March 14, 2025 • 24 mins
Minnesota Tim discusses the latest news surrounding the Minnesota Vikings, including speculation about Aaron Rodgers potentially joining the team, the release of Cooper Kupp, and the return of Harrison Smith. He also touches on the challenges facing the Minnesota Gophers basketball program after the firing of head coach Ben Johnson, emphasizing the need for change in order to attract top talent.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
It was a busy news cycle for the Minnesota Vikings
yesterday and guess what, I couldn't even record a podcast
because I spent ten hours trying to figure out our
east spring water filter system, which is going to be
a different story for a different time. But perseverance paid
(00:27):
off because ten hours later we got that e spring
water filter system installed.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Working and ready to go. And then we broke it.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So I gotta buy a part and it's gonna arrive
in the mail the next week and then we'll fix
it and then it will be working. So ten hours
was worth it. But I'm back this morning. Typically on
Monday through Saturday, but yesterday was an exception to the
rule because I was a handyman.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I was a handyman.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Okay, So let's talk about the vice because that's why
you're here. Lots of stories, lots of interesting discussion, and
the topic that everyone is talking about, not only locally
but nationally is Aaron Rodgers to the Minnesota Vikings. It'll
pull up any television show nationally and one of the
(01:21):
topics they're talking about is will Aaron Rodgers signed with
the Vikings? Do the Vikings need Aaron Rodgers? And you
discuss it locally, and one of the topics is who
is going to be the backup quarterback to J. J.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
McCarthy.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Mac Jones is off the table, Gardner Minshew is off
the table. Backup quarterbacks are flying off the radar, Taylor
Heineke is off the table. But there's still plenty a
pluthor a pluthora of backup quarterbacks available. Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz,
(01:59):
Trey Lance. You wanted to go that route, There's always
backup quarterbacks available, So I don't think the Vikings are
necessarily any rush to get a backup on the roster,
but it does make you question why the Vikings are
taking so long to make this decision and to bring
(02:20):
in a established backup quarterback, because they've been radio silent
on this whole Aaron Rodgers thing. We have not heard
a single lick from the Vikings organization on where they
stand from the standpoint of signing Aaron Rodgers, which is
(02:42):
why this topic is still interesting. The Vikings could have
completely killed the story two days ago and said we're
not interested in Rodgers, but they haven't, which is why
the speculation has gone a rampant and out of control,
and why the speculation has a little substance to it.
(03:03):
Why have they not come out and released or leaked
information to local insiders saying we have no interest in
rogers if there was none. So it does tell me
that there is a conversation happening behind closed doors, because
that's what Kevin Seffert reported on ESPN. I saw that,
(03:26):
and nobody alec Lewis Ben Gestling, nobody has mentioned that
this story is dead. However, Paul Allen, a yearly guest
on this podcast, a man of faith that I respect,
(03:50):
the best radio voice in the NFL, send out this
tweet eight hours ago, and he is technically a source
inside the Vikings organization, he says, sticking by all I've
tweeted and said nine to noon, JJ McCarthy should and
(04:13):
will be your starting QB in twenty twenty five. And
I wouldn't be surprised if we learn of it this
kind of soon. If I'm wrong, I'll eat it. But nah,
dot dot dot dot skull. So there it is. We
hear from a direct inside source who has inside knowledge
(04:38):
within that organization that McCarthy is the guy QB one
entering the twenty twenty five season. So it took the
voice of the Vikings and host of nine to Noon
from Kfan to kill this story, and it's not officially
(05:03):
killed yet, but it appears by all means, based on
Paul Allen's tweet, that Aaron Rodgers will not be a
Minnesota Viking. And that's just weigh the pros and cons
of this situation. He threw for twenty eight touchdowns eleven
interceptions last year, which is very pretty good statistically, especially
(05:31):
on a team like the Jets that stink fired the
head coach five games into the season. But the downside
of Rogers on the Vikings is that the dude probably
can't move very fast. The Vikings do have a cleaner
pocket now that they added Ryan Kelly and Will Fries.
(05:53):
You think about the advantages. It probably still has an army.
He probably can still sling it. But how much can
Aaron Rodgers move in the pocket? How mobile is Aaron
Rodgers in the pocket? I do believe that Rogers wants
to sign with the Vikings and he wants to be
(06:15):
a member of the team because it's clearly the best
option available out of any potential starting quarterback option. I mean, Giants, really, Steelers.
That's the second best option, but really so, I do
think Rogers wants to play in Minnesota. And it is
(06:37):
interesting that the Vikings have gone a radio silent on
this whole ordeal and they haven't leaked anything, but Paul Allen,
who has people and sources within the building, practically kill
the story. Aaron Rodgers is not common to the Minnesota
Vikings this offseason, which was always the likely scenario. Because
(07:00):
the Vikings have been so silent on the whole thing,
it made speculation.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Become a little true.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
It made it added substance to the speculation that everybody
was talking about. Okay, story number two Cooper Cup officially
released by the Los Angeles Rams, which I knew months
ago was going to happen.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
I said on this podcast, the.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Vikings are not going to have to trade for Cooper Cup,
or is any NFL organization, because when Cooper Cup announced
that he and the Rams were parting ways, the Rams
lost all leverage in that situation. So it didn't matter
(07:50):
what teams were willing to give up for Cooper Cup.
They knew he was not going to be a Ram
next year, So we're just gonna wait until he's released
to sign him and now I'm to have to forfeit
any capital. So that was months ago, and but it
became official just the other day that the Rams have
(08:11):
released Cooper Cup and there's multiple teams interested in Cooper
cupps how the Packers were interested in Cooper Cup, the
Vikings are interested in Cooper Cup. Seattle is interested in
Cooper Cup. Obviously, the Vikings have that relationship with Kevin
O'Connell and West Phillips being a part of the Rams
(08:32):
coaching staff and being a part of Cooper Cup's Super.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Bowl winning season.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And adding Cooper Cup as wide receiver three would be
a massive upgrade over Jalen Naylor, although I do think
Jalen Naylor.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Is more talented than we want to give him credit for.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
When Addison was out with an injury, Naylor was the
one that stepped in and had a touchdown every single
week until Addison came back. So the dude clearly has
talent and he was able to stay healthy last year.
But signing Cooper Cup to a one year, whatever million
(09:19):
dollars deal that they can offer him and have him accept,
seems like the best case scenario from the Viking standpoint.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
But Warren sharp A NFL guru.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And a guy that studies analytics and whatever else. Cooper
cup rank and ability to get open these last few years.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
In twenty twenty one, he ranked.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Fifteenth out of one sixty and there is per ESPN's
player tracking data. In twenty twenty two, he ranked seventy
first out of one fifty.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
In twenty twenty three he ranked one.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Hundred and second of one fifty three, and twenty twenty
four last year he ranked one forty one out of
one fifty nine. That is Cooper Cup's rank and ability
to get open. So as Cooper Cup has aged, his
(10:21):
ability to get open has decreased immensely.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
He's thirty one years old, will be thirty two by training.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Camp, and I love all people say this, Well, he's
not getting any younger.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Obviously, who is? It's so stupid wee people say that
Cooper Cups not getting any young all. Thanks. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
That's very that's that that intel is amazing and how I.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Wouldn't have been able to come up with that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
But I think the theory is is that you put
in Cooper Cup in a wide receiver three role surrounded
by Jefferson Addison Hockinson, Aaron Jones not going against the
(11:15):
best cornerback on the opposing team. And the belief is
is that Cooper Cup could come in and make a
tremendous impact on the Vikings roster.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
And we're not asking Cup to.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Come in and be a guy that gets targeted one
hundred times.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
That's not the role that he would play.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And maybe that's why he would sign somewhere else because
he doesn't want to play a smaller role on a
good team. Maybe he wants to play a big role
on a decent team and try to get one more
splashy contract out of the deal. But if he comes
to Minnesota, he knows his role. They're chasing a Super
(11:57):
Bowl and he's going to be wide receiver three. So
it really depends on what Cooper Cup wants because both
roles are available. He could go to Seattle play a
big role on a decent team, could go to Minnesota
play a wide receiver three role on a team that
could win the Super Bowl next season. And when he
(12:19):
comes to Minnesota, or if he comes to Minnesota, he
would be going against the third best corner linebackers and
Cavin O'Connell would be able to scheme him open because
of what the Minnesota Vikings have available, and you could
just see it now third and seven, Jefferson Addison going
(12:43):
deep cross routes and he got Cooper Cup sitting underneath
trying to find a gap in the zone or in
the man defense. And that's the role Cooper Cup would
play on the Vikings. So hopefully the Vikings can get
this deal done because he would add invaluable experience to J. J.
(13:05):
McCarthy and he would just be another trustworthy wide receiver
the relationships there, The question is will the deal get done.
And then lastly for the Vikings, Harrison Smith is coming
back for another season. They restructured his contract. He'll make
ten million dollars, only ten million dollars with a chance
(13:30):
to win fourteen million dollars and incentives next season. Harrison Smith,
already going to be a Hall of Fame safety for
the Vikings, is coming back and he's at thirty six
years old and his birthday is not until February, So
unless the Vikings playing the Super Bowl next season, he
(13:50):
won't be thirty seven until they play in the Super Bowl,
which would be a great birthday present for him. Now,
Harrison Smith. This is a tricky one because he's a
Minnesota Vikings legend and he's not getting any younger. He
does have that experience that you love, and he has
that familiarity with the Viking system which is so good.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
But he's clearly not the player that he once was.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
But with adding THEO Jackson to most likely a starting
role in the Vikings secondary, having Harrison Smith back there
to guide him and give him wisdom on how to
play the position is going to be valuable for the Vikings. Plus,
(14:43):
with the Vikings adding these new pieces and Hardgrave Jonathan
Allen with boosting the defensive line and the front seven,
having a guy like Harrison Smith in the secondary is
(15:03):
going to be helpful because the last thing that you
want is having weak secondary players with a strong defensive
line so that you know, you just add an extra
running back blocker, added an extra tight end to block
the front seven to prevent them from getting in and
the opposing NFL team torches the Viking secondary. But here's
(15:29):
a some Harrison Smith's stats for you these last few years.
Tackles twenty twenty four at eighty seven, combined tackles twenty
twenty three at ninety three twenty twenty and two at
eighty five twenty twenty one, one hundred and fourteen combined tackles.
(15:50):
That's incredible, and he was thirty two years old at
the time. You take a look at his sacks, because
that's another statistic that Harrison Smith has been.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Very good at throughout his career.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
He had only had one last year, and in twenty
twenty three had three.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
I think they all came in the same game against
the pairs.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Twenty twenty two he had zero, twenty twenty one he
had three. So he bounces between zero and three sacks
almost every single season. Thumble recoveries. Last year he had zero,
twenty twenty three had three, twenty twenty two he had one.
Twenty twenty one he had one. You look at Harrison
(16:37):
Smith and his ability, I guess that was force fumbles. Okay,
that's forced fumbles. But you look at Harrison Smith and
you're not paying him to be the player that he
once was, or else he would be signing somewhere else
to get twenty million dollars a year, like the best
safety in the league did signing with the Giants, But
you're paying him for the player he is now, and
(16:59):
his willing this to sign at a lower number to
stay on the Vikings roster when he could have played
the bitter game.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Like, Oh, you're not gonna give me what I want.
I've been in a.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Biking for thirty been in Viking for what thirteen going
on fourteen years, and you're not gonna pay me twenty
million dollars a year Because I've been here, I've been loyal,
done what I've done.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
He understands the game. He's still getting ten.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Million dollars a year with an incentive of fourteen million,
and he's taken another cut to stay with the same organization,
which is special because you don't see that anymore.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
You see players get low balled by.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
NFL franchises, and in there right, you know a lot
of people, including you and me, would do the exact
same thing. You're not gonna pay me what i'm worth,
what I think i'm worth. I'm signing somewhere else. I've
been here for ten years and this is how you're
treating me. Smith has taken pride and ego out of
(18:02):
this thing and signing for another lower contract than what
he was supposed to be paid next year. The dude
was supposed to be paid like twenty to twenty five
million dollars. So he could have said, you know what,
cut me and I'll sign somewhere else, and I'll shove
it up your ass when I signed with someone else.
That's the mindset of most NFL players when they get
(18:24):
low balled.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Not Arison Smith.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Hall of Fame safety for the Vikings, and that's what
makes them special is play in the field of sensational
and it is what it is. He's a Vikings legend,
one of the one of everybody's favorite Vikings of all time.
You know, see players stay with the one organization their
entire career, even in the quarterback position. Tom Brady Payton
(18:49):
manning best quarterbacks in the league, move around Aaron Rodgers.
So to see Harrison Smith stay with the Vikings throughout
his entire career, it's special. I think even Ed Reid
remember Ed Reid Baltimore Ravens. Did he retire with the Ravens.
I thought he played with the Eagles one year at
(19:11):
the end of his career.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, wasn't.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
The Eagles played with Houston played with the Jets. Even
Ed Reid from the Baltimore Ravens played a season with
Houston and the Jets for his final year. So to
see Harrison Smith, a legend at the position, stay with
(19:37):
the Vikings shows you what kind of man.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
That he is.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
And it's cool. It's cool that he's back. Harry the
Hitman's back, all right. Last story to touch on, the
Minnesota Gophers fire head coach Ben Johnson with a news
release at one o'clock in the morning officially one nineteen
(20:01):
in the morning. The men's basketball X page shares a
tweet saying Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announces head coaching
leadership change.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Wow. And I'm gonna keep this short.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
The Minnesota Gophers program is not going to be any
better unless they fix their biggest problem, paying players and
getting a better arena that attracts the players.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I said this the other day, but I'm gonna say
it again.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Why does Madison, Wisconsin get the best Minnesota athletes? What's
special about Madison? Why are they attracting all the players? Well,
obviously they can recruit, and there's something about their facility,
something about that program that attracts Minnesota athletes. Because ever
(21:00):
a single year, every year you turn on a Wisconsin
Badgers Minnesota Kophers game and you hear the announcers say
the same thing from prior, lake Minnesota. This is Wisconsin Badgers,
y know, whatever his name is, from Lakeville, Minnesota, here's
Wisconsin Badgers, whatever his name is. Every single year you
(21:22):
see a guy that's really really good playing for a
Wisconsin Badger's program overlooking Minnesota entirely say I'm not gonna
play with you. I'm not gonna sign here and playing
for Wisconsin. And it's not like Wisconsin is, I don't know,
(21:50):
an amazing place to live, right, I mean, it's not
like you moved to Wisconsin and you're living and by
palm tree and just living the life. It's not like
Wisconsin's known as.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
A top three program.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
It's not like they're a Duke or a North Carolina
or a Kentucky. They don't have this reputation of being
one of those teams. They've made it far. They've had
a few years with like Frank Kaminski where they went
far in the tournament and they've.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Been ranked number one or two.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
But when you think about Wisconsin, don't think about a
top three program. They've had years, but they're not a
top three program.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
They're not.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Throwing out top NBA draft picks every year, and yet
the Gophers co always get overlooked and get Wisconsin's dirty leftovers.
It's crazy. The Gophers are a farm system for the
Wisconsin Badgers. The Minnesota state is a farm system for
(22:49):
the Wisconsin Badgers. And what are the Gophers gonna do
about it? You need to change something. The definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.
Change the arena. Pay players. Figure that out, because it
doesn't matter who you bring in. No one's gonna play
for Minnesota. No one cares these days about Williams Arena.
(23:13):
The nostalgia is not there. You gotta change something, and
college sports is now more like professional sports. Players will
take money over a place to play. They'll take money.
It's off of the money. Now give up the money
and you'll find players. The worst teams in the league,
I always find guys to play for them. Look at
(23:34):
the Giants. They paid a ton of players this year.
It's the same in college basketball. Now pay the player,
they'll come. It's as simple as that. So Ben Johnson
fired doesn't really matter if I agree with it or not,
because the next guy is gonna get fired too very
soon if the if the Gophers don't change something. So
(23:56):
that's really the big problem that's being revealed throughout this
Gophers program. All right, everyone, thank you for watching this
show and for taking time to be a part of it.
Hit that subscribe button and follow button wherever you're watching
or listening.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Thank you.
It was a busy news cycle for the Minnesota Vikings
yesterday and guess what, I couldn't even record a podcast
because I spent ten hours trying to figure out our
east spring water filter system, which is going to be
a different story for a different time. But perseverance paid
(00:27):
off because ten hours later we got that e spring
water filter system installed.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Working and ready to go. And then we broke it.
Speaker 1 (00:38):
So I gotta buy a part and it's gonna arrive
in the mail the next week and then we'll fix
it and then it will be working. So ten hours
was worth it. But I'm back this morning. Typically on
Monday through Saturday, but yesterday was an exception to the
rule because I was a handyman.
Speaker 2 (00:57):
I was a handyman.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Okay, So let's talk about the vice because that's why
you're here. Lots of stories, lots of interesting discussion, and
the topic that everyone is talking about, not only locally
but nationally is Aaron Rodgers to the Minnesota Vikings. It'll
pull up any television show nationally and one of the
(01:21):
topics they're talking about is will Aaron Rodgers signed with
the Vikings? Do the Vikings need Aaron Rodgers? And you
discuss it locally, and one of the topics is who
is going to be the backup quarterback to J. J.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
McCarthy.
Speaker 1 (01:37):
Mac Jones is off the table, Gardner Minshew is off
the table. Backup quarterbacks are flying off the radar, Taylor
Heineke is off the table. But there's still plenty a
pluthor a pluthora of backup quarterbacks available. Joe Flacco, Carson Wentz,
(01:59):
Trey Lance. You wanted to go that route, There's always
backup quarterbacks available, So I don't think the Vikings are
necessarily any rush to get a backup on the roster,
but it does make you question why the Vikings are
taking so long to make this decision and to bring
(02:20):
in a established backup quarterback, because they've been radio silent
on this whole Aaron Rodgers thing. We have not heard
a single lick from the Vikings organization on where they
stand from the standpoint of signing Aaron Rodgers, which is
(02:42):
why this topic is still interesting. The Vikings could have
completely killed the story two days ago and said we're
not interested in Rodgers, but they haven't, which is why
the speculation has gone a rampant and out of control,
and why the speculation has a little substance to it.
(03:03):
Why have they not come out and released or leaked
information to local insiders saying we have no interest in
rogers if there was none. So it does tell me
that there is a conversation happening behind closed doors, because
that's what Kevin Seffert reported on ESPN. I saw that,
(03:26):
and nobody alec Lewis Ben Gestling, nobody has mentioned that
this story is dead. However, Paul Allen, a yearly guest
on this podcast, a man of faith that I respect,
(03:50):
the best radio voice in the NFL, send out this
tweet eight hours ago, and he is technically a source
inside the Vikings organization, he says, sticking by all I've
tweeted and said nine to noon, JJ McCarthy should and
(04:13):
will be your starting QB in twenty twenty five. And
I wouldn't be surprised if we learn of it this
kind of soon. If I'm wrong, I'll eat it. But nah,
dot dot dot dot skull. So there it is. We
hear from a direct inside source who has inside knowledge
(04:38):
within that organization that McCarthy is the guy QB one
entering the twenty twenty five season. So it took the
voice of the Vikings and host of nine to Noon
from Kfan to kill this story, and it's not officially
(05:03):
killed yet, but it appears by all means, based on
Paul Allen's tweet, that Aaron Rodgers will not be a
Minnesota Viking. And that's just weigh the pros and cons
of this situation. He threw for twenty eight touchdowns eleven
interceptions last year, which is very pretty good statistically, especially
(05:31):
on a team like the Jets that stink fired the
head coach five games into the season. But the downside
of Rogers on the Vikings is that the dude probably
can't move very fast. The Vikings do have a cleaner
pocket now that they added Ryan Kelly and Will Fries.
(05:53):
You think about the advantages. It probably still has an army.
He probably can still sling it. But how much can
Aaron Rodgers move in the pocket? How mobile is Aaron
Rodgers in the pocket? I do believe that Rogers wants
to sign with the Vikings and he wants to be
(06:15):
a member of the team because it's clearly the best
option available out of any potential starting quarterback option. I mean, Giants, really, Steelers.
That's the second best option, but really so, I do
think Rogers wants to play in Minnesota. And it is
(06:37):
interesting that the Vikings have gone a radio silent on
this whole ordeal and they haven't leaked anything, but Paul Allen,
who has people and sources within the building, practically kill
the story. Aaron Rodgers is not common to the Minnesota
Vikings this offseason, which was always the likely scenario. Because
(07:00):
the Vikings have been so silent on the whole thing,
it made speculation.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Become a little true.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
It made it added substance to the speculation that everybody
was talking about. Okay, story number two Cooper Cup officially
released by the Los Angeles Rams, which I knew months
ago was going to happen.
Speaker 2 (07:28):
I said on this podcast, the.
Speaker 1 (07:30):
Vikings are not going to have to trade for Cooper Cup,
or is any NFL organization, because when Cooper Cup announced
that he and the Rams were parting ways, the Rams
lost all leverage in that situation. So it didn't matter
(07:50):
what teams were willing to give up for Cooper Cup.
They knew he was not going to be a Ram
next year, So we're just gonna wait until he's released
to sign him and now I'm to have to forfeit
any capital. So that was months ago, and but it
became official just the other day that the Rams have
(08:11):
released Cooper Cup and there's multiple teams interested in Cooper
cupps how the Packers were interested in Cooper Cup, the
Vikings are interested in Cooper Cup. Seattle is interested in
Cooper Cup. Obviously, the Vikings have that relationship with Kevin
O'Connell and West Phillips being a part of the Rams
(08:32):
coaching staff and being a part of Cooper Cup's Super.
Speaker 2 (08:37):
Bowl winning season.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
And adding Cooper Cup as wide receiver three would be
a massive upgrade over Jalen Naylor, although I do think
Jalen Naylor.
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Is more talented than we want to give him credit for.
Speaker 1 (08:57):
When Addison was out with an injury, Naylor was the
one that stepped in and had a touchdown every single
week until Addison came back. So the dude clearly has
talent and he was able to stay healthy last year.
But signing Cooper Cup to a one year, whatever million
(09:19):
dollars deal that they can offer him and have him accept,
seems like the best case scenario from the Viking standpoint.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
But Warren sharp A NFL guru.
Speaker 1 (09:36):
And a guy that studies analytics and whatever else. Cooper
cup rank and ability to get open these last few years.
Speaker 2 (09:44):
In twenty twenty one, he ranked.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
Fifteenth out of one sixty and there is per ESPN's
player tracking data. In twenty twenty two, he ranked seventy
first out of one fifty.
Speaker 2 (09:57):
In twenty twenty three he ranked one.
Speaker 1 (10:00):
Hundred and second of one fifty three, and twenty twenty
four last year he ranked one forty one out of
one fifty nine. That is Cooper Cup's rank and ability
to get open. So as Cooper Cup has aged, his
(10:21):
ability to get open has decreased immensely.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
He's thirty one years old, will be thirty two by training.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Camp, and I love all people say this, Well, he's
not getting any younger.
Speaker 2 (10:37):
Obviously, who is? It's so stupid wee people say that
Cooper Cups not getting any young all. Thanks. I appreciate that.
Speaker 1 (10:44):
That's very that's that that intel is amazing and how I.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Wouldn't have been able to come up with that.
Speaker 1 (10:53):
But I think the theory is is that you put
in Cooper Cup in a wide receiver three role surrounded
by Jefferson Addison Hockinson, Aaron Jones not going against the
(11:15):
best cornerback on the opposing team. And the belief is
is that Cooper Cup could come in and make a
tremendous impact on the Vikings roster.
Speaker 2 (11:28):
And we're not asking Cup to.
Speaker 1 (11:30):
Come in and be a guy that gets targeted one
hundred times.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
That's not the role that he would play.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
And maybe that's why he would sign somewhere else because
he doesn't want to play a smaller role on a
good team. Maybe he wants to play a big role
on a decent team and try to get one more
splashy contract out of the deal. But if he comes
to Minnesota, he knows his role. They're chasing a Super
(11:57):
Bowl and he's going to be wide receiver three. So
it really depends on what Cooper Cup wants because both
roles are available. He could go to Seattle play a
big role on a decent team, could go to Minnesota
play a wide receiver three role on a team that
could win the Super Bowl next season. And when he
(12:19):
comes to Minnesota, or if he comes to Minnesota, he
would be going against the third best corner linebackers and
Cavin O'Connell would be able to scheme him open because
of what the Minnesota Vikings have available, and you could
just see it now third and seven, Jefferson Addison going
(12:43):
deep cross routes and he got Cooper Cup sitting underneath
trying to find a gap in the zone or in
the man defense. And that's the role Cooper Cup would
play on the Vikings. So hopefully the Vikings can get
this deal done because he would add invaluable experience to J. J.
(13:05):
McCarthy and he would just be another trustworthy wide receiver
the relationships there, The question is will the deal get done.
And then lastly for the Vikings, Harrison Smith is coming
back for another season. They restructured his contract. He'll make
ten million dollars, only ten million dollars with a chance
(13:30):
to win fourteen million dollars and incentives next season. Harrison Smith,
already going to be a Hall of Fame safety for
the Vikings, is coming back and he's at thirty six
years old and his birthday is not until February, So
unless the Vikings playing the Super Bowl next season, he
(13:50):
won't be thirty seven until they play in the Super Bowl,
which would be a great birthday present for him. Now,
Harrison Smith. This is a tricky one because he's a
Minnesota Vikings legend and he's not getting any younger. He
does have that experience that you love, and he has
that familiarity with the Viking system which is so good.
Speaker 2 (14:12):
But he's clearly not the player that he once was.
Speaker 1 (14:17):
But with adding THEO Jackson to most likely a starting
role in the Vikings secondary, having Harrison Smith back there
to guide him and give him wisdom on how to
play the position is going to be valuable for the Vikings. Plus,
(14:43):
with the Vikings adding these new pieces and Hardgrave Jonathan
Allen with boosting the defensive line and the front seven,
having a guy like Harrison Smith in the secondary is
(15:03):
going to be helpful because the last thing that you
want is having weak secondary players with a strong defensive
line so that you know, you just add an extra
running back blocker, added an extra tight end to block
the front seven to prevent them from getting in and
the opposing NFL team torches the Viking secondary. But here's
(15:29):
a some Harrison Smith's stats for you these last few years.
Tackles twenty twenty four at eighty seven, combined tackles twenty
twenty three at ninety three twenty twenty and two at
eighty five twenty twenty one, one hundred and fourteen combined tackles.
(15:50):
That's incredible, and he was thirty two years old at
the time. You take a look at his sacks, because
that's another statistic that Harrison Smith has been.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
Very good at throughout his career.
Speaker 1 (16:04):
He had only had one last year, and in twenty
twenty three had three.
Speaker 2 (16:08):
I think they all came in the same game against
the pairs.
Speaker 1 (16:10):
Twenty twenty two he had zero, twenty twenty one he
had three. So he bounces between zero and three sacks
almost every single season. Thumble recoveries. Last year he had zero,
twenty twenty three had three, twenty twenty two he had one.
Twenty twenty one he had one. You look at Harrison
(16:37):
Smith and his ability, I guess that was force fumbles. Okay,
that's forced fumbles. But you look at Harrison Smith and
you're not paying him to be the player that he
once was, or else he would be signing somewhere else
to get twenty million dollars a year, like the best
safety in the league did signing with the Giants, But
you're paying him for the player he is now, and
(16:59):
his willing this to sign at a lower number to
stay on the Vikings roster when he could have played
the bitter game.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
Like, Oh, you're not gonna give me what I want.
I've been in a.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Biking for thirty been in Viking for what thirteen going
on fourteen years, and you're not gonna pay me twenty
million dollars a year Because I've been here, I've been loyal,
done what I've done.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
He understands the game. He's still getting ten.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Million dollars a year with an incentive of fourteen million,
and he's taken another cut to stay with the same organization,
which is special because you don't see that anymore.
Speaker 2 (17:38):
You see players get low balled by.
Speaker 1 (17:40):
NFL franchises, and in there right, you know a lot
of people, including you and me, would do the exact
same thing. You're not gonna pay me what i'm worth,
what I think i'm worth. I'm signing somewhere else. I've
been here for ten years and this is how you're
treating me. Smith has taken pride and ego out of
(18:02):
this thing and signing for another lower contract than what
he was supposed to be paid next year. The dude
was supposed to be paid like twenty to twenty five
million dollars. So he could have said, you know what,
cut me and I'll sign somewhere else, and I'll shove
it up your ass when I signed with someone else.
That's the mindset of most NFL players when they get
(18:24):
low balled.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Not Arison Smith.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Hall of Fame safety for the Vikings, and that's what
makes them special is play in the field of sensational
and it is what it is. He's a Vikings legend,
one of the one of everybody's favorite Vikings of all time.
You know, see players stay with the one organization their
entire career, even in the quarterback position. Tom Brady Payton
(18:49):
manning best quarterbacks in the league, move around Aaron Rodgers.
So to see Harrison Smith stay with the Vikings throughout
his entire career, it's special. I think even Ed Reid
remember Ed Reid Baltimore Ravens. Did he retire with the Ravens.
I thought he played with the Eagles one year at
(19:11):
the end of his career.
Speaker 2 (19:13):
Yeah, wasn't.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
The Eagles played with Houston played with the Jets. Even
Ed Reid from the Baltimore Ravens played a season with
Houston and the Jets for his final year. So to
see Harrison Smith, a legend at the position, stay with
(19:37):
the Vikings shows you what kind of man.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
That he is.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
And it's cool. It's cool that he's back. Harry the
Hitman's back, all right. Last story to touch on, the
Minnesota Gophers fire head coach Ben Johnson with a news
release at one o'clock in the morning officially one nineteen
(20:01):
in the morning. The men's basketball X page shares a
tweet saying Director of Athletics Mark Coyle announces head coaching
leadership change.
Speaker 2 (20:11):
Wow. And I'm gonna keep this short.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
The Minnesota Gophers program is not going to be any
better unless they fix their biggest problem, paying players and
getting a better arena that attracts the players.
Speaker 2 (20:33):
I said this the other day, but I'm gonna say
it again.
Speaker 1 (20:36):
Why does Madison, Wisconsin get the best Minnesota athletes? What's
special about Madison? Why are they attracting all the players? Well,
obviously they can recruit, and there's something about their facility,
something about that program that attracts Minnesota athletes. Because ever
(21:00):
a single year, every year you turn on a Wisconsin
Badgers Minnesota Kophers game and you hear the announcers say
the same thing from prior, lake Minnesota. This is Wisconsin Badgers,
y know, whatever his name is, from Lakeville, Minnesota, here's
Wisconsin Badgers, whatever his name is. Every single year you
(21:22):
see a guy that's really really good playing for a
Wisconsin Badger's program overlooking Minnesota entirely say I'm not gonna
play with you. I'm not gonna sign here and playing
for Wisconsin. And it's not like Wisconsin is, I don't know,
(21:50):
an amazing place to live, right, I mean, it's not
like you moved to Wisconsin and you're living and by
palm tree and just living the life. It's not like
Wisconsin's known as.
Speaker 2 (22:04):
A top three program.
Speaker 1 (22:07):
It's not like they're a Duke or a North Carolina
or a Kentucky. They don't have this reputation of being
one of those teams. They've made it far. They've had
a few years with like Frank Kaminski where they went
far in the tournament and they've.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Been ranked number one or two.
Speaker 1 (22:20):
But when you think about Wisconsin, don't think about a
top three program. They've had years, but they're not a
top three program.
Speaker 2 (22:26):
They're not.
Speaker 1 (22:28):
Throwing out top NBA draft picks every year, and yet
the Gophers co always get overlooked and get Wisconsin's dirty leftovers.
It's crazy. The Gophers are a farm system for the
Wisconsin Badgers. The Minnesota state is a farm system for
(22:49):
the Wisconsin Badgers. And what are the Gophers gonna do
about it? You need to change something. The definition of
insanity is doing the same thing over and over again.
Change the arena. Pay players. Figure that out, because it
doesn't matter who you bring in. No one's gonna play
for Minnesota. No one cares these days about Williams Arena.
(23:13):
The nostalgia is not there. You gotta change something, and
college sports is now more like professional sports. Players will
take money over a place to play. They'll take money.
It's off of the money. Now give up the money
and you'll find players. The worst teams in the league,
I always find guys to play for them. Look at
(23:34):
the Giants. They paid a ton of players this year.
It's the same in college basketball. Now pay the player,
they'll come. It's as simple as that. So Ben Johnson
fired doesn't really matter if I agree with it or not,
because the next guy is gonna get fired too very
soon if the if the Gophers don't change something. So
(23:56):
that's really the big problem that's being revealed throughout this
Gophers program. All right, everyone, thank you for watching this
show and for taking time to be a part of it.
Hit that subscribe button and follow button wherever you're watching
or listening.
Speaker 2 (24:12):
Thank you.
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