 (10:32):
You can't love me that that much. I wish I
could get some real answers, but I must just be
an underdog. I must not be as good as I think.
The NFL must not value me. They must, you know,
they must not view me as a guy that anyone
wants to.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Pay which is okay man. Like I said, it's not
an attitude of let me lay down and give up.
It's an attitude of I'm going.
Speaker 3 (10:51):
To continue to work to show that I am and
I take pride in that. So I've been an underdog
my whole life, coming from Wiggins, Colorado, eight hundred people
in my to get in a scholarship to go play
at Kansas State. And I wasn't underdog in the draft,
being drafted second round, you can't really say that's underdog story.
But ever since I was drafted second round. I feel
like I've kind of went back to that underdog route,
(11:12):
and it's something you have to embrace.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
It's something you have to embrace.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
Don't be ugly about it, don't be rude, don't let
it change you, don't let it make you an awful person.
Speaker 2 (11:22):
Let it fuel you.
Speaker 3 (11:23):
But also let the people that believed in you your
whole life fulia as well.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
So that's kind of the way I like to look
at it.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I don't want to sit up here and be a
ten that was a guy that supported you on the
Minnesota Vikings from the get go, because when I analyze
the situation, I'm just being straight up honest with you.
I was like a guy that wasn't signed in the
free agency all last year, and now the Vikings are bringing
them in a week two, Like how valuable is he
gonna be? But then when he got on the football
field and replaced Ezra Cleveland who got hurt, then they
traded him on like this guy can play zero sax all.
Speaker 4 (11:51):
I was wrong.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
So I'm just gonna be straight up real with the adult.
And I wasn't a believer in you right away and
you change my mind.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Oh well, man, I appreci sh that. Bro.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
Listen, if I could count, you know how many times
I've been doubted in my life, It's too many to count, Bro,
And I'm not mad at you for it at all.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
I wasn't picked up till September, And what is that? Show? Teams?
Speaker 3 (12:12):
Why is why am I not picked up? I mean,
no one wants them, right, Why would we want? Why
would we pick them up? Week two? We're you know,
you guys were you know, doing good. You guys had
good players, And that's just.
Speaker 2 (12:22):
Kind of the story. That's just kind of the story.
So I got to continue to go down my road
of I got to handle.
Speaker 3 (12:26):
My business and do what I can can do and
control what I can control because the rest of us
out of my grasp. And that's a big reason why
I signed earlier this year. You know, we could have
prolonged the process and maybe negotiated more.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
Or whatever it was. But I don't want to be
available in September because of exactly what you just said.
Speaker 3 (12:44):
You know, I don't want that monster to be that
I'm a difficult guy to work with, or it's hard
to sign me, or I don't want to be in
training camp because none of that is true. I've just
been trying to find this line of like, why am
I starting? Why do I feel like I'm playing well?
Why do I have coaches and you know, not just
off intive line coach, but head coaches, general managers? Why
do I have people like that tell me I had
(13:05):
a great season and then I turn around and don't
get picked up again.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Those are the most frustrating answers. But whenever you we.
Speaker 3 (13:12):
Could talk about it now, but when I walk into
training camp, that's gone. It's about how can I be
a great teammate, How can Dalton Reiser make the Minnesota
Vikings better? There is no more worry about what happened,
There is no more poor for me. It's and truthfully
that's gone. I mean I'm sharing that with you now.
But now that I'm a Viking's, it's time to how
can I help this team win football games?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
And whatever shape or form that is.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Kevin O'Connell recently joined The Rich Eisen Show and he
received a question about you, and I just want to
read this quote. It says, we bring back Dalton Ryanser,
who's going to compete like crazy at the guard spot
with both Ed Ingram and Blake Brandle. So with that,
when did he go on the Rich Eisen Show earlier
this week?
Speaker 4 (13:53):
Whose Tuesday?
Speaker 2 (13:56):
Who asked the question?
Speaker 4 (13:57):
I don't know? Was it Rich Eisen? I think it
was Rich Eisen.
Speaker 2 (14:01):
Rich Eisen's my guy? So what did he ask?
Speaker 4 (14:03):
I guess I don't know exactly what the question was, but.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Will you will you email me and let me know?
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Yeah, I would love to know who asked and what
was asked, because if it was rich I'll have to.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Hit him up because I love rich Man. That's that
guy's a good dude.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
Yeah yeah, I'll definitely find that and get that back
to you for sure.
Speaker 2 (14:22):
All right, that's what you're asking? Sorry about that?
Speaker 4 (14:24):
No, no, no, no big deal.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
So with that quote about you look competing like crazy
with Blake Brandle and Ingram, what's your approach and mindset
going to be as you entered training him because you
want to make your teammates better and no one want
technically roots for other guys to fail, right, But like, at.
Speaker 3 (14:41):
The same time, if I've learned, if I've learned anything
to him, you can't root for other guys to fail.
And I mean that from the bottom of my heart.
But you're a realist and what you're saying is true.
I'm not going to sit on this podcast and tell
you I don't.
Speaker 2 (14:53):
Want to start right. I don't. I don't play this
game of football to sit on the sideline, right. But
I'll tell you this out of honesty.
Speaker 3 (14:59):
I got a lot of respect for Ed Ingram and
I got a lot of respect for Blake Brandle. If
you knew both of their stories and everything about them, man,
you would respect them too. And maybe you already respect them,
but I want to get that on the record.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
I have the utmost.
Speaker 3 (15:13):
Respect for Ed Ingram and Blake Brandle. Those dudes are awesome.
They're pros. Whenever I come in, they welcome me with
open arms. It's not a they know it's a battle,
but they're They're not treating me different. So I got
a lot of respect for those cats. My approach is
I want to go in there and.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
Help the Minnesota Vikings win. That doesn't mean I'm.
Speaker 3 (15:32):
Not going to give every ounce of my effort to
prove what Dalton Reisner is about. I want to be
a starter for the sixth year in the NFL, but
I have to realize that it is not my call
at the end of the day.
Speaker 2 (15:43):
So whatever is decided, whether Chris Cooper.
Speaker 3 (15:46):
Decides it, Kevin O'Connell, quasi, whoever decides who the guards
are this year, I have to respect that right. So
I can't go in and say this is what's going
to happen, this is what I know is going to happen.
All I can tell you is I left that for
facility four months ago as the starter, and I'm a
second string now. And I'm unfortunately I'm used to being
(16:06):
a second string because I showed up last year and
I was a second string.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
So I have to handle that. I have to be
a man about it.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
I have to realize that I'm late to the party
and those guys have earned dibbs to get those shots
with the ones. So I'm gonna put my head down,
I'm gonna be a good teammate. I'm gonna work hard,
I'm gonna see what happens at the end of the day.
And if it started great, let's go kick some ass
and have a great year and do our thing. If
it's not a starter, it's the same mentality. Next man
up out last year Chicago bears Ezra Cleveland goes down,
(16:36):
I need to fill in. I go in and I
start the rest of the year. I need to be
prepared to do the same thing this year. So that's
where that's kind of where I put my head.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
And you perform so well last year when you did
step in for Ezra that the Vikings sold comfortable sending
him to the Jacksonville Jaguars and trusting you with that
guard spot. So as you enter this training camp as
the second string guy, how do you stay ready when
your time is called for that moment?
Speaker 2 (17:00):
Uh?
Speaker 3 (17:00):
You know, well, you know, entering as a second string
is never you know, as as fun because you're not
getting those reps with the one groups. You know, you're
not getting the reps with Brad Berry or daris A
or Brian O'Neill.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
You know, you're.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
You know, you're getting them the reps with the two.
So that's gonna definitely be a different experience for me.
But at the same time, I need to be prepared
for Hey, I've played with these guys.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
I know what it's about. Let me be dialed in mentally.
If I'm not.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
Taking the physical reps with the ones, I'm me be
watching practice making sure i'm in tune with everything.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
It's gonna be a grind.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
I'm probably gonna be playing in preseason games more than
I'm used to, and I truly, at this point in
my life, I'm going bald, Tim.
Speaker 2 (17:41):
You know, you never know, You never know how much.
Speaker 3 (17:45):
I know some someday, Bro, when my wife approves it, Man,
my wife, my wife approves it, I will.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
But you know, you never know how many more years
he got.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
So I have the mentality of if if someone goes down,
I'm ready to do the exact same thing as last year.
Fans will love you one day and they won't be
able to stand you the next.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
No, you can't do it for fan love.
Speaker 3 (18:05):
You can't do it for anything other than yourself and
some people around you.
Speaker 2 (18:09):
So, going into my six year in the NFL.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
I'm doing it for young little Dalton, the kid that
used to dream of doing this.
Speaker 2 (18:15):
I'm doing it for Jesus. I'm doing it for my wife.
Speaker 3 (18:18):
I'm doing it for people in my life that love
and support me unconditionally.
Speaker 4 (18:22):
How does it make you feel as an offensive lineman?
Speaker 1 (18:24):
You know, typically when you're recognized, unless you're like the
greatest offensive lineman ever, it's typically because he got beat
and he allowed the quarterback to get sacked. Yet when
you're doing your job, no NFL fan looks at Dalton
rise dur and says, you know, that guy did his job.
He protected Kirk Cousins or whoever the quarterback is, and
he allowed him to throw the ball to Justin Jefferson
(18:46):
for a sixty yard touchdown. How does it make you
feel to be recognized when he suck but when he
does something great?
Speaker 4 (18:53):
Crickets.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Yeah, it's a selfless job.
Speaker 3 (18:57):
Being an offensive lineman in the NFL is one of
the most helpless positions. You literally give up your body
and your work and your grind every single play so
other people can shine. That's literally the description of our
job is to, you know, give everybody time around us
to make plays, to be superstars and to do their thing.
And being a follower of Jesus Christ and being the
(19:18):
type of man I am, being selfless is a trait
that I want to continue to work on. It's a
trait that isn't easy for the human race. Everyone naturally
wants to be known, appreciated, and loved. At the same time,
offensive line, even though you may not be being noticed.
I think it's a huge life skill and life lesson that.
(19:39):
You know, sometimes you're going to put in a lot
of work and you're going to do everything that's asked
of you, and people will still find a way to
pick you apart. Sometimes they'll do everything that's asked of you,
and other people will shine around you and you'll fly
underneath the radars.
Speaker 2 (19:51):
So that's one thing I've.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Always loved about football, is it teaches you a lot
about life, man, because as everybody knows that's listening, man,
life has a find a way of bringing us all
down at points, or hitting us hard or throwing obstacles
in our way. And it's not a matter of if,
it's a matter of when, and it's not a matter
of you know, what we do about it, but how
(20:13):
we act when it happens.
Speaker 1 (20:15):
There are pictures of the offensive lineman dressing up like
justin Jefferson last week at Ota is were you part
of that?
Speaker 2 (20:24):
You know?
Speaker 3 (20:24):
I was there for the day brad Berry and O'Neill
and Brandle and the guys were getting swagged out.
Speaker 2 (20:30):
I'm a type of guy that I just I keep
it right where I'm.
Speaker 3 (20:33):
At, man, I don't I don't have too much swag.
So I just went out there like normal.
Speaker 4 (20:36):
Well, why do you think they did that for Justin Jefferson?
Speaker 2 (20:40):
Would you say, sorry, why do you think they.
Speaker 4 (20:42):
Did that for Justin Jefferson? Why do you think they
dressed like him?
Speaker 3 (20:46):
I don't know, show support, bro, let him know, like, Hey,
you know, we appreciate that you signed this huge deal
and you deserve it, and we're behind you, and we
want you to let you know that we love your stole,
we love this type of person than you are. And
I've only been there for about ten days, so also
out of the loop with everything, man, But that's really
that's really really cool. I'm guessing that's the reason behind it.
Speaker 1 (21:09):
Sure, Yeah, I just wanted to ask because, like, Justin
Jefferson's talking about this leadership that he wants to take
on and and he's you know, talked about that in
his conferences, and you know, sometimes when the players get paid,
some of that kind of goes by the wayside. But
it seems like he's trying to step up his game
in that regard.
Speaker 2 (21:25):
Yeah, which you gotta respect.
Speaker 3 (21:26):
I mean, Justin Jefferson is not only a tremendous athlete,
but he's a really good person. He's humble, he's got
good roots. He's a guy that when you pay him.
I think that he, you know, pays his respect to
the team, and he's going to step up as even
better leader. He's going to show up for his guys
and continue to work even harder.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
He's not a guy that checks out as soon as
he gets a deal like that.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
So I think the Minnesota Vikings made a really great
decision by keeping one of the best wide receivers in
the NFL around.
Speaker 2 (21:53):
So kudos to him for that. Man, I got a
lot of respect for JJ.
Speaker 1 (21:56):
I know you have only been there for you know what,
the ten days that he talks about. Have you gotten
an eye on watching rookie Jajon McCarthy and what stood
out to you about him?
Speaker 2 (22:06):
Uh? You know.
Speaker 3 (22:07):
I didn't get too much time with JJ, but I
was able to have a few conversations with him and
just see like, Okay, you know, this kid's got his
head on straight. I think that he's going to be
the future of the Minnesota Vikings football.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
I think that's why they drafted him.
Speaker 3 (22:19):
I think they want to give him time to become
the type of player they know he can be. But
he seems like a really good dude, seems like he's
eager to learn, eager to be great, and seems like
he's a good teammate. So for him at this point
in his career, I think those are some pretty intangible,
you know, positive things.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
And I must ask you about Sam Darnold as well,
because people have been seeing the praises of him in
camp and you know, he's bounced around the league from
the Jets of the Panthers to the Fortnites. But yeah,
think about those first two teams, as you know, not
the greatest franchises to start an NFL career with. So
the media has just been glorifying him making throws that
they didn't think he could make.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Have you seen some of those throws?
Speaker 2 (22:58):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (22:58):
Man, Sam's an awesome dude too. He's one of those
guys that gets along with the offensive line real well.
He's one of those guys that you think he was
at the facility or a Viking for the last two
or three years, by the friends that he has and
by the way he carries himself and he holds himself
to a good standard. But yeah, he's made some great
throws just in my short time of being there, it
(23:18):
looked like he had this system down and he was
gonna be a guy that everyone could count on.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
Man.
Speaker 3 (23:22):
So I'm excited about Sam, but I think everyone in
Minneapolis and Saint Paul and the Twin Cities should be
as well.
Speaker 1 (23:29):
And for my last question, maybe the most important question
besides the faith, the one, of course, who is the
best superhero?
Speaker 3 (23:37):
Ooh, the best superhero man? So I'm not gonna lie
to you, not the biggest superhero guy. I don't watch
a ton of Marvel or anything like that, but I
know of a bunch of the super question.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
I'll rephrase the question to a different I'm a big
breakfast guy.
Speaker 4 (23:54):
I like breakfast.
Speaker 2 (23:55):
Now you're speaking my language.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
Hey, let's go.
Speaker 1 (23:58):
Yeah, I can go with the glow omelet. This morning
I had some over easy eggs and some toes. Tick
that overas the eggs, put on the toes and kind
of eat like a sandwich bacon. I mean, oh, man,
So what you're sitting down for a great meal. It's
a breakfast time. What is that meal? And what is
(24:19):
in that glass right next to your meal?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Wow?
Speaker 3 (24:25):
Ice ice water with lemon, and then an iced coffee
with cream and sugar, I want the color to be tan.
Speaker 2 (24:33):
I don't want the color to be black. I want
it to be tan.
Speaker 4 (24:35):
Are you orange juice?
Speaker 2 (24:37):
No? I like orange juice.
Speaker 3 (24:39):
Orange juice I only drink probably four or five times
a year. But apple juice is like almost every breakfast thing.
Speaker 2 (24:45):
It's just got so much sugar. I try to stay
away from some of those juices.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
But yeah, so I'm a big drink guy.
Speaker 3 (24:51):
So I have a water with lemon, probably an apple juice,
or really an apple orange juice, Oh my gosh, that
would be ideal, or like an apple orange pineapple juice.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Maybe we can even add the mango regardless.
Speaker 3 (25:02):
I love all those fruit juices.
Speaker 4 (25:06):
That sounds sugar free to me.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
Yeah, I know, right, bro, with the iced coffee.
Speaker 3 (25:11):
And then for breakfast, man, I want some flapjacks like
butter around the rim, like you know, really crispy on
the ends, like uh, got it nice and buttered up.
That's how I like my flapjacks with some peanut butter.
And then I want some pork sausage patties, maybe.
Speaker 2 (25:27):
Some crispy maybe some crispy bacon, and some scrambled eggs
with cheese on top.
Speaker 4 (25:31):
Man, flapjacks. Are these pancakes?
Speaker 2 (25:34):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:35):
Okay, google flapjacks and I don't know what they were
at first.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Yeah, they're just pancakes. Man, I just like calling them flapjacks.
Speaker 1 (25:43):
Are you a steak and eggs guy? Do you like
steak and eggs?
Speaker 2 (25:47):
No? No, no, I sure don't antak. I'm I'm anti steak.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
In the morning, anti steak in the morning.
Speaker 3 (25:54):
Okay, yeah, like I don't want I don't want a
breakfast burrito with steak, or I don't want steak and eggs.
Speaker 2 (25:59):
But I love steak, Bro, I'll eat steak.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
I mean, I'm a big beef guy, so okay, not
anti anti steak in the morning.
Speaker 4 (26:06):
I feel like you should start your own podcast with food.
That'd be great.
Speaker 2 (26:10):
I know, Bro, I love food. Man. If I had
some more time in the day, I sure.
Speaker 1 (26:13):
Would Dalton Reisner's Diner podcast huh right, there you go.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
I'll nit you up if I decide to. You can
help me get it going.
Speaker 4 (26:23):
I appreciate it. Yeah, that'd be great. But anyway, just
not of the giggles. But that was great.
Speaker 1 (26:30):
Thank you so much for taking the time to join
the podcast today. And I'll be following you closely and
I'm excited to watch you eventually start for the Minnesota
Vikings this year. I'm gonna I'm gonna predict that. Just
to just to throw that out there, well.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
I really appreciate it. Tim. You have a great day, man,
God bless go Vikings.
Speaker 4 (26:46):
Skull baby, baby, let's cool.
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