March 15, 2025 • 47 mins
Minnesota Tim and Jake discuss the recent performance of the Minnesota Vikings, focusing on their loss to the Rams and the implications for the team's future. They delve into the potential of quarterback Sam Darnold and the ongoing rumors surrounding Aaron Rodgers possibly joining the Vikings. The discussion also covers the Vikings' free agency moves, analyzing the impact of new signings and the overall strategy for the upcoming season. In this conversation, the hosts discuss the Minnesota Vikings' offseason moves, focusing on player trust and the impact of injuries. They transition into the coaching changes within the Gophers basketball program, analyzing the responsibilities of the coach versus the program's overall structure. The discussion then shifts to the influence of NIL on college basketball recruiting, highlighting the challenges faced by the Gophers in attracting talent. Finally, they compare the Gophers and Badgers basketball programs, exploring the cultural and structural differences that affect recruitment and success.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
We're back.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Lives have tried to penetrate the relationship between Jake and
I with our busyness with things happening. However, we could
not be stopped, and we are back to break down
the latest Vikings and Minnesota sports news because there's a
(00:38):
lot to cover. We haven't recorded for a few months
just because it's your off season, and now we'll get
ramped up again because that's what we do. But Jake
Vikings lost to the Rams. Your overall thoughts on the Vikings.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, so it's a bummer. I mean, you know, when
you look at it, Donald only lost to two teams
this year, right twice. So you kind of hope, you know,
you hope you can sign Donald back because like he's
(01:24):
proven that he's obviously a solid quarterback in the right
system with the right people around him. You kind of
hope that you can kind of bottle up that magic
and keep it going.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
You know what, I guess where Donald would land this offseason.
There's a lot of QB needy teams out there there
are If you had a guess.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Where Donald would land, where do you think you would land?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yeah, I mean it all depends on what Koc really
thinks of him, right, Does he think AJ can take
over or is he kind of more of a Donald Truther?
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Now?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Has he been convinced after one season.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Prediction?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I mean, yeah, Steelers are going to be looking for
a quarterback, Panthers potentially, Titans, potentially the Seahawks. We have
to wait and see what they do with Geno Smith.
There's just a lot of options that Donald's going to have.
You know, if I had to guess, this is what's
going to probably happen.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
They are known Todas.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, the Vikings are going to do their classic right
because I don't think they want to pay a quarterback
a lot of money, because I think they're going to
They look at it as a window as a lot
of teams do, right, where you have a rookie quarterback
contract and you need to build a roster around that
rookie quarterback. If he becomes somebody that's special, then you're
(02:50):
going to have a special window. If he is not
special then and that's just the way it goes, right,
That's just kind of the risk you taking football, right.
Forty nine Ers is a good example. They have Rock
Party on that key contract. They were able to build
up all these pieces around them. Now, who knows if
they're gonna keep you know, Deebo, Samuel and Hargrave and
all these different guys that they've had on their team
the last few years. You know, who knows. It looks
(03:11):
like the fort Niners might have to fall apart so
to pay party. So I think we're gonna do the
like we'd love to keep Donald for a certain number,
but you know, we're not gonna go past that number
when in reality that number is gonna be a lot
lower than anybody. Like, there's gonna be a team that's
gonna destroy our number, So we never are really going
(03:32):
to actually be in the Donald sweepstakes. Yeah, you know
it's gonna be more so somebody like this. You know,
Seahawks are gonna come in and offer them ten million
more a year than we would ever offer them. But
we tried, We tried to get them.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
But well, the.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Seahawks get Donald or do you think Gino Smith lands
then I.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Don't know, it doesn't matter, he's washed. Maybe I just
remember the.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Raiders went to the Raiders.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
What a great bid record.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
As far as other guys are concerned, do you think
Aaron Jones are signs of the Vikings.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
No one else is going to say, all right.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
As far as other topics are concerned, let's transition out
of that bid into an actual football discussion.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I will tepic Donald thing. I think when as we
kind of thought it would, which in terms of the
Vikings are going to be in it. You know, hey,
we we think we can sign Donald for a reasonable number,
but somebody is probably gonna be willing to pay more.
And that's literally exactly what happened.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
There was the Kirk Cousin situation reincarnated, correct, Yeah, just
the following season.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, that's exactly what it was.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yep, it was.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
But as other football rumors and dialogue continues, one of
the hottest topics to discuss, not only locally but nationally
as well is the Aaron Rodgers steam to the Vikings
Because one Aaron Rodgers does not one to make a
(05:22):
decision right away, but he sort of has to if
he wants to play for the Giant and Steelers because
those two teams are probably not going to wait the
entire offseason for a forty two year old quarterback. So
he wants to play for the Vikings, it appears, And
why wouldn't you with that roster and with that head coach?
(05:44):
The question that really everybody's trying to answer right now,
even the best insiders in the league. I'm trying to
figure out if Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings will come
to an agreement on a d that would land him
in Minnesota, following in the footsteps of Brett far But
(06:06):
it almost feels like it has to happen because it
happened to Farv.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Will it happen?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
That's the question that everyone's trying to answer. And my
one theory on the whole situation is that the Vikings
could have squashed this entire idea m H.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
A few days ago.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
They could have leaked information to one of the local
beat writers of the Vikings and said we're not interested
in Aaron Rodgers. But not a single one has said
that or reported that, So, like, why haven't they if
none of it is true?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
So your take, Yeah, first of all, that's a next
level take, right, they were really turned off by it.
They would have just put it out there to the
world saying we are not, you know, in the Aaron
Rodgers business, and.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
It'd be done.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Because they haven't. No, I mean, now, did they have
to come out and say, you know, JJ's our quarterback
no matter what, and we're not saying, you know, no,
they don't have to do that right now. I mean
there's not really a rush per se. But yeah, the
Aaron Rodgers thing is interesting that, yeah, no one at
the Bikings is quashed. And the most I mean was
a day in or or yesterday was kind of.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Saying it or instinct. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah. But then you see like somebody PA was saying
like not no, but basically no, right, he's saying that,
you know, JJ is going to be the guy. That's
the vibes that I'm getting, you know, just a matter
of time, you know, I don't know it to your point,
the longer it's gone. At My first reaction was probably
like everybody's just like that's so dumb, Like there's no way,
(07:43):
like because the only way you do it is like,
if he's a backup, you'd assume you know, his Rogers
play last year doesn't warrant an automatic starting position. I
don't think now, depending on your team, right, I mean Steelers, Giants, whatever,
but that Rogers is expecting his starting position, we'll put
that way. And if you have JJ McCarthy. You know,
the only chance I guess you'd say he's not starting
(08:05):
is if he's still recovering or it's just not you know,
I can't see a scenario where they're not starting JJ,
unless it's Aaron Rodgers. I mean that's unless.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
So you're saying that it could happen.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Insiders, you're you're your sources are indicating to you that
it could happen.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I mean, I don't want it to happen, but it
seems like, again, the longer it lingers, I feel like
it went from like not possible and now it's just
slowly trickling up. I would still say it's not likely
mm hmm, but I've softened on it's zero. It seems
like they're letting it linger longer and longer. You know. Again,
(08:47):
to your point, I think you meant if you're Rogers,
if you're balancing giants versus Steelers versus Vikings, Giants are
an obvious worst case scenario. Steelers you could argue maybe
better than the Vikings, but I would probably put the
Vikings ahead. But you have metcalf and Pickens. That's a
pretty good offense. Defensively, they're always solid, So like whatever,
(09:09):
you know, depends how he feels about Tomlin. I have
no idea, you know, whatever Tomlin versus Koc for Rogers.
But you know, if you're Rogers, Vikings are probably the choice.
I mean, Jefferson, Addison, Jones, Hockinson.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Then you can play the Packers twice as part of it.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Packers twice, Yeah, I mean, so the waiting might be
more on Rogers part too, where he's waiting to try
to get the Vikings more interested, you might say, or
something like that, versus I'm guessing if he wanted to
sign a deal with the Steelers or the Giants, he
probably could do so, like right now, and it would
(09:45):
be done right.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
What also makes this interesting, and this again goes that
this is one hundred on the Vikings organization, Nick Mullins left. Yeah,
Daniel Jones signs with the Colts, Brett Donald Donald might
go to Seattle, Geno Smith might get traded to the
(10:10):
Raiders for a third round pick. If the Vikings did
not want Aaron Rodgers on the roster, or at least
not considering it, the question that we're trying to answer
right now, are the Vikings considering it?
Speaker 1 (10:27):
And it seems like it's yes.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
But what also adds fuel to the fire is if
the reports are not true about the Vikings communicating with
each other about the interest in Rogers, then why have
they let some of the best backup quarterbacks fall to
the wayside and sign elsewhere when McCarthy k find he's
(10:52):
QB one. But wouldn't it be kind of nice to
have a Gardner, Minshew or some other sole backup veteran
that could step in in case McCarthy goes down with
another injury.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Mm hm.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So the longer they wait to sign it backup but
just adds more fuel to the fire for Aaron Rodgers
to sign with the Vikings, right, I.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Mean yeah, because like even like a mac Jones again
starting experience right golf with some starting experience, and not
that they're great options, but just guys who have at
least played right. Guys who have played that have experienced
that don't expect to be a starter. I feel like
that's the other key. I mean Gardner sometimes I don't know,
I guess he's kind of done, but he's at least
(11:36):
he's expected to be the starter a few different times.
But you know, the rest of them and even Gardner too,
right there. They know that they're backups, right, they know
they're citing contracts that are hey, break glass in case
of emergency, they can play. You know, Cooper Rush I
think might still be available. He might be the best
option aside from if you're into Flacco or not. I
think he's again, depending on your opinion, he might be
(11:58):
the best available veteran backup that's still out there, or
Cooper Rush. That's kind of what you're left with. I think.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
All right.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Yeah, to your point though, I mean, you can't go
into twenty twenty five with JJ and Brett Ripian. I
mean that that that's not going to be. You know,
I bet a lot of money that's not going to
be the Vikings quarterback room come August. There's no chance
you can't go into the season with those two guys,
you know. Heck, even Josh Dobbs signed, right, So I
mean we're yeah, there's no other options, right that. Just
(12:27):
to the point of Rogers, I mean, that's an option.
I mean, that's I don't know, it's just it's it's interesting,
it's been an interesting story, and Rogers being kind of
radio silence. Unless I miss something, I don't think he's
been out there saying anything to anybody, you know, so
that makes him work. He's usually running his big mouth too,
so that's well.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
He's probably the one leaking everything that the insiders. I'm
there reports have come out that Rogers wants to play
for the Vikings, or at least it seems like it,
and he's agent is the one leaking it to the insiders.
And probably the question that I think is another struggle is.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
During the Donald.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Chaos of this offseason, will he come back? Will Knock
come back? All of the national insiders were saying that
the Vikings were and Donald were basically in negotiations to
make a deal happen, and that the Vikings wanted him back,
but some of that was being pushed from Donald's agency
to those national insiders, and all the local insiders, including
(13:31):
us were saying the same thing. They only want him
back at a specific number. This is the kirk Cousins
reincarnated situation from last year where they're not going to
pay him one hundred million dollars in forfeit all that
cap space that that worked so hard to get for
the last three years. So now it's like you think
(13:51):
about where these reports are coming from. In Diana Russini's
gut instinct is that Aaron Rodgers signs with the Vikings.
So it's like, what does that even mean. That's not
a report, that's that that's an instinct. That's that's that's
that's a guess. That's that's it's as good a guess
as any one of us guessing on the Aaron Rodgers
to Viking situation.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Yeah, and it's just again historically, no, like I refuse
unless he's changed, it does not seem likely, we'll put
it that way, that he would come here and have
any interest in mentoring or being a backup. There's just no.
I can't imagine there's a world where that's what Aaron
(14:32):
Rodgers is thinking. Okay, and let's say so, let's say
he does sign, and he does say the right things
about I'm going to be a backup. I'll teach JJ
and mom mom blah blah. Okay, and I'm gonna go
on Pat McAfee and singer Phraises Right, the second JJ
has a bad game. What is happening, whether it's the
(14:53):
crowd or.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
The Rogers, Rogers has a bad game, or mccartell I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
JJ starts the first you know, alson, it's you know,
game for JJ has a bad game and we're two
and two or something. I mean, talk about just crushing
JJ's development. I mean, we heard would be Rogers this,
Rogers that, Rogers this, and Rogers could be doing better.
But like you gotta think bigger picture. Like I said,
(15:17):
with a rookie quarterback. Now again, if they go through
the summer and say I'm just not sure that he
is good enough, right, that's a little different. Then you
could say, well, it's worth the Rogers game because we
have a roster right now that's really really good. Okay.
If they decide JJ just is so far away from
being a starting quarterback, I assume that's not how they feel.
Based on the fact that they drafted him and how
they've talked about him. It seems like they think he's
(15:41):
ready to go and he's an NFL starting quarterback. Okay,
So then you have to write it through. I mean, again,
the teams that are successful long term in this league
have rookie quarterbacks and great rosters. That's just that's been
the that's been the tail for the last fifteen twenty years.
That's how you do it, with some minor exceptions. If
you have some of the mahomes, it's all different, right,
(16:02):
Or if you have something like Hurts maybe kind in
that category, right, although their team again is kind of
loaded around him too, but that you know, the teams
that have success have that situation. So I mean, you
gotta ride that out unless you really think JJ is
not him, right, or if he needs another year of development,
maybe you can make that argument, say all right, Rogers
(16:23):
for one JJ next year. Maybe there's that argument too.
I don't know. Again, that's a KOC problem that he
has to decide.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Right for sure, I feel like, going off your point,
if Rogers was brought in, I feel like it'd be
the exact opposite, or he would be the QB one guy.
And let's say to the first four weeks they are
two and two, and then the Vikings would be more
likely to bench Rogers for McCarthy. Then I think they
would be the bench McCarthy for Rogers if they did
(16:53):
intend on bringing him in. But you bring up a
great point of like the amount of chaos that would
ensue if Rogers is brought in, because think about the
amount of bikers were fourteen.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And three last year.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
But think about the amount of chaos that would have
ensued following the Jacksonville Jaguars game in which Donald threw
three picks in the red zone if McCarthy was not
injured in the preseason, Like we're.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Talking about full blow up.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Let's start McCarthy getting Donald out of there, the guy's collapse.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Think he's were averting back to Jets Panthers Donald. Yep,
there is a lot of.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Advantages to not having noisy backup quarterbacks on that roster
for the time quarterback and I think I think you
make a good point on that.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, and to be fairer and now Rogers would probably
be noisy. But if we had Rogers in this example, right,
he wouldn't even have to say a word either. He
could be he could be playing it straight and actually
doing his job and helping McCarthy and all these things totally.
But the noise would still be loud. Right, the crowd,
the fans, the coverage, the average, everything would be about,
is it Rogers? Should Rogers be playing?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Uh Oh?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Holly joined Holly's in the car? Uh oh, disconnect that bluetooth.
Disconnect the bluetooth here we go. Yeah, I can't hear
it yet.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Uh oh, hello Holly, Holly, Hello, Hello, Oh you're back,
You're back.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
I don't know if Holly connected to something.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
The bluetooth strikes again. Take about it? I asked a
Hollywother take on airge Aaron Rodgers as was, and she
waited on it?
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Did she?
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Yeah? Yeah, she said, Uh.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
I like Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback option for the Vikings.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I'm sure said she might have said because their grandparents
are Packers fans. I think they're kind of over Rogers,
said he had Rogers, they would be maybe a little bitter.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
I don't know sure, but he was dreaming.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
He was dreamy. Yet something one.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
More Aaron Rodgers take before we transition to another discussion. Okay,
with the media coverage and with us playing the victim
card all the time of like everyone always overlooks us
and like no one wants to talk about Minnesota sports.
Having Aaron Rodgers would flip that on its head, just
like having far flipped that on its head.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
In two thousand and nine, there were.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Helicopters following farv his car to Eden Prairie Winter Park.
He was the coverage on ESPN front page, middle page,
back page, every single page, which made it entertaining for fans.
And Chase Daniel, former quarterback in the NFL, he's down
analyst for somebody, I think Amazon or something. Anyway, as
(20:00):
I feel like there's a good portion of Vikings fans
that secretly want to see what happens if Rogers signs,
and I that I secretly would be so intrigued to
see what would happen if Rogers science because it just
makes the team so much more interesting.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Yeah, I mean from a yeah, from an entertainment value perspective, Yeah,
there would be day and day out, weekend, week out,
just yeah, chaos ensuing. Right, I mean, would we have
like a you know, Vikings you know, sponsor Ayahuasca Night
or something. I mean, I don't know what. It would
(20:39):
be some crazy changes probably, And again he wouldn't even
have to be that controversial, but the controversy would just
follow him.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
It follows the right, Yeah, especially because he's on the
ESPN's Pat McAfee's show every week, Right, so every single
week is gonna ask questions about the same thing. Okay,
the Vikings Austine will touch on this stuff real quick
touch on another one and will bounce. Offensive lineman Will Fries,
(21:06):
offensive lineman Ryan Kelly, defensive tackles Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, resigned,
Aaron Jones. Harrison Smith is coming back for another season,
probably to finish out his career in Minnesota, which I
think is cool.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Murphy Byron Murphy's back.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
They signed an Eagles guy with the other cornerback position,
cam by them left. We brought back Theo Jackson. Ye,
basically that's pretty much it. Donald will still yeah, Donald
will still see what happens on him. But your thoughts
on the Vikings free agency. What stood out to you
(21:52):
about their decisions and moves this offseason?
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Yeah, Well, so they did what they need to do,
which is they reachool both offensive defensive. They figured, you know,
bolstered them a little bit. I mean defensively, I feel
like they could have one of the best defenses in
the league. I feel like now if things go well,
now there's some risk, right. I think hard Grave only
played like three games last year or something, and he's
getting up there. I think he's a little older. Kelly's
(22:20):
a little older.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I mean, there's a lot of injury concern over pretty
much every single player that they signed.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Right, So, I mean, it could obviously be an absolute disaster, right,
things could flip on their head, But on you know,
on paper, just analyzing it your talent wise, it looks
like it was a home run kind of class getting
by and Murphy back losing cam bind them is probably
not the end of the world, especially for what they
paid him. It's just kind of one of those things
things the cap. I mean, we were set up to
(22:48):
have all this cap room, right, and then what I
didn't even remember what's the number the NFL jumped the
cap like like thirty million or forty MILLI I don't
remember what the number was, a crazy number for next year.
It's like it doesn't even matter what the cap because
it seems like it just keeps going up every year.
You might as well just keep deferring all the money
so then you'll just always have cap space doesn't matter,
(23:08):
you know. So that was kind of a bummer that
we were in such a good position, and then everybody
else kind of is like, well, they'll be fine too,
because like the Saints even or like supposed to be
like under or over the cap by millions upon millions
and it's like, well, they figured it out somehow.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
The three structured contracts and the somehow the Browns got
like thirty six million dollars extra in cat space because
they restructured Deshaun Watson's contract.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Like, oh, this stuff wasn't even possible. Yeah, right, it
seems dumb. But anyway, I like, you know, you like
you gotta like what they did. Again, Aaron Jones for
two years is good because they got I mean, they
don't have anybody else really that they can trust. Maybe
what's his face, Cam Akers was decent, but I mean
it's I don't know what else you got. I mean,
so Jones had his best year of his career and
(23:48):
then he did have him back again. Defensively, Harrison Smith's
a big one for another year because I get if
you lose him, I mean, safety would be getting a
little sketchy. THEO Jackson's unproven tell us is kind of
that like flex safety spot, so you're not sure if
he's going to slide into an actual safety or stay
in his kind of like flex role. So just yeah, no,
(24:12):
I mean it seems like a home run for now. Again,
we'll see if any of these injuries kind of come
back to haunt them. But they did what they need
to do. We'll put it that way. The quarterback thing
is still a little scary. You need, you know, you
need somebody else in that room that you can at
least kind of trust again, whether it's Flacco or Cooper
Rush even I think, like I said, he's a good
(24:32):
name that he's started some games, he's been competent, Like,
that's a good name.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Aaron or Aaron or Sam Donald if you can give
him back for a cheap contract.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Sam Donald black for another gun right now. But yeah, No,
they did what they need to do. It seems like
they're set up for success. We'll just see if they
can all stay healthy and do what they need to do.
Isaiah Rodgers, that was the Eagles guy.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, he's the Eagles guy. Yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So yeah, the biggest weakness is from the Viking last year,
where interior offensive line and interior defensive line and getting
Will Fries and Ryan Kelly are the biggest editions of
the off season for me, because you could not trot
McCarthy out there next season with Ed Ingram or a
(25:20):
Dulton Reisner yeah or Blake Brindle Gonna say yeah, shout
out Dalton Reisner and Garrett Bradber like something had to
be done. No offense to my guest of the pod,
Dalton Reisner, because he did fill a good void for
the Vikings, and he stepped in after injury and replaced Ingram.
(25:42):
But still, I mean, you think about it, he's not
a five year, eighty million dollar offensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Right.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You paid will Fries all that money for a reason.
It's because he can play and he's got talent. So
he bring in these guys and he established a pocket.
And you think about super Bowl windows and and all
that nonsense that gets discussed. Well, if you want to
go the rookie quarterback route on a rookie contract route,
(26:11):
well this is the exact kind of diagram that you
plan so that you can open up that super Bowl window.
So now we'll just see if the piece is on
paper are actually the right pieces on paper?
Speaker 3 (26:27):
The crazy part though, depending on the sportsbook. Right, yeah,
we're either third or fourth in the divisions.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Nuts, And no, I mean it's.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
I got it. It's it's got to I mean it's
the quarterback, right, I mean that's why. But it's not
like Caleb Williams was this elite, like the Bears have
a worst roster top to bottom and a quarterback that
was okay last year. Right, he's a rookie. It's fine,
He's going to be better probably, right, you'd hope so
for them, you know, hopefully they're fun to watch here.
(26:58):
But he's not hardly I mean, he's barely more proven
than like a JJ McCarthy. I don't he's never played
a snap. But my point is Williams in flash like
it's just gonna be some automatic thing in year two.
He's gonna be elite, right, going better, But it's not
like he's gonna just be a also and all proberdy.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
And it does seem like the Lions could take a
step back this year because they lost some pieces and
they lost Ben Johnson.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Yeah, because they're a huge that You've seen a lot
of teams that lose their coordinators don't find the same
magic in the following season. It might take some or
it takes a long time to adjust. Right. Maybe by
the end of the year they got it figured out,
But that doesn't mean that they're gonna win the division necessarily.
And again, even like the Packers being ahead, it's like
I don't. I mean again, it's it's all tied to
the quarterback. If we had even if I bet, if
(27:40):
we signed Dnald even would probably be up by the
Packers in terms of odds. But yeah, it's just kind
of crazy to me that we feel like this is
such a successful offseason and like things are going well.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Nobody's gonna stop us now.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Yeah, like odds wise, you know, the world is saying, yeah,
people aren't betting on them to go first or second,
it's third or fourth.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
You know, crazy, right, Yeah, last topic to talk about
Gophers fire head coach Ben Jopson. After four seasons with
the program, they send out.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
The news release.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
I was at one nineteen a m. In the morning
on x to inform the public that Ben Johnson was fired. Basically,
no NCAA tournaments made it to a few n its,
(28:39):
I'm sure, but former player becomes coach, former assistant becomes coach.
The idea was that, uh, he was going to bring
in the Minnesota guys like he's he's he's like the
hometown kid that's going to recruit the Minnesota guys, and
all the players that go to Wisconsin are gonna come
(28:59):
to Minnesota because he's the de Lessell player that grew
up in Minnesota and knows the local scenario, and he's
fired after four seasons.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
The discussion that is taking place, and it's a fair discussion,
is how much is the onus on Ben Johnson versus
the responsibility of the Gophers program as a whole and
(29:31):
having money to pay players and having a new facility, arena,
whatever the case may be.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Yeah, I mean that's the question. Could what could Ben
Johnson have done better? I don't know. I mean he
last year he had a roster that overperformed and had
like that Elijah Hawkins, and you know he has he
had an NBA player, right Christy. I mean, so he's
had some talent come through. But then again a bunch
(30:01):
of guys left because you can't pay him enough or
other schools are offering more. And obviously that doesn't fall
on Ben Johnson. I just the Mark Coil statement made
me laugh. I'll say that because you read the first part,
you wish them well, blah blah. That's all fine. Obviously, again,
doing it one in the morning is a problem. Okay,
But this part here, this is an extremely desirable job.
(30:23):
It's not it's not like no, and one of the
best conferences and true cities in the nation.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Maybe depending on what you're talking do.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Yeah, and we fully expect to compete at highest level
on off the courk. Fine, we provide a world class
experience for a student athletes. I mean it's not I
think it's okay, right, I think we're we're doing fine.
I don't think I don't know that they're doing anything
above and beyond. They're not bad though, right. Part of that,
so many of the schools are the same now, right,
it's world class practice facilities boo babble like it's all
(30:57):
taken sorrow. Yeah, it's not unique school to school like
it used to be where it's like wow, you know
Kentucky has much better facilities. It's like, no, everyone's just
got great stuff. We have one of the best practice
facilities in the nation. Oh, and play games in a
historic venue there it is I think if I remember eight,
(31:18):
I think Washington is the oldest and we have the
second oldest. How did Washington do this year?
Speaker 1 (31:22):
It's a good question.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Yeah, they were lasting a big test.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And we watched them.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
By the way, I went to one Gopher game this
year in his Gopher's home versus Washington. We lost great watch,
they just got this is terrible. All right, we offer
everything needed to be successful?
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Okay, do you what what what is? How do you
define that?
Speaker 3 (31:52):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
What is everything you need to be successful? Basketball shoes, socks, uniforms?
Okay that count?
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah? I don't know. I mean, we hired Ben Jonson
coming out of COVID, and so you're coming out of
COVID and you're navigating the nil world that just got
completely changed when he started, right, it's just something you
never would have had to deal with it alse in boom,
just what you're dealing with. So, given what he had
to deal with, I mean, did he do an amazing
I don't know. Maybe did he do a terrible job?
(32:23):
Doesn't seem like it, right, he did fine? And again
the key is what is your plan to follow it up?
Who are you going to get that is better, more qualified?
Who's interesting? Like, there's nobody interested in coaching the Minnesota
Golden Golphers.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Now it's just not it's not a desirable job anymore.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
No, and maybe it never I mean when's the best?
I mean Tebby Smith, you know back then yeah, he
had some. He did solid. I mean, he was a
big name that we got, but even he was kind
of coming off some you know. Honestly, the Patino thing
was he was probably the best name.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
We've had, right, and now look what he's doing at
New Mexico is Rennen.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Right, you know, So we were quick to get out
of him because you couldn't get the Minnesota talent. Well,
he cares about the Minnesota twent to some extent. I mean,
in today's world, it's not about you don't get the
Minnesota guy and you keep them for four years anymore.
That's not how the world works, you know. It's every
year that you're getting new faces basically and having to
(33:24):
figure out how to work them together unless you can
raise the NIL problem, which that's the Gopher's biggest problem,
it seems like, right, not having enough NIL funds, not
having an organized you know, because even like Hopkins, like
he was I think he was the one he was
coming back to Minnesota and then someone else just paid
him more money than he said, never mind, I'm leaving.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Right, Why wouldn't you?
Speaker 2 (33:44):
It's college sports is becoming more like professional sports, Yeah,
where like you go into NFL free agency, for example,
and one of the best safeties on the market was
that Dolphin's guide Javon Holland. Yeah, and the Giants paid
him the most amount of money to come to their roster,
and he just joined one of the worst rosters yep
(34:07):
in the entire NFL because they paid the most. And
it's the same thing for college sports. Oh, you're gonna
pay me three hundred thousand dollars a year to play
basketball and the Gophers are gonna give.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Me fifty thousand. That's an easy decision.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
Especially if you're not going Now there's a there's a
case to be made in the pros, right, Hey, if
I'm gonna get a hundred million or get ninety million,
but be on a better team. There's a lot of
guys who will choose the better team. If you're Elijah
Hawkins and you know for a fact you're not going
to make the.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
NBA cash out, now it is the Yeah, this is.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Your only window. And now yes, and maybe go play,
you know, in Europe or whatever. There's other options that
you might make some money, right, but this is your window.
You have this four year window where nil is your
whole that could set you up for the next well,
the rest of your life potentially, right, if you manage
your money right, I mean, you still have to have
a job. You're not gonna be able to retire obviously,
but you know you have a nest egg of hundreds
(34:59):
of thousands of dollars potentially that you could use to
start your new life right after college.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Right.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
So yeah, it's it's a no brainer to cash in
because again, if you're on the Gophers. I don't eve
remember where Hopkins ended up going. It wasn't somewhere like Elite.
You know, it's not transferring somewhere to win a title.
You're not going to Duke. He went somewhere. Let's see,
let's look it up quick.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
I'm looking it up right now. Texas Tech, Texas Tech.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
He averaged nine points a game for Texas Tech and
three assists, no six assists, sorry, you know, and he
led the big ten in assists last I think he
let's led the didn't evenly like the country and assists
last year. I think I think he did. That could
be wrong, though, it doesn't matter. The point is right,
a guy like him, he's not going to doke, so
what does he care if it's the Minnesota or Texas Tech.
(35:46):
Either way, it's not a great you know, it's it
is what it is. They're not going to win a title.
He's not going to like go to the NBA out
of this. You know, it's a perfect example of why
you would never choose the Gophers if you have another
option on the table that's more money. I mean, it's
just not you know, this isn't a special place to people, right,
you know it was the Dawson Garcia, but from in
(36:07):
Parker Fox Great. Most people don't view this as a
special place to be, so you have to convince them
it's special by painting them. That's just you might say
it's stupid. You might think it's unfair. I would probably
agree to a lot of extent that it's just what
are we doing. It looks like a professional landscape now
and that's not necessarily what's fun about college basketball or
college football. But that's the system we're in, So it
(36:30):
doesn't matter. That's what hass that. That's what it is.
So you got to play the game that way, and
we are not even close to playing the game that way.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
My biggest problem with this whole Golden Golphers basketball program
is when I compare it to the Wisconsin Badgers program.
Now I don't know about the facilities and whatnot or whatever,
but when I think about our neighbors to the east,
the Wisconsin Badgers, and I think about Madison, why is
(36:58):
Madison what ssconsin.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
A special place to play? Like why do.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Players continually pick the Wisconsin Badgers over the Gophers program?
Particularly Minnesota guys because every year you turn on a
Badgers basketball game and you see from prior Lake Minnesota,
from from Lakeville, Mini, from why Zeta, Here's Wisconsin Badgers
(37:26):
star whatever.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
His name is. And the.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Question that I don't fully have an answer to because
I don't know Wisconsin Badgers program personally or hav any
experience with it, but it's like, why do they continually
recruit good players that are there for three to four years?
Because they're taking Not many NBA players come out of Wisconsin.
(37:55):
You get like a Frank Cominsky. Sometimes they're on number
one seed, but they are a routine a team that's
ranked ten to twenty every year in the NCAA, always
in the NCAA.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
March Madness Tournament.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Occasionally will be a number one seed with like a
Frank the tank Kaminsky type of guy.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
But what what is it about Wisconsin? Yeah? Why are
they so good?
Speaker 2 (38:20):
And why can the Gophers program not recreate what Wisconsin
has done consistently for years?
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Yeah? Well, I mean they have a culture of winning,
which obviously helps. Right, if you win, you bring winners out,
blah blah. But I mean part of it is, you know,
Minneapolis Saint Paul. They boast about having like such a
you know, it's a metropolitan area and blah blah blah blah. Well,
first of all, I mean it's a huge I mean
it the U of M is its own. It's part
of this giant, you know city. Right, it's a city.
(38:50):
It's very much a city. You know, Madison is very
much a college town. It's big still, but Madison is
very like when you're on the campus, it just it
feels it's the collegiate. It feels collegiate, right, It's not
like what you know, Minneapolis Saint Paul level. So, Gophers basketball,
where does it rank in terms of people what people
(39:11):
care about? Here? I mean you have Gopher sorry you
have Well, hockey probably is more important, go for football
is more important generally, Vikings, Wolves, Wild twins. I mean,
I know, it's the seasons don't all overlap.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Oh wow, what's going on there?
Speaker 3 (39:26):
You're that's weird. I wonder what word that was, twins.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
I don't know if it's like a hand gesture.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
That was weird only the YouTube. If you put this
on YouTube, they'll fire YouTube.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Sure, that was crazy. That's a single button back here.
Speaker 3 (39:46):
I didn't either, Holly. Anyway, my point is the Gophers.
I mean, no one cares about Gopher basketball or or
Wisconsin basketball. I mean, that is what you know that
what is the thing right that is that is what
has cared about is Wisconsin athletics. Right. It is a
college town. So I think that's part of it. Is
(40:07):
just the Gophers are and often forgot about in the
big scheme of things. It is not a priority in
terms of just the way Minnesota operates. Right, you have
all these different hockey programs around the state. That is
a much bigger deal. You know, Wisconsin hockey is not
nearly as big of a deal. They don't have as
many hockey programs, right, all that sort of things. So
(40:28):
it's just kind of basketball is more of a thing
in Masson than you know, Minneapolis Saint Paul, and that's
just always kind of been the way.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
It is the one thing that I do not want
the Gophers program to do. And I've seen this already
floating around. Bobby Jackson is an assistant coach for an
NBA team, Ryan Saunders is an assistant coach for the
Denver Nuggets, and you've already seen those names floating around
(40:55):
on potential rumored hires.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
The Gopher's program would higher. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
I saw the Saunders one, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:04):
And of course they have ties to the program.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
They were a part of that they played Ryan Sounder's
not really, But like I want you to go out
there and get someone that did not play U of
M basketball, that went and played somewhere else or didn't
play at all and has a history of coaching other
(41:31):
programs and taking them to another level that doesn't necessarily
have Minnesota ties.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Not everything has to be well, they grew.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
Up in Minnesota, they played for Minnesota, Minnesota this Minnesota
that mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
I think we're I think we're done with that.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Like bringing a Tummis Smith or Richard Patina, like going
back to like another Ben Johnson higher where because he
grew up in Minnesota or played for the Gophers.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Like, let's bring something else new in here.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Yeah, like, uh, you know a mac like a PJ
flex style right, coming in with completely fresh Now he's
not like it's he's not like he's been a you know,
Big ten title contender, right, but he came in and
just completely different. Right, Just I'm going to do it
my way. I've done this at different levels. It's worked.
This is what we're doing, right, So that's kind of
your point. Don't bring it in just another yes man.
(42:21):
Bring in a guy who right has shown success at
the lower conference level, right, and knows how to build
a program, because I mean, let's be honest, this program
needs to be built. There's nothing really there worth salvaging. Again,
you have basic you know, facilities and all that sort
of stuff. It's great whatever, blah blah blah. But in
(42:43):
terms of like the actual roster, I mean we have
literally nobody for next year. I mean almost nobody. We
have Awesoma Minnesota guy.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
That might be it, right, have another year of eligibility.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
He could be the coach probably, right, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Played for the Gophers and grew up in Minnesota. Might
not Parker?
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Yeah, So yeah, to your point, it'd be nice to
get a program developer, right, somebody that was at a
lower lower maybe the same Thomas coaches will Amy, Hey,
why not they freaking win their conference every year even
though they can't go to the conference or in sports,
By the way, it's so weird. It'd be one thing
if you're going down obviously, that totally makes sense. Right
If Saint Thomas said, hey, D one's not for us,
(43:22):
we're gonna go back down to D two, well, yeah,
you can't win right away. There has to be some
rules probably where blah blah blah blah. They went from
D three up to D one win and then they're
like not for four, can't do it, can do can't win.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
You're playing at a severe disadvantage.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Plants are behind in every single recruiting class and every
single thing, like, hey.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
You know what, come play for our program.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
You can win the conference tournament and guess what, you
still won't go to the March Madness title.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Yeah, like what kind of recruitment pitches that?
Speaker 2 (43:50):
And yet they still do it and then they get
banned from participating.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Dumblest rule I think I've ever seen in my life.
Speaker 3 (43:57):
Yeah, weird, but anyway. So yeah, I mean the point,
I like your point, right, don't don't because even like
a Saunders, right, no one would say he's a bad coach. Obviously,
Clearly he's a good basketball coach. He's been successful, he's
worked you know, Wolves, Nuggets. Obviously, I'm sure he's got
a just a depth knowledge of basketball stuff. That's not
(44:19):
even what coaching college basketball is hardly about any Like,
obviously he knows more than either best we'll ever know
about basketball, but again that's not even what it's about anymore.
Anybody can look up and figure out pro schemes to
run about, like that's it. That's the easier part, that
harder part, right, getting guys here, getting them paid, getting
them to play as a team. Like, it's more of
(44:40):
that other stuff than just again exos, Well, anybody that's
going to be a college coach.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Can you on your team and your team's going to
be good?
Speaker 3 (44:50):
Right, I mean, it's more about getting the guys, getting
the money, getting the program to be in a place
where that can be successful. Because again, and that's my
point of all that is sounders, that's not something he's
ever done, so could he be good at it? I
don't know. Maybe, but has he done any proof of that? No,
he's been an NBA guy, right, that's just what he's
good at. Bobby Jackson. Jackson would be the similar thing,
(45:11):
right if he's never That's what he said, right, that's
the one.
Speaker 1 (45:13):
Yeah, Bobby Jackson, yep, Yeah, it's like he's.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
Again, he's never built a college program in this era
of how you have to do it, So that would
be my number one priority is how do you find
somebody who has a plan of how to build a
program and get guys to Minnesota when Minnesota's a place
a lot of guys don't want to be right, I'm
just getting another Minnesota guy is not going to solve
the problem unless that's also a guy who's built a
(45:38):
program and can show how to do it.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
The only people that are going to buy tickets to
watch a Bobby Jackson led basketball program was someone that
watched the nineteen ninety eight Yeah, final four run. Yeah,
that's not going to excite him, but he knew Bobby
Jackson whatever.
Speaker 3 (45:58):
A right, you know before the nil deal, maybe you
know guys like that could be successful. Right, you have
to recruit two or three guys a year. I mean
that was a pretty not easy job obviously, but like
they'd stay for four years and if you got you know,
Dawson Garcia as a freshman, yeah, you had him for
four years and you could trust that your program was
(46:19):
going to be in good hands. That's just not the
world it works anymore.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
Completely different game now. Yeah, wow, we went forty six minutes. Nice,
who appreciate your time? It is, talk about it, we'll
get back.
Speaker 3 (46:34):
Talk about the stash here.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
I know mister Mario over there.
Speaker 3 (46:39):
Yeah, it's ready going back though, so we'll be back
to normal soon.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
It looks good. I kind of like it. Yeah, yeah,
it should just go stash now from now on.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Go stash for a little while. H I don't think
about it.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
Let's do it. Just shave the sides and go stash.
It feels in pretty nice.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Yeah it wasn't. Yeah, it's it's a week, a little
over week.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
This is bad.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
I mean some people grow you know, full beard after
a day of you know, every day basically, which I'm
happy I don't have to because I only have to
shave every couple you know. It's not often that I
have to shave.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Yeah, this is like two weeks from me right here.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
Okay, yeah, I how you go with the shaven look
on you know on the videos there that you've been
you've been getting some views. I've seen some.
Speaker 2 (47:21):
Yeah, yeah, we're moving out. We got twenty three hundred
followers on Facebook. Nice people are watching the stuff. The content, baby,
content wet We put out and pour out content is
what we do.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
That's yeah, your your content machine.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
Let's go. There, we go, We'll do it again. We'll
be back soon. Everyone. Thank you for watching. Hit that
subscribe button.
Speaker 2 (47:40):
If you're still here with us, I don't know if
what I'm just saying it is pointless at this point
in time.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Who's all with us at this point? Maybe, Adam.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
I appreciate you watching, Adam, thank you for making this
podcast part every day at a
We're back.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Lives have tried to penetrate the relationship between Jake and
I with our busyness with things happening. However, we could
not be stopped, and we are back to break down
the latest Vikings and Minnesota sports news because there's a
(00:38):
lot to cover. We haven't recorded for a few months
just because it's your off season, and now we'll get
ramped up again because that's what we do. But Jake
Vikings lost to the Rams. Your overall thoughts on the Vikings.
Speaker 3 (01:03):
Yeah, so it's a bummer. I mean, you know, when
you look at it, Donald only lost to two teams
this year, right twice. So you kind of hope, you know,
you hope you can sign Donald back because like he's
(01:24):
proven that he's obviously a solid quarterback in the right
system with the right people around him. You kind of
hope that you can kind of bottle up that magic
and keep it going.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
You know what, I guess where Donald would land this offseason.
There's a lot of QB needy teams out there there
are If you had a guess.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Where Donald would land, where do you think you would land?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
Yeah, I mean it all depends on what Koc really
thinks of him, right, Does he think AJ can take
over or is he kind of more of a Donald Truther?
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Now?
Speaker 3 (02:01):
Has he been convinced after one season.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Prediction?
Speaker 3 (02:06):
I mean, yeah, Steelers are going to be looking for
a quarterback, Panthers potentially, Titans, potentially the Seahawks. We have
to wait and see what they do with Geno Smith.
There's just a lot of options that Donald's going to have.
You know, if I had to guess, this is what's
going to probably happen.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
They are known Todas.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
Yeah, the Vikings are going to do their classic right
because I don't think they want to pay a quarterback
a lot of money, because I think they're going to
They look at it as a window as a lot
of teams do, right, where you have a rookie quarterback
contract and you need to build a roster around that
rookie quarterback. If he becomes somebody that's special, then you're
(02:50):
going to have a special window. If he is not
special then and that's just the way it goes, right,
That's just kind of the risk you taking football, right.
Forty nine Ers is a good example. They have Rock
Party on that key contract. They were able to build
up all these pieces around them. Now, who knows if
they're gonna keep you know, Deebo, Samuel and Hargrave and
all these different guys that they've had on their team
the last few years. You know, who knows. It looks
(03:11):
like the fort Niners might have to fall apart so
to pay party. So I think we're gonna do the
like we'd love to keep Donald for a certain number,
but you know, we're not gonna go past that number
when in reality that number is gonna be a lot
lower than anybody. Like, there's gonna be a team that's
gonna destroy our number, So we never are really going
(03:32):
to actually be in the Donald sweepstakes. Yeah, you know
it's gonna be more so somebody like this. You know,
Seahawks are gonna come in and offer them ten million
more a year than we would ever offer them. But
we tried, We tried to get them.
Speaker 1 (03:47):
But well, the.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Seahawks get Donald or do you think Gino Smith lands
then I.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Don't know, it doesn't matter, he's washed. Maybe I just
remember the.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
Raiders went to the Raiders.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
What a great bid record.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
As far as other guys are concerned, do you think
Aaron Jones are signs of the Vikings.
Speaker 3 (04:20):
No one else is going to say, all right.
Speaker 2 (04:25):
As far as other topics are concerned, let's transition out
of that bid into an actual football discussion.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I will tepic Donald thing. I think when as we
kind of thought it would, which in terms of the
Vikings are going to be in it. You know, hey,
we we think we can sign Donald for a reasonable number,
but somebody is probably gonna be willing to pay more.
And that's literally exactly what happened.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
There was the Kirk Cousin situation reincarnated, correct, Yeah, just
the following season.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
Yeah, that's exactly what it was.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Yep, it was.
Speaker 1 (05:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (05:01):
But as other football rumors and dialogue continues, one of
the hottest topics to discuss, not only locally but nationally
as well is the Aaron Rodgers steam to the Vikings
Because one Aaron Rodgers does not one to make a
(05:22):
decision right away, but he sort of has to if
he wants to play for the Giant and Steelers because
those two teams are probably not going to wait the
entire offseason for a forty two year old quarterback. So
he wants to play for the Vikings, it appears, And
why wouldn't you with that roster and with that head coach?
(05:44):
The question that really everybody's trying to answer right now,
even the best insiders in the league. I'm trying to
figure out if Aaron Rodgers and the Vikings will come
to an agreement on a d that would land him
in Minnesota, following in the footsteps of Brett far But
(06:06):
it almost feels like it has to happen because it
happened to Farv.
Speaker 3 (06:10):
Yeah, but.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Will it happen?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
That's the question that everyone's trying to answer. And my
one theory on the whole situation is that the Vikings
could have squashed this entire idea m H.
Speaker 1 (06:28):
A few days ago.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
They could have leaked information to one of the local
beat writers of the Vikings and said we're not interested
in Aaron Rodgers. But not a single one has said
that or reported that, So, like, why haven't they if
none of it is true?
Speaker 3 (06:45):
So your take, Yeah, first of all, that's a next
level take, right, they were really turned off by it.
They would have just put it out there to the
world saying we are not, you know, in the Aaron
Rodgers business, and.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
It'd be done.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Because they haven't. No, I mean, now, did they have
to come out and say, you know, JJ's our quarterback
no matter what, and we're not saying, you know, no,
they don't have to do that right now. I mean
there's not really a rush per se. But yeah, the
Aaron Rodgers thing is interesting that, yeah, no one at
the Bikings is quashed. And the most I mean was
a day in or or yesterday was kind of.
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Saying it or instinct. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Yeah. But then you see like somebody PA was saying
like not no, but basically no, right, he's saying that,
you know, JJ is going to be the guy. That's
the vibes that I'm getting, you know, just a matter
of time, you know, I don't know it to your point,
the longer it's gone. At My first reaction was probably
like everybody's just like that's so dumb, Like there's no way,
(07:43):
like because the only way you do it is like,
if he's a backup, you'd assume you know, his Rogers
play last year doesn't warrant an automatic starting position. I
don't think now, depending on your team, right, I mean Steelers, Giants, whatever,
but that Rogers is expecting his starting position, we'll put
that way. And if you have JJ McCarthy. You know,
the only chance I guess you'd say he's not starting
(08:05):
is if he's still recovering or it's just not you know,
I can't see a scenario where they're not starting JJ,
unless it's Aaron Rodgers. I mean that's unless.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
So you're saying that it could happen.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Insiders, you're you're your sources are indicating to you that
it could happen.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
I mean, I don't want it to happen, but it
seems like, again, the longer it lingers, I feel like
it went from like not possible and now it's just
slowly trickling up. I would still say it's not likely
mm hmm, but I've softened on it's zero. It seems
like they're letting it linger longer and longer. You know. Again,
(08:47):
to your point, I think you meant if you're Rogers,
if you're balancing giants versus Steelers versus Vikings, Giants are
an obvious worst case scenario. Steelers you could argue maybe
better than the Vikings, but I would probably put the
Vikings ahead. But you have metcalf and Pickens. That's a
pretty good offense. Defensively, they're always solid, So like whatever,
(09:09):
you know, depends how he feels about Tomlin. I have
no idea, you know, whatever Tomlin versus Koc for Rogers.
But you know, if you're Rogers, Vikings are probably the choice.
I mean, Jefferson, Addison, Jones, Hockinson.
Speaker 1 (09:20):
Then you can play the Packers twice as part of it.
Speaker 3 (09:23):
Packers twice, Yeah, I mean, so the waiting might be
more on Rogers part too, where he's waiting to try
to get the Vikings more interested, you might say, or
something like that, versus I'm guessing if he wanted to
sign a deal with the Steelers or the Giants, he
probably could do so, like right now, and it would
(09:45):
be done right.
Speaker 2 (09:47):
What also makes this interesting, and this again goes that
this is one hundred on the Vikings organization, Nick Mullins left. Yeah,
Daniel Jones signs with the Colts, Brett Donald Donald might
go to Seattle, Geno Smith might get traded to the
(10:10):
Raiders for a third round pick. If the Vikings did
not want Aaron Rodgers on the roster, or at least
not considering it, the question that we're trying to answer
right now, are the Vikings considering it?
Speaker 1 (10:27):
And it seems like it's yes.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
But what also adds fuel to the fire is if
the reports are not true about the Vikings communicating with
each other about the interest in Rogers, then why have
they let some of the best backup quarterbacks fall to
the wayside and sign elsewhere when McCarthy k find he's
(10:52):
QB one. But wouldn't it be kind of nice to
have a Gardner, Minshew or some other sole backup veteran
that could step in in case McCarthy goes down with
another injury.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
Mm hm.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
So the longer they wait to sign it backup but
just adds more fuel to the fire for Aaron Rodgers
to sign with the Vikings, right, I.
Speaker 3 (11:15):
Mean yeah, because like even like a mac Jones again
starting experience right golf with some starting experience, and not
that they're great options, but just guys who have at
least played right. Guys who have played that have experienced
that don't expect to be a starter. I feel like
that's the other key. I mean Gardner sometimes I don't know,
I guess he's kind of done, but he's at least
(11:36):
he's expected to be the starter a few different times.
But you know, the rest of them and even Gardner too,
right there. They know that they're backups, right, they know
they're citing contracts that are hey, break glass in case
of emergency, they can play. You know, Cooper Rush I
think might still be available. He might be the best
option aside from if you're into Flacco or not. I
think he's again, depending on your opinion, he might be
(11:58):
the best available veteran backup that's still out there, or
Cooper Rush. That's kind of what you're left with. I think.
Speaker 1 (12:04):
All right.
Speaker 3 (12:05):
Yeah, to your point though, I mean, you can't go
into twenty twenty five with JJ and Brett Ripian. I
mean that that that's not going to be. You know,
I bet a lot of money that's not going to
be the Vikings quarterback room come August. There's no chance
you can't go into the season with those two guys,
you know. Heck, even Josh Dobbs signed, right, So I
mean we're yeah, there's no other options, right that. Just
(12:27):
to the point of Rogers, I mean, that's an option.
I mean, that's I don't know, it's just it's it's interesting,
it's been an interesting story, and Rogers being kind of
radio silence. Unless I miss something, I don't think he's
been out there saying anything to anybody, you know, so
that makes him work. He's usually running his big mouth too,
so that's well.
Speaker 2 (12:46):
He's probably the one leaking everything that the insiders. I'm
there reports have come out that Rogers wants to play
for the Vikings, or at least it seems like it,
and he's agent is the one leaking it to the insiders.
And probably the question that I think is another struggle is.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
During the Donald.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Chaos of this offseason, will he come back? Will Knock
come back? All of the national insiders were saying that
the Vikings were and Donald were basically in negotiations to
make a deal happen, and that the Vikings wanted him back,
but some of that was being pushed from Donald's agency
to those national insiders, and all the local insiders, including
(13:31):
us were saying the same thing. They only want him
back at a specific number. This is the kirk Cousins
reincarnated situation from last year where they're not going to
pay him one hundred million dollars in forfeit all that
cap space that that worked so hard to get for
the last three years. So now it's like you think
(13:51):
about where these reports are coming from. In Diana Russini's
gut instinct is that Aaron Rodgers signs with the Vikings.
So it's like, what does that even mean. That's not
a report, that's that that's an instinct. That's that's that's
that's a guess. That's that's it's as good a guess
as any one of us guessing on the Aaron Rodgers
to Viking situation.
Speaker 3 (14:12):
Yeah, and it's just again historically, no, like I refuse
unless he's changed, it does not seem likely, we'll put
it that way, that he would come here and have
any interest in mentoring or being a backup. There's just no.
I can't imagine there's a world where that's what Aaron
(14:32):
Rodgers is thinking. Okay, and let's say so, let's say
he does sign, and he does say the right things
about I'm going to be a backup. I'll teach JJ
and mom mom blah blah. Okay, and I'm gonna go
on Pat McAfee and singer Phraises Right, the second JJ
has a bad game. What is happening, whether it's the
(14:53):
crowd or.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
The Rogers, Rogers has a bad game, or mccartell I'm saying.
Speaker 3 (14:57):
JJ starts the first you know, alson, it's you know,
game for JJ has a bad game and we're two
and two or something. I mean, talk about just crushing
JJ's development. I mean, we heard would be Rogers this,
Rogers that, Rogers this, and Rogers could be doing better.
But like you gotta think bigger picture. Like I said,
(15:17):
with a rookie quarterback. Now again, if they go through
the summer and say I'm just not sure that he
is good enough, right, that's a little different. Then you
could say, well, it's worth the Rogers game because we
have a roster right now that's really really good. Okay.
If they decide JJ just is so far away from
being a starting quarterback, I assume that's not how they feel.
Based on the fact that they drafted him and how
they've talked about him. It seems like they think he's
(15:41):
ready to go and he's an NFL starting quarterback. Okay,
So then you have to write it through. I mean, again,
the teams that are successful long term in this league
have rookie quarterbacks and great rosters. That's just that's been
the that's been the tail for the last fifteen twenty years.
That's how you do it, with some minor exceptions. If
you have some of the mahomes, it's all different, right,
(16:02):
Or if you have something like Hurts maybe kind in
that category, right, although their team again is kind of
loaded around him too, but that you know, the teams
that have success have that situation. So I mean, you
gotta ride that out unless you really think JJ is
not him, right, or if he needs another year of development,
maybe you can make that argument, say all right, Rogers
(16:23):
for one JJ next year. Maybe there's that argument too.
I don't know. Again, that's a KOC problem that he
has to decide.
Speaker 2 (16:30):
Right for sure, I feel like, going off your point,
if Rogers was brought in, I feel like it'd be
the exact opposite, or he would be the QB one guy.
And let's say to the first four weeks they are
two and two, and then the Vikings would be more
likely to bench Rogers for McCarthy. Then I think they
would be the bench McCarthy for Rogers if they did
(16:53):
intend on bringing him in. But you bring up a
great point of like the amount of chaos that would
ensue if Rogers is brought in, because think about the
amount of bikers were fourteen.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
And three last year.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
But think about the amount of chaos that would have
ensued following the Jacksonville Jaguars game in which Donald threw
three picks in the red zone if McCarthy was not
injured in the preseason, Like we're.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
Talking about full blow up.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Let's start McCarthy getting Donald out of there, the guy's collapse.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Think he's were averting back to Jets Panthers Donald. Yep,
there is a lot of.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Advantages to not having noisy backup quarterbacks on that roster
for the time quarterback and I think I think you
make a good point on that.
Speaker 3 (17:42):
Yeah, and to be fairer and now Rogers would probably
be noisy. But if we had Rogers in this example, right,
he wouldn't even have to say a word either. He
could be he could be playing it straight and actually
doing his job and helping McCarthy and all these things totally.
But the noise would still be loud. Right, the crowd,
the fans, the coverage, the average, everything would be about,
is it Rogers? Should Rogers be playing?
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Uh Oh?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
Holly joined Holly's in the car? Uh oh, disconnect that bluetooth.
Disconnect the bluetooth here we go. Yeah, I can't hear
it yet.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Uh oh, hello Holly, Holly, Hello, Hello, Oh you're back,
You're back.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
I don't know if Holly connected to something.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
The bluetooth strikes again. Take about it? I asked a
Hollywother take on airge Aaron Rodgers as was, and she
waited on it?
Speaker 3 (18:52):
Did she?
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Yeah? Yeah, she said, Uh.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
I like Aaron Rodgers as a quarterback option for the Vikings.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I'm sure said she might have said because their grandparents
are Packers fans. I think they're kind of over Rogers,
said he had Rogers, they would be maybe a little bitter.
Speaker 1 (19:12):
I don't know sure, but he was dreaming.
Speaker 3 (19:15):
He was dreamy. Yet something one.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
More Aaron Rodgers take before we transition to another discussion. Okay,
with the media coverage and with us playing the victim
card all the time of like everyone always overlooks us
and like no one wants to talk about Minnesota sports.
Having Aaron Rodgers would flip that on its head, just
like having far flipped that on its head.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
In two thousand and nine, there were.
Speaker 2 (19:36):
Helicopters following farv his car to Eden Prairie Winter Park.
He was the coverage on ESPN front page, middle page,
back page, every single page, which made it entertaining for fans.
And Chase Daniel, former quarterback in the NFL, he's down
analyst for somebody, I think Amazon or something. Anyway, as
(20:00):
I feel like there's a good portion of Vikings fans
that secretly want to see what happens if Rogers signs,
and I that I secretly would be so intrigued to
see what would happen if Rogers science because it just
makes the team so much more interesting.
Speaker 3 (20:18):
Yeah, I mean from a yeah, from an entertainment value perspective, Yeah,
there would be day and day out, weekend, week out,
just yeah, chaos ensuing. Right, I mean, would we have
like a you know, Vikings you know, sponsor Ayahuasca Night
or something. I mean, I don't know what. It would
(20:39):
be some crazy changes probably, And again he wouldn't even
have to be that controversial, but the controversy would just
follow him.
Speaker 2 (20:46):
It follows the right, Yeah, especially because he's on the
ESPN's Pat McAfee's show every week, Right, so every single
week is gonna ask questions about the same thing. Okay,
the Vikings Austine will touch on this stuff real quick
touch on another one and will bounce. Offensive lineman Will Fries,
(21:06):
offensive lineman Ryan Kelly, defensive tackles Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen, resigned,
Aaron Jones. Harrison Smith is coming back for another season,
probably to finish out his career in Minnesota, which I
think is cool.
Speaker 1 (21:29):
Murphy Byron Murphy's back.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
They signed an Eagles guy with the other cornerback position,
cam by them left. We brought back Theo Jackson. Ye,
basically that's pretty much it. Donald will still yeah, Donald
will still see what happens on him. But your thoughts
on the Vikings free agency. What stood out to you
(21:52):
about their decisions and moves this offseason?
Speaker 3 (21:56):
Yeah, Well, so they did what they need to do,
which is they reachool both offensive defensive. They figured, you know,
bolstered them a little bit. I mean defensively, I feel
like they could have one of the best defenses in
the league. I feel like now if things go well,
now there's some risk, right. I think hard Grave only
played like three games last year or something, and he's
getting up there. I think he's a little older. Kelly's
(22:20):
a little older.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
I mean, there's a lot of injury concern over pretty
much every single player that they signed.
Speaker 3 (22:26):
Right, So, I mean, it could obviously be an absolute disaster, right,
things could flip on their head, But on you know,
on paper, just analyzing it your talent wise, it looks
like it was a home run kind of class getting
by and Murphy back losing cam bind them is probably
not the end of the world, especially for what they
paid him. It's just kind of one of those things
things the cap. I mean, we were set up to
(22:48):
have all this cap room, right, and then what I
didn't even remember what's the number the NFL jumped the
cap like like thirty million or forty MILLI I don't
remember what the number was, a crazy number for next year.
It's like it doesn't even matter what the cap because
it seems like it just keeps going up every year.
You might as well just keep deferring all the money
so then you'll just always have cap space doesn't matter,
(23:08):
you know. So that was kind of a bummer that
we were in such a good position, and then everybody
else kind of is like, well, they'll be fine too,
because like the Saints even or like supposed to be
like under or over the cap by millions upon millions
and it's like, well, they figured it out somehow.
Speaker 2 (23:20):
The three structured contracts and the somehow the Browns got
like thirty six million dollars extra in cat space because
they restructured Deshaun Watson's contract.
Speaker 3 (23:28):
Like, oh, this stuff wasn't even possible. Yeah, right, it
seems dumb. But anyway, I like, you know, you like
you gotta like what they did. Again, Aaron Jones for
two years is good because they got I mean, they
don't have anybody else really that they can trust. Maybe
what's his face, Cam Akers was decent, but I mean
it's I don't know what else you got. I mean,
so Jones had his best year of his career and
(23:48):
then he did have him back again. Defensively, Harrison Smith's
a big one for another year because I get if
you lose him, I mean, safety would be getting a
little sketchy. THEO Jackson's unproven tell us is kind of
that like flex safety spot, so you're not sure if
he's going to slide into an actual safety or stay
in his kind of like flex role. So just yeah, no,
(24:12):
I mean it seems like a home run for now. Again,
we'll see if any of these injuries kind of come
back to haunt them. But they did what they need
to do. We'll put it that way. The quarterback thing
is still a little scary. You need, you know, you
need somebody else in that room that you can at
least kind of trust again, whether it's Flacco or Cooper
Rush even I think, like I said, he's a good
(24:32):
name that he's started some games, he's been competent, Like,
that's a good name.
Speaker 1 (24:37):
Aaron or Aaron or Sam Donald if you can give
him back for a cheap contract.
Speaker 3 (24:43):
Sam Donald black for another gun right now. But yeah, No,
they did what they need to do. It seems like
they're set up for success. We'll just see if they
can all stay healthy and do what they need to do.
Isaiah Rodgers, that was the Eagles guy.
Speaker 1 (24:54):
Yeah, he's the Eagles guy. Yep, yep.
Speaker 2 (24:57):
So yeah, the biggest weakness is from the Viking last year,
where interior offensive line and interior defensive line and getting
Will Fries and Ryan Kelly are the biggest editions of
the off season for me, because you could not trot
McCarthy out there next season with Ed Ingram or a
(25:20):
Dulton Reisner yeah or Blake Brindle Gonna say yeah, shout
out Dalton Reisner and Garrett Bradber like something had to
be done. No offense to my guest of the pod,
Dalton Reisner, because he did fill a good void for
the Vikings, and he stepped in after injury and replaced Ingram.
(25:42):
But still, I mean, you think about it, he's not
a five year, eighty million dollar offensive lineman.
Speaker 3 (25:50):
Right.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
You paid will Fries all that money for a reason.
It's because he can play and he's got talent. So
he bring in these guys and he established a pocket.
And you think about super Bowl windows and and all
that nonsense that gets discussed. Well, if you want to
go the rookie quarterback route on a rookie contract route,
(26:11):
well this is the exact kind of diagram that you
plan so that you can open up that super Bowl window.
So now we'll just see if the piece is on
paper are actually the right pieces on paper?
Speaker 3 (26:27):
The crazy part though, depending on the sportsbook. Right, yeah,
we're either third or fourth in the divisions.
Speaker 1 (26:34):
Nuts, And no, I mean it's.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
I got it. It's it's got to I mean it's
the quarterback, right, I mean that's why. But it's not
like Caleb Williams was this elite, like the Bears have
a worst roster top to bottom and a quarterback that
was okay last year. Right, he's a rookie. It's fine,
He's going to be better probably, right, you'd hope so
for them, you know, hopefully they're fun to watch here.
(26:58):
But he's not hardly I mean, he's barely more proven
than like a JJ McCarthy. I don't he's never played
a snap. But my point is Williams in flash like
it's just gonna be some automatic thing in year two.
He's gonna be elite, right, going better, But it's not
like he's gonna just be a also and all proberdy.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
And it does seem like the Lions could take a
step back this year because they lost some pieces and
they lost Ben Johnson.
Speaker 3 (27:19):
Yeah, because they're a huge that You've seen a lot
of teams that lose their coordinators don't find the same
magic in the following season. It might take some or
it takes a long time to adjust. Right. Maybe by
the end of the year they got it figured out,
But that doesn't mean that they're gonna win the division necessarily.
And again, even like the Packers being ahead, it's like
I don't. I mean again, it's it's all tied to
the quarterback. If we had even if I bet, if
(27:40):
we signed Dnald even would probably be up by the
Packers in terms of odds. But yeah, it's just kind
of crazy to me that we feel like this is
such a successful offseason and like things are going well.
Speaker 1 (27:51):
Nobody's gonna stop us now.
Speaker 3 (27:53):
Yeah, like odds wise, you know, the world is saying, yeah,
people aren't betting on them to go first or second,
it's third or fourth.
Speaker 2 (28:01):
You know, crazy, right, Yeah, last topic to talk about
Gophers fire head coach Ben Jopson. After four seasons with
the program, they send out.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
The news release.
Speaker 2 (28:18):
I was at one nineteen a m. In the morning
on x to inform the public that Ben Johnson was fired. Basically,
no NCAA tournaments made it to a few n its,
(28:39):
I'm sure, but former player becomes coach, former assistant becomes coach.
The idea was that, uh, he was going to bring
in the Minnesota guys like he's he's he's like the
hometown kid that's going to recruit the Minnesota guys, and
all the players that go to Wisconsin are gonna come
(28:59):
to Minnesota because he's the de Lessell player that grew
up in Minnesota and knows the local scenario, and he's
fired after four seasons.
Speaker 1 (29:10):
Yep.
Speaker 2 (29:11):
The discussion that is taking place, and it's a fair discussion,
is how much is the onus on Ben Johnson versus
the responsibility of the Gophers program as a whole and
(29:31):
having money to pay players and having a new facility, arena,
whatever the case may be.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
Yeah, I mean that's the question. Could what could Ben
Johnson have done better? I don't know. I mean he
last year he had a roster that overperformed and had
like that Elijah Hawkins, and you know he has he
had an NBA player, right Christy. I mean, so he's
had some talent come through. But then again a bunch
(30:01):
of guys left because you can't pay him enough or
other schools are offering more. And obviously that doesn't fall
on Ben Johnson. I just the Mark Coil statement made
me laugh. I'll say that because you read the first part,
you wish them well, blah blah. That's all fine. Obviously, again,
doing it one in the morning is a problem. Okay,
But this part here, this is an extremely desirable job.
(30:23):
It's not it's not like no, and one of the
best conferences and true cities in the nation.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Maybe depending on what you're talking do.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
Yeah, and we fully expect to compete at highest level
on off the courk. Fine, we provide a world class
experience for a student athletes. I mean it's not I
think it's okay, right, I think we're we're doing fine.
I don't think I don't know that they're doing anything
above and beyond. They're not bad though, right. Part of that,
so many of the schools are the same now, right,
it's world class practice facilities boo babble like it's all
(30:57):
taken sorrow. Yeah, it's not unique school to school like
it used to be where it's like wow, you know
Kentucky has much better facilities. It's like, no, everyone's just
got great stuff. We have one of the best practice
facilities in the nation. Oh, and play games in a
historic venue there it is I think if I remember eight,
(31:18):
I think Washington is the oldest and we have the
second oldest. How did Washington do this year?
Speaker 1 (31:22):
It's a good question.
Speaker 3 (31:23):
Yeah, they were lasting a big test.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
And we watched them.
Speaker 3 (31:29):
By the way, I went to one Gopher game this
year in his Gopher's home versus Washington. We lost great watch,
they just got this is terrible. All right, we offer
everything needed to be successful?
Speaker 1 (31:46):
Okay, do you what what what is? How do you
define that?
Speaker 3 (31:52):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (31:53):
What is everything you need to be successful? Basketball shoes, socks, uniforms?
Okay that count?
Speaker 3 (32:02):
Yeah? I don't know. I mean, we hired Ben Jonson
coming out of COVID, and so you're coming out of
COVID and you're navigating the nil world that just got
completely changed when he started, right, it's just something you
never would have had to deal with it alse in boom,
just what you're dealing with. So, given what he had
to deal with, I mean, did he do an amazing
I don't know. Maybe did he do a terrible job?
(32:23):
Doesn't seem like it, right, he did fine? And again
the key is what is your plan to follow it up?
Who are you going to get that is better, more qualified?
Who's interesting? Like, there's nobody interested in coaching the Minnesota
Golden Golphers.
Speaker 1 (32:38):
Now it's just not it's not a desirable job anymore.
Speaker 3 (32:43):
No, and maybe it never I mean when's the best?
I mean Tebby Smith, you know back then yeah, he
had some. He did solid. I mean, he was a
big name that we got, but even he was kind
of coming off some you know. Honestly, the Patino thing
was he was probably the best name.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
We've had, right, and now look what he's doing at
New Mexico is Rennen.
Speaker 3 (33:03):
Right, you know, So we were quick to get out
of him because you couldn't get the Minnesota talent. Well,
he cares about the Minnesota twent to some extent. I mean,
in today's world, it's not about you don't get the
Minnesota guy and you keep them for four years anymore.
That's not how the world works, you know. It's every
year that you're getting new faces basically and having to
(33:24):
figure out how to work them together unless you can
raise the NIL problem, which that's the Gopher's biggest problem,
it seems like, right, not having enough NIL funds, not
having an organized you know, because even like Hopkins, like
he was I think he was the one he was
coming back to Minnesota and then someone else just paid
him more money than he said, never mind, I'm leaving.
Speaker 1 (33:43):
Right, Why wouldn't you?
Speaker 2 (33:44):
It's college sports is becoming more like professional sports, Yeah,
where like you go into NFL free agency, for example,
and one of the best safeties on the market was
that Dolphin's guide Javon Holland. Yeah, and the Giants paid
him the most amount of money to come to their roster,
and he just joined one of the worst rosters yep
(34:07):
in the entire NFL because they paid the most. And
it's the same thing for college sports. Oh, you're gonna
pay me three hundred thousand dollars a year to play
basketball and the Gophers are gonna give.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
Me fifty thousand. That's an easy decision.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
Especially if you're not going Now there's a there's a
case to be made in the pros, right, Hey, if
I'm gonna get a hundred million or get ninety million,
but be on a better team. There's a lot of
guys who will choose the better team. If you're Elijah
Hawkins and you know for a fact you're not going
to make the.
Speaker 1 (34:34):
NBA cash out, now it is the Yeah, this is.
Speaker 3 (34:39):
Your only window. And now yes, and maybe go play,
you know, in Europe or whatever. There's other options that
you might make some money, right, but this is your window.
You have this four year window where nil is your
whole that could set you up for the next well,
the rest of your life potentially, right, if you manage
your money right, I mean, you still have to have
a job. You're not gonna be able to retire obviously,
but you know you have a nest egg of hundreds
(34:59):
of thousands of dollars potentially that you could use to
start your new life right after college.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
Right.
Speaker 3 (35:05):
So yeah, it's it's a no brainer to cash in
because again, if you're on the Gophers. I don't eve
remember where Hopkins ended up going. It wasn't somewhere like Elite.
You know, it's not transferring somewhere to win a title.
You're not going to Duke. He went somewhere. Let's see,
let's look it up quick.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
I'm looking it up right now. Texas Tech, Texas Tech.
Speaker 3 (35:26):
He averaged nine points a game for Texas Tech and
three assists, no six assists, sorry, you know, and he
led the big ten in assists last I think he
let's led the didn't evenly like the country and assists
last year. I think I think he did. That could
be wrong, though, it doesn't matter. The point is right,
a guy like him, he's not going to doke, so
what does he care if it's the Minnesota or Texas Tech.
(35:46):
Either way, it's not a great you know, it's it
is what it is. They're not going to win a title.
He's not going to like go to the NBA out
of this. You know, it's a perfect example of why
you would never choose the Gophers if you have another
option on the table that's more money. I mean, it's
just not you know, this isn't a special place to people, right,
you know it was the Dawson Garcia, but from in
(36:07):
Parker Fox Great. Most people don't view this as a
special place to be, so you have to convince them
it's special by painting them. That's just you might say
it's stupid. You might think it's unfair. I would probably
agree to a lot of extent that it's just what
are we doing. It looks like a professional landscape now
and that's not necessarily what's fun about college basketball or
college football. But that's the system we're in, So it
(36:30):
doesn't matter. That's what hass that. That's what it is.
So you got to play the game that way, and
we are not even close to playing the game that way.
Speaker 2 (36:37):
My biggest problem with this whole Golden Golphers basketball program
is when I compare it to the Wisconsin Badgers program.
Now I don't know about the facilities and whatnot or whatever,
but when I think about our neighbors to the east,
the Wisconsin Badgers, and I think about Madison, why is
(36:58):
Madison what ssconsin.
Speaker 1 (37:00):
A special place to play? Like why do.
Speaker 2 (37:03):
Players continually pick the Wisconsin Badgers over the Gophers program?
Particularly Minnesota guys because every year you turn on a
Badgers basketball game and you see from prior Lake Minnesota,
from from Lakeville, Mini, from why Zeta, Here's Wisconsin Badgers
(37:26):
star whatever.
Speaker 1 (37:28):
His name is. And the.
Speaker 2 (37:33):
Question that I don't fully have an answer to because
I don't know Wisconsin Badgers program personally or hav any
experience with it, but it's like, why do they continually
recruit good players that are there for three to four years?
Because they're taking Not many NBA players come out of Wisconsin.
(37:55):
You get like a Frank Cominsky. Sometimes they're on number
one seed, but they are a routine a team that's
ranked ten to twenty every year in the NCAA, always
in the NCAA.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
March Madness Tournament.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Occasionally will be a number one seed with like a
Frank the tank Kaminsky type of guy.
Speaker 1 (38:14):
But what what is it about Wisconsin? Yeah? Why are
they so good?
Speaker 2 (38:20):
And why can the Gophers program not recreate what Wisconsin
has done consistently for years?
Speaker 3 (38:28):
Yeah? Well, I mean they have a culture of winning,
which obviously helps. Right, if you win, you bring winners out,
blah blah. But I mean part of it is, you know,
Minneapolis Saint Paul. They boast about having like such a
you know, it's a metropolitan area and blah blah blah blah. Well,
first of all, I mean it's a huge I mean
it the U of M is its own. It's part
of this giant, you know city. Right, it's a city.
(38:50):
It's very much a city. You know, Madison is very
much a college town. It's big still, but Madison is
very like when you're on the campus, it just it
feels it's the collegiate. It feels collegiate, right, It's not
like what you know, Minneapolis Saint Paul level. So, Gophers basketball,
where does it rank in terms of people what people
(39:11):
care about? Here? I mean you have Gopher sorry you
have Well, hockey probably is more important, go for football
is more important generally, Vikings, Wolves, Wild twins. I mean,
I know, it's the seasons don't all overlap.
Speaker 1 (39:24):
Oh wow, what's going on there?
Speaker 3 (39:26):
You're that's weird. I wonder what word that was, twins.
Speaker 1 (39:33):
I don't know if it's like a hand gesture.
Speaker 3 (39:37):
That was weird only the YouTube. If you put this
on YouTube, they'll fire YouTube.
Speaker 1 (39:42):
Sure, that was crazy. That's a single button back here.
Speaker 3 (39:46):
I didn't either, Holly. Anyway, my point is the Gophers.
I mean, no one cares about Gopher basketball or or
Wisconsin basketball. I mean, that is what you know that
what is the thing right that is that is what
has cared about is Wisconsin athletics. Right. It is a
college town. So I think that's part of it. Is
(40:07):
just the Gophers are and often forgot about in the
big scheme of things. It is not a priority in
terms of just the way Minnesota operates. Right, you have
all these different hockey programs around the state. That is
a much bigger deal. You know, Wisconsin hockey is not
nearly as big of a deal. They don't have as
many hockey programs, right, all that sort of things. So
(40:28):
it's just kind of basketball is more of a thing
in Masson than you know, Minneapolis Saint Paul, and that's
just always kind of been the way.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
It is the one thing that I do not want
the Gophers program to do. And I've seen this already
floating around. Bobby Jackson is an assistant coach for an
NBA team, Ryan Saunders is an assistant coach for the
Denver Nuggets, and you've already seen those names floating around
(40:55):
on potential rumored hires.
Speaker 1 (40:58):
The Gopher's program would higher. Yeah.
Speaker 3 (41:01):
I saw the Saunders one, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (41:04):
And of course they have ties to the program.
Speaker 2 (41:06):
They were a part of that they played Ryan Sounder's
not really, But like I want you to go out
there and get someone that did not play U of
M basketball, that went and played somewhere else or didn't
play at all and has a history of coaching other
(41:31):
programs and taking them to another level that doesn't necessarily
have Minnesota ties.
Speaker 1 (41:36):
Not everything has to be well, they grew.
Speaker 2 (41:39):
Up in Minnesota, they played for Minnesota, Minnesota this Minnesota
that mm hmm.
Speaker 1 (41:45):
I think we're I think we're done with that.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Like bringing a Tummis Smith or Richard Patina, like going
back to like another Ben Johnson higher where because he
grew up in Minnesota or played for the Gophers.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
Like, let's bring something else new in here.
Speaker 3 (41:59):
Yeah, like, uh, you know a mac like a PJ
flex style right, coming in with completely fresh Now he's
not like it's he's not like he's been a you know,
Big ten title contender, right, but he came in and
just completely different. Right, Just I'm going to do it
my way. I've done this at different levels. It's worked.
This is what we're doing, right, So that's kind of
your point. Don't bring it in just another yes man.
(42:21):
Bring in a guy who right has shown success at
the lower conference level, right, and knows how to build
a program, because I mean, let's be honest, this program
needs to be built. There's nothing really there worth salvaging. Again,
you have basic you know, facilities and all that sort
of stuff. It's great whatever, blah blah blah. But in
(42:43):
terms of like the actual roster, I mean we have
literally nobody for next year. I mean almost nobody. We
have Awesoma Minnesota guy.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
That might be it, right, have another year of eligibility.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
He could be the coach probably, right, Yeah.
Speaker 1 (42:57):
Played for the Gophers and grew up in Minnesota. Might
not Parker?
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Yeah, So yeah, to your point, it'd be nice to
get a program developer, right, somebody that was at a
lower lower maybe the same Thomas coaches will Amy, Hey,
why not they freaking win their conference every year even
though they can't go to the conference or in sports,
By the way, it's so weird. It'd be one thing
if you're going down obviously, that totally makes sense. Right
If Saint Thomas said, hey, D one's not for us,
(43:22):
we're gonna go back down to D two, well, yeah,
you can't win right away. There has to be some
rules probably where blah blah blah blah. They went from
D three up to D one win and then they're
like not for four, can't do it, can do can't win.
Speaker 1 (43:35):
You're playing at a severe disadvantage.
Speaker 2 (43:37):
Plants are behind in every single recruiting class and every
single thing, like, hey.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
You know what, come play for our program.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
You can win the conference tournament and guess what, you
still won't go to the March Madness title.
Speaker 1 (43:48):
Yeah, like what kind of recruitment pitches that?
Speaker 2 (43:50):
And yet they still do it and then they get
banned from participating.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
Dumblest rule I think I've ever seen in my life.
Speaker 3 (43:57):
Yeah, weird, but anyway. So yeah, I mean the point,
I like your point, right, don't don't because even like
a Saunders, right, no one would say he's a bad coach. Obviously,
Clearly he's a good basketball coach. He's been successful, he's
worked you know, Wolves, Nuggets. Obviously, I'm sure he's got
a just a depth knowledge of basketball stuff. That's not
(44:19):
even what coaching college basketball is hardly about any Like,
obviously he knows more than either best we'll ever know
about basketball, but again that's not even what it's about anymore.
Anybody can look up and figure out pro schemes to
run about, like that's it. That's the easier part, that
harder part, right, getting guys here, getting them paid, getting
them to play as a team. Like, it's more of
(44:40):
that other stuff than just again exos, Well, anybody that's
going to be a college coach.
Speaker 1 (44:46):
Can you on your team and your team's going to
be good?
Speaker 3 (44:50):
Right, I mean, it's more about getting the guys, getting
the money, getting the program to be in a place
where that can be successful. Because again, and that's my
point of all that is sounders, that's not something he's
ever done, so could he be good at it? I
don't know. Maybe, but has he done any proof of that? No,
he's been an NBA guy, right, that's just what he's
good at. Bobby Jackson. Jackson would be the similar thing,
(45:11):
right if he's never That's what he said, right, that's
the one.
Speaker 1 (45:13):
Yeah, Bobby Jackson, yep, Yeah, it's like he's.
Speaker 3 (45:16):
Again, he's never built a college program in this era
of how you have to do it, So that would
be my number one priority is how do you find
somebody who has a plan of how to build a
program and get guys to Minnesota when Minnesota's a place
a lot of guys don't want to be right, I'm
just getting another Minnesota guy is not going to solve
the problem unless that's also a guy who's built a
(45:38):
program and can show how to do it.
Speaker 2 (45:41):
The only people that are going to buy tickets to
watch a Bobby Jackson led basketball program was someone that
watched the nineteen ninety eight Yeah, final four run. Yeah,
that's not going to excite him, but he knew Bobby
Jackson whatever.
Speaker 3 (45:58):
A right, you know before the nil deal, maybe you
know guys like that could be successful. Right, you have
to recruit two or three guys a year. I mean
that was a pretty not easy job obviously, but like
they'd stay for four years and if you got you know,
Dawson Garcia as a freshman, yeah, you had him for
four years and you could trust that your program was
(46:19):
going to be in good hands. That's just not the
world it works anymore.
Speaker 2 (46:22):
Completely different game now. Yeah, wow, we went forty six minutes. Nice,
who appreciate your time? It is, talk about it, we'll
get back.
Speaker 3 (46:34):
Talk about the stash here.
Speaker 1 (46:36):
I know mister Mario over there.
Speaker 3 (46:39):
Yeah, it's ready going back though, so we'll be back
to normal soon.
Speaker 1 (46:42):
It looks good. I kind of like it. Yeah, yeah,
it should just go stash now from now on.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
Go stash for a little while. H I don't think
about it.
Speaker 1 (46:52):
Let's do it. Just shave the sides and go stash.
It feels in pretty nice.
Speaker 3 (46:57):
Yeah it wasn't. Yeah, it's it's a week, a little
over week.
Speaker 1 (47:00):
This is bad.
Speaker 3 (47:01):
I mean some people grow you know, full beard after
a day of you know, every day basically, which I'm
happy I don't have to because I only have to
shave every couple you know. It's not often that I
have to shave.
Speaker 1 (47:10):
Yeah, this is like two weeks from me right here.
Speaker 3 (47:13):
Okay, yeah, I how you go with the shaven look
on you know on the videos there that you've been
you've been getting some views. I've seen some.
Speaker 2 (47:21):
Yeah, yeah, we're moving out. We got twenty three hundred
followers on Facebook. Nice people are watching the stuff. The content, baby,
content wet We put out and pour out content is
what we do.
Speaker 3 (47:33):
That's yeah, your your content machine.
Speaker 1 (47:35):
Let's go. There, we go, We'll do it again. We'll
be back soon. Everyone. Thank you for watching. Hit that
subscribe button.
Speaker 2 (47:40):
If you're still here with us, I don't know if
what I'm just saying it is pointless at this point
in time.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Who's all with us at this point? Maybe, Adam.
Speaker 2 (47:47):
I appreciate you watching, Adam, thank you for making this
podcast part every day at a
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