July 31, 2025 • 12 mins
Tim discusses the Minnesota Vikings' recent performance, focusing on the struggles of the offense and the impressive play of the defense. He highlights the concerns surrounding rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy, who is under pressure to perform in a win-now environment. The conversation also touches on the offensive line's difficulties against a strong defensive front and the need for cautious optimism regarding the Vikings' defense as training camp progresses.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Grind, a Minnesota sports podcast. Welcome into the Grind.
My name is Tim and I'm the host of this
Minnesota sports podcast. If you're watching this on YouTube, hit
that subscribe but right there or right there one of
the corners and hit that leg bundon on this video.
That would be greatly appreciated. And if you're listening somewhere else,
(00:23):
follow the show wherever you're listening and rate review the
show if that is something you're willing to do as well.
We've got plenty of Minnesota Vikings chatter to discuss on
today's podcast, particularly about the Vikings offensive line and the
(00:45):
annihilation station that has been happening in the trenches. So
we're gonna talk about that on today's show. But first
I need to tell you about five Star Bess Solutions
of Minneapolis, as they transformed our entire bathroom in forty
eight hours. New floors, a step got removed, a new tub,
(01:10):
a new shower, a new shower ahead, a new surround
which had molded it. They took care of that. We
went from a single to a double sink, a new mirror,
a new vanity, new counter. They remodeled our entire bathroom
and we had it back in two days. Affordable payment plans,
(01:31):
free consultations. Give five Star Bas Solutions of Minneapolis a
call today and figure out your bathroom needs. Don't cramp
into your teeny tiny bathroom for eight weeks. Call five
Star Bass Solutions of Minneapolis and get your bathroom transformed today,
all right? According to reporters, this is via Kevin Seffert
(01:58):
via the Perp Persuasion. The best Twitter account that follows
the Minnesota Vikings says this, despite Darisa's presence, the Vikings
first team defense destroyed the starting offense. The offense moved
the ball past the line of scrimmage only once on
(02:21):
its first eight plays. All four Vikings quarterbacks through one interception,
and Jaj McCarthy nearly threw his second near the end
of a two minute drill when he tried to throw
across his body to running back Aaron Jones Sr. The
ball sailed over Jones's head and then through the hands
(02:44):
of linebacker Blake Cashman as well. The Minnesota Vikings' offense
got annihilated against the Minnesota Vikings defense the wrenches of
Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, the combination of Dallas Turner,
(03:06):
Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Gerrard dominated the Vikings offense,
pressured McCarthy and forced McCarthy to make two bad throws,
one of them intercepted, a second should have been intercepted.
(03:26):
This is the second day in a row we've received
a bad report about J. J. McCarthy's practice, and now
it becomes a story to follow. This is two bad
days in a row. You have one bad day, it happens.
(03:48):
When you have two bad days in a row, it
becomes a story to follow. If McCarthy has three bad
practices in a row, it becomes a little bit of
a concern. And here's why it becomes a concern. The
Minnesota Vikings are in win now mode offensively and defensively.
(04:13):
It's the story we've been told all off season. We've
got the trenches figured out on both sides of the ball.
We've got defenders in the most important positions, and we've
got the offensive side figured out. We've got depth at
the running back, we've got the receivers. We've got the
pieces to go to the super Bowl. But but the
(04:37):
most important position in football, the quarterback position, is going
to be a first time starting QB who will turn
twenty three years old in January, and a quarterback that young,
(04:59):
with that inexperience, has never won a Super Bowl and
what we've been seeing, And here's the rub. There's a
rub here between what's happening. There's a rub between, well,
McCarthy's gotta learn, he's gotta figure it out, he's got
(05:20):
to get the experience, he's got to figure out all
those things that young quarterbacks need to figure out. But
he doesn't have time to do that because the Vikings
are in win now mode. We don't have time for
our quarterback to go through a year of trying to
(05:44):
figure it out. Because it's not like Javon Hargrave and
the Jonathan Allen's are twenty seven to twenty eight years old.
These guys have maybe one year left of prime football.
So it's not like we can just have this year
being experimental year. Dan Orlovsky and ESPN analysts said, the
(06:07):
Vikings are going to go to the NFC title game
if McCarthy is just an average QB. And so, do
you understand the rub? There's a rub between McCarthy's gotta
grow into the QB that we all hope he will be,
(06:28):
but at the same time, he better be ready to
win regular season and playoff games immediately, because we don't
have all day or all season to try to experience
and learn these different things on the fly. And that's
(06:52):
why bringing in a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers was intriguing,
because you don't have to wait a year for Rogers
to get acclimated into the NFL and get used to
the speed of the game and understand the little detail
(07:14):
that go into reading a defense and calling an audible.
This is the second day in a row now that
McCarthy and the Vikings offense has had a bad day. Now,
I'm not saying it's the end of the day or
(07:34):
the end of the road for McCarthy or the Vikings office.
I'm not saying they're gonna be bad all year. But
I'm just saying we need to watch this story closely
because if the Vikings offense continues to get destroyed and
McCarthy continues to struggle in practice while he gets two
(08:00):
percent better every day, there has to be some conflict
within that Vikings organization because of the rub that I
was discussing. The team's ready to win now, but the
quarterback might not be to that place where that team
(08:21):
is because he's still growing and processing and progressing. It's
not the end of the world yet, so I'm not
freaking out, but it is a story to monitor because
this is now two days in a row where McCarthy
has struggled in practice, and now the Minnesota Vikings offensive
(08:47):
line got annihilated by the Vikings defensive line. I call
it the Annihilation Station, and Jon Dearsaw was playing. The
entire offensive line was intact. The line that we were
told would be a top five offensive line in football
(09:10):
just got completely clobbered against a potential top five defensive
line in football. And the problem that I have with
this story is that you read these reports about the
Vikings defense and you would kind of get lost in
(09:36):
just how good they are. Based on the reports we
are reading, it almost feels a little like the nineteen
eighty five Bears defense clabbering the line They're unstoppable. Feels
(10:02):
a little over the top hypes right now, because based
on what I'm reading in these reports, it seems like
there is no way a regular season NFL team is
going to put up two touchdowns on the Vikings during
(10:25):
any game when that's most likely not going to be true.
So these reports are really pumping up the Vikings defense
for what it is, and they're just telling the story.
But when you read these reports, sometimes what happens is
(10:45):
you take them and blow them out of proportion. You
read the story of the Vikings defensive line is blowing
up the Vikings offensive line, and then your head can
go to a place of did the Vikings have the
best defense in the league? Is this one of the
best defenses ever? So I just want to caution you
to pump the brakes a little bit on just how
(11:08):
good the Vikings defense is. And maybe they do have
the best defense in the league. Maybe they will prove
to be better than the nineteen eighty five Bears defense.
But that's also just cool it down. Let this fester
and see what kind of product the Vikings defense is
(11:30):
on the field in Week one against Caleb Williams, who
struggled for most of the year last year. But do
you understand what I'm saying, Because these reports about just
how good the Vikings defense has been have been all
(11:51):
over our feeds, and when that happens, you can kind
to get lost in just how good they are just Sam.
Thank you for joining the show today. Remember to check
out five star Best Solutions of Minneapolis. Also check out
(12:14):
Hokland Farms Beef four four one for the best rotationally
grades one grass fed beef. Thanks for joining the show.
Hope you all have a good day. Doc Dealeda
The Grind, a Minnesota sports podcast. Welcome into the Grind.
My name is Tim and I'm the host of this
Minnesota sports podcast. If you're watching this on YouTube, hit
that subscribe but right there or right there one of
the corners and hit that leg bundon on this video.
That would be greatly appreciated. And if you're listening somewhere else,
(00:23):
follow the show wherever you're listening and rate review the
show if that is something you're willing to do as well.
We've got plenty of Minnesota Vikings chatter to discuss on
today's podcast, particularly about the Vikings offensive line and the
(00:45):
annihilation station that has been happening in the trenches. So
we're gonna talk about that on today's show. But first
I need to tell you about five Star Bess Solutions
of Minneapolis, as they transformed our entire bathroom in forty
eight hours. New floors, a step got removed, a new tub,
(01:10):
a new shower, a new shower ahead, a new surround
which had molded it. They took care of that. We
went from a single to a double sink, a new mirror,
a new vanity, new counter. They remodeled our entire bathroom
and we had it back in two days. Affordable payment plans,
(01:31):
free consultations. Give five Star Bas Solutions of Minneapolis a
call today and figure out your bathroom needs. Don't cramp
into your teeny tiny bathroom for eight weeks. Call five
Star Bass Solutions of Minneapolis and get your bathroom transformed today,
all right? According to reporters, this is via Kevin Seffert
(01:58):
via the Perp Persuasion. The best Twitter account that follows
the Minnesota Vikings says this, despite Darisa's presence, the Vikings
first team defense destroyed the starting offense. The offense moved
the ball past the line of scrimmage only once on
(02:21):
its first eight plays. All four Vikings quarterbacks through one interception,
and Jaj McCarthy nearly threw his second near the end
of a two minute drill when he tried to throw
across his body to running back Aaron Jones Sr. The
ball sailed over Jones's head and then through the hands
(02:44):
of linebacker Blake Cashman as well. The Minnesota Vikings' offense
got annihilated against the Minnesota Vikings defense the wrenches of
Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen, the combination of Dallas Turner,
(03:06):
Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Gerrard dominated the Vikings offense,
pressured McCarthy and forced McCarthy to make two bad throws,
one of them intercepted, a second should have been intercepted.
(03:26):
This is the second day in a row we've received
a bad report about J. J. McCarthy's practice, and now
it becomes a story to follow. This is two bad
days in a row. You have one bad day, it happens.
(03:48):
When you have two bad days in a row, it
becomes a story to follow. If McCarthy has three bad
practices in a row, it becomes a little bit of
a concern. And here's why it becomes a concern. The
Minnesota Vikings are in win now mode offensively and defensively.
(04:13):
It's the story we've been told all off season. We've
got the trenches figured out on both sides of the ball.
We've got defenders in the most important positions, and we've
got the offensive side figured out. We've got depth at
the running back, we've got the receivers. We've got the
pieces to go to the super Bowl. But but the
(04:37):
most important position in football, the quarterback position, is going
to be a first time starting QB who will turn
twenty three years old in January, and a quarterback that young,
(04:59):
with that inexperience, has never won a Super Bowl and
what we've been seeing, And here's the rub. There's a
rub here between what's happening. There's a rub between, well,
McCarthy's gotta learn, he's gotta figure it out, he's got
(05:20):
to get the experience, he's got to figure out all
those things that young quarterbacks need to figure out. But
he doesn't have time to do that because the Vikings
are in win now mode. We don't have time for
our quarterback to go through a year of trying to
(05:44):
figure it out. Because it's not like Javon Hargrave and
the Jonathan Allen's are twenty seven to twenty eight years old.
These guys have maybe one year left of prime football.
So it's not like we can just have this year
being experimental year. Dan Orlovsky and ESPN analysts said, the
(06:07):
Vikings are going to go to the NFC title game
if McCarthy is just an average QB. And so, do
you understand the rub? There's a rub between McCarthy's gotta
grow into the QB that we all hope he will be,
(06:28):
but at the same time, he better be ready to
win regular season and playoff games immediately, because we don't
have all day or all season to try to experience
and learn these different things on the fly. And that's
(06:52):
why bringing in a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers was intriguing,
because you don't have to wait a year for Rogers
to get acclimated into the NFL and get used to
the speed of the game and understand the little detail
(07:14):
that go into reading a defense and calling an audible.
This is the second day in a row now that
McCarthy and the Vikings offense has had a bad day. Now,
I'm not saying it's the end of the day or
(07:34):
the end of the road for McCarthy or the Vikings office.
I'm not saying they're gonna be bad all year. But
I'm just saying we need to watch this story closely
because if the Vikings offense continues to get destroyed and
McCarthy continues to struggle in practice while he gets two
(08:00):
percent better every day, there has to be some conflict
within that Vikings organization because of the rub that I
was discussing. The team's ready to win now, but the
quarterback might not be to that place where that team
(08:21):
is because he's still growing and processing and progressing. It's
not the end of the world yet, so I'm not
freaking out, but it is a story to monitor because
this is now two days in a row where McCarthy
has struggled in practice, and now the Minnesota Vikings offensive
(08:47):
line got annihilated by the Vikings defensive line. I call
it the Annihilation Station, and Jon Dearsaw was playing. The
entire offensive line was intact. The line that we were
told would be a top five offensive line in football
(09:10):
just got completely clobbered against a potential top five defensive
line in football. And the problem that I have with
this story is that you read these reports about the
Vikings defense and you would kind of get lost in
(09:36):
just how good they are. Based on the reports we
are reading, it almost feels a little like the nineteen
eighty five Bears defense clabbering the line They're unstoppable. Feels
(10:02):
a little over the top hypes right now, because based
on what I'm reading in these reports, it seems like
there is no way a regular season NFL team is
going to put up two touchdowns on the Vikings during
(10:25):
any game when that's most likely not going to be true.
So these reports are really pumping up the Vikings defense
for what it is, and they're just telling the story.
But when you read these reports, sometimes what happens is
(10:45):
you take them and blow them out of proportion. You
read the story of the Vikings defensive line is blowing
up the Vikings offensive line, and then your head can
go to a place of did the Vikings have the
best defense in the league? Is this one of the
best defenses ever? So I just want to caution you
to pump the brakes a little bit on just how
(11:08):
good the Vikings defense is. And maybe they do have
the best defense in the league. Maybe they will prove
to be better than the nineteen eighty five Bears defense.
But that's also just cool it down. Let this fester
and see what kind of product the Vikings defense is
(11:30):
on the field in Week one against Caleb Williams, who
struggled for most of the year last year. But do
you understand what I'm saying, Because these reports about just
how good the Vikings defense has been have been all
(11:51):
over our feeds, and when that happens, you can kind
to get lost in just how good they are just Sam.
Thank you for joining the show today. Remember to check
out five star Best Solutions of Minneapolis. Also check out
(12:14):
Hokland Farms Beef four four one for the best rotationally
grades one grass fed beef. Thanks for joining the show.
Hope you all have a good day. Doc Dealeda
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
New Heights with Jason & Travis Kelce
Football’s funniest family duo — Jason Kelce of the Philadelphia Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs — team up to provide next-level access to life in the league as it unfolds. The two brothers and Super Bowl champions drop weekly insights about the weekly slate of games and share their INSIDE perspectives on trending NFL news and sports headlines. They also endlessly rag on each other as brothers do, chat the latest in pop culture and welcome some very popular and well-known friends to chat with them. Check out new episodes every Wednesday. Follow New Heights on the Wondery App, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to new episodes early and ad-free, and get exclusive content on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And join our new membership for a unique fan experience by going to the New Heights YouTube channel now!